The Grotesque Miss’s End Story v3c29

Chapter 29: I Missed the Bus!

Within “Zhuolu’s Battlefield at the Final Hour.”

A desolate breeze carried the chilling aura of death, like a blade against skin, threatening to dissolve anyone weak enough to linger. Only those with an Authority, those who had progressed far enough on their Path, could withstand Doomsday’s pervasive erosion. Therefore, this unremarkable peasant woman, deep within this dangerous land, wielding a massive two-handed sword with a single hand, radiating an oppressive aura, a deadly threat felt even by Luo Ling, like the Sword of Damocles hanging over them, was no ordinary Xuanyuan disciple.

“This ‘Zhuolu’s Battlefield at the Final Hour’ holds secrets that must not be revealed. This is a forbidden line; crossing it means death,” Xuanyuan Mu Yan said gravely. “Tell the Fairy… her scheme has failed.”

Although Moonflower and the others used the First Seat’s mystical aura to conceal their identities upon Xuanyuan Mu Yan’s arrival, Luo Ling, the inside informant, had already revealed their true identities.

But Xuanyuan Mu Yan deliberately maintained the charade, letting them believe they were still disguised.

“……”

Luo Ling could only apologize silently. She hadn’t intended to expose Moonflower; she wasn’t a true Naraku Godchosen, not interested in “doxing.” But Xuanyuan Linglong had been too perceptive, easily extracting the information, and with the situation in the Great Xia Imperial City, having already narrowed down the possibilities, she had quickly identified them. Even without Luo Ling’s intervention, the Xuanyuan clan learning about Moonflower, the recently risen ruler of Qing Qiu, was only a matter of time.

“The Xuanyuan clan’s attitude… is strange…”

Moonflower and the others believed they were still in the dark, but knowing part of the truth, Luo Ling found Xuanyuan Mu Yan’s behavior intriguing. The Xuanyuan clan had to maintain their image of swift retribution, not showing weakness, a reputation built by their ancestors’ blood and sacrifice, a reputation that even Moonflower was wary of, clearly beneficial to the clan. However, in these turbulent times, they couldn’t afford to attract too much attention, lest they be caught in a larger conflict and allow others to benefit. They had to protect their ancestral graves without openly antagonizing other factions. Hence, Xuanyuan Mu Yan’s intervention without revealing her identity.

However…

This wasn’t Luo Ling’s concern. She wasn’t a Xuanyuan, nor a true ally of Qing Qiu Kingdom, only interested in Heavenly Woman Ba. Therefore, regarding uncovering the “past” of “Zhuolu’s Battlefield at the Final Hour,” she was actually on Moonflower’s side.

“You continue, I’ll handle her,” Camellia said softly, stepping forward.

A simple, almost crude spear appeared in her hand, more like a sharpened branch.

But Xuanyuan Mu Yan’s expression turned serious upon seeing it.

She knew this wasn’t an ordinary branch, but a true artifact.

Gungnir, the Eternal Spear, crafted from a branch of the World Tree of Calamity, a Taboo.

Not an avatar, not a blessing, but a true part of the World Tree, a Taboo Sacred Relic.

This Sacred Relic was so powerful that its backlash during the crafting process had killed several master Sacred Tool crafters.

Xuanyuan Mu Yan looked intently at Camellia, whispering, only for herself and the crow in her pocket to hear,

“So, it truly is you…”

“Hmm?”

The crow twitched slightly. Luo Ling, within the barrier created by the “Past Medicine,” also looked at Camellia.

So… Granny Camellia and Xuanyuan Mu Yan knew each other?

And it seemed… there was a story there…

Unfortunately, Xuanyuan Mu Yan’s current appearance was Luo Ling’s creation, her disguise so effective that it was hard to imagine this ugly peasant woman as the infamous Xuanyuan Mu Yan. Luo Ling didn’t know if Granny Camellia recognized her.

Camellia held the spear, seemingly too large for her small frame, yet with a strange sense of harmony, as if the spear itself existed only for her.

The next moment, Camellia charged towards Xuanyuan Mu Yan, the spear held reversed, the roar of a warhorse echoing, a surge of battle intent filling the air.

Even Moonflower, seeing Camellia fight for the first time, sensed the power she wielded, her face paling slightly.

“This is… the Knight’s power?”

Among the revealed Grotesquery Sequences, the highest ranked, the sixth Taboo, the Knight of Sin and Thorn, wielding the Slaughter Authority.

According to legend, it was He who created the first Kingdom, a place called Nibelungen, leaving behind countless terrifying tales that still haunted Valhalla, the Origin Point, even after Nibelungen’s disappearance, its terror and power lingering.

His image, riding a six-legged skeletal warhorse wreathed in blue flames, wielding the Eternal Spear, was well-known in Valhalla, even the Great Xia Imperial City had heard of it after the opening of the Boundaries.

His past terror was evident in another infamous group, comparable to the Naraku Godchosen: the Knight Godchosen.

Madmen obsessed with slaughter, reveling in it, dedicating their lives to it, bringing disaster wherever they went.

Was Camellia a Knight Godchosen?

…But she didn’t seem like one.

She wasn’t obsessed with battle, rarely acting recklessly, even considered the most normal among the witches of the Tea Party.

But now, in the power Camellia wielded, a faint shadow of the terrifying Taboo, the Knight, could be seen.

Xuanyuan Mu Yan, however, wasn’t surprised. She silently raised her sword and met Camellia’s attack.

For some reason, Xuanyuan Mu Yan wasn’t fighting with her full strength, not using the power that would reveal her true identity, only wielding the Emperor’s Authority accessible to all Xuanyuan disciples. Although a powerful trump card for them, at this level of combat, merely using the Authority, not wielding it, significantly reduced its power.

Seeing Camellia fighting the peasant woman, Moonflower turned her attention back to Luo Ling, not wasting any time.

Knight Godchosen or not, regardless of Camellia’s true identity, she was currently on their side, and that was enough.

“Focus, Miss Iris,” Moonflower said softly, inexplicably feeling that Iris wouldn’t mess up this time, so she didn’t elaborate. “Next… close your eyes, I’ll need to… influence you slightly.”

Moonflower lit a stick of incense, its gentle smoke drifting towards Luo Ling.

A flicker of pain crossed her eyes. This was a precious item called “Seeking Dao Incense,” produced by Penglai Sacred Land, assisting the user in sensing a deity’s power.

Qing Qiu Kingdom, for various reasons, was a close ally of Penglai Sacred Land, and Moonflower, during her time as ruler, had received considerable aid from them.

However, even among these resources, “Seeking Dao Incense” was incredibly valuable, second only to a few rare divine medicines like the “Past Medicine.”

Without the pressure from the peasant woman, Moonflower wouldn’t have used it on Iris, even though she rarely used it herself, as her clan members needed it.

But this wasn’t the time to conserve resources. She had to help Iris sense Heavenly Woman Ba’s “past” quickly. Otherwise… if that peasant woman brought reinforcements, even the terrifying Xuanyuan Linglong, rumored to enjoy eating human flesh raw…

Even if it wasn’t Xuanyuan Linglong, her daughter, Xuanyuan Mu Yan, was troublesome enough, said to only prefer cooked meat.

Xuanyuan Mu Yan, fighting Camellia, suddenly felt the urge to sneeze, wondering who was talking about her.

But she had no time for that now.

She realized Camellia was truly powerful.

Actually, neither the Knight’s power nor the spear belonged to Camellia, yet she wielded them with their full power.

Perhaps, borrowing and wielding others’ powers… was Camellia’s true ability.

Xuanyuan Mu Yan knew she had underestimated them.

And if this truly was the person she knew, even at her full strength, she would struggle to break through.

Moreover…

Xuanyuan Mu Yan glanced at the cold, indifferent woman standing motionless nearby, a dangerous presence.

Thankfully, she had already sent for reinforcements.

But now…

“…It might be too late.”

Xuanyuan Mu Yan saw Moonflower’s “Seeking Dao Incense,” although its effects here were unknown, it would likely accelerate their search for the “past.”

The crow in her pocket hadn’t reacted since entering, as expected by her mother, confirming Miss Crow was also after Heavenly Woman Ba’s Authority.

Xuanyuan Mu Yan sighed inwardly.

As the stalemate continued, Luo Ling’s nose twitched, smelling the incense, but its effects on her were minimal—practically nonexistent.

However, it was different for the little bird on her head.

Iris, nestled comfortably in Luo Ling’s hair, waiting for her substitute to handle everything, suddenly opened her eyes, a dazed expression on her face, as if seeing Lord Jingwei, almost taking flight.

Luo Ling quickly held her down, preventing her from exposing their disguise.

But just then, an illusory image of Jingwei materialized, although ethereal, its lifelike form like Jingwei Herself, even Luo Ling was surprised.

“…Good.”

Moonflower breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed there were no problems.

The “Seeking Dao Incense” helped the user connect with their deity’s power, materializing an illusory true form for meditation.

Judging from the Jingwei avatar Iris had manifested, her connection to Jingwei was astonishing, far exceeding any God’s Favored Moonflower had ever met, including herself.

“Next…”

It was her turn.

Moonflower closed her eyes, levitating slightly, nine illusory tails swaying gently behind her.

A faint image of the Nine-Tailed Fox also materialized, although much less solid than Jingwei’s.

At the same time, the barrier created by the “Past Medicine” shone brightly, operating at maximum efficiency, Moonflower paying the price.

“Let’s try this.”

Just then, Xuanyuan Mu Yan suddenly changed her tactic, feinting an attack at Camellia with her sword before turning and lunging towards Luo Ling and Moonflower.

She even used a bit of her Authority, hoping for a breakthrough.

Unfortunately, Camellia’s cautious nature meant she was always prepared, even during a prolonged standoff.

A six-legged skeletal warhorse, wreathed in blue flames, appeared, its roars deafening.

Camellia, mounted on the warhorse, raised Gungnir, her gaze calmly fixed on Xuanyuan Mu Yan.

The next moment, she hurled the spear, lifeless branches detaching from it, carrying a suffocating aura of Silent Demise.

“The enraged Knight throws His spear, fate connecting cause and effect, even the heavens lament… unavoidable, unstoppable.”

This was the fate-piercing Eternal Spear. The moment it was thrown, it had already pierced its target’s heart.

Cause and effect reversed, the inevitable outcome predetermined before the action.

“Danger!”

Xuanyuan Mu Yan’s expression changed as she turned to block the spear, knowing Gungnir couldn’t be dodged, only stopped after piercing its target, otherwise inescapable, no matter where one fled.

A spray of blood. Gungnir pierced Xuanyuan Mu Yan’s heart, but at the same time, she grabbed the spear.

Its aura of Silent Demise drained her life force, but this alone couldn’t kill her.

However, this aura affected more than just her.

Luo Ling’s disguise was created using Proliferation, the flesh and blood weak and vulnerable, instantly decaying and falling away upon contact with the intense aura of Silent Demise.

The ugly, stout peasant woman transformed into a tall, white-haired woman, the pain in her chest softening her usually sharp features, a flicker of vulnerability in her slightly furrowed brow.

This revealed that compared to her heroic younger sister, her appearance was more… delicate… just like her mother, Xuanyuan Linglong.

“Xuanyuan Mu Yan? It’s you…”

Camellia’s movements faltered, a flicker of panic in her usually calm eyes.

However, thanks to this distraction, and Moonflower’s sacrifice, the “Past Medicine’s” barrier finally activated.

The seemingly eternal darkness surrounding them dispersed, a warm sun appearing in the sky, the corpses and the heavy aura of Doomsday fading, streams flowing, everything recovering.

This was… the “past” of Zhuolu’s Battlefield.

However, this “past” only existed within the barrier, an illusion.

And now, Moonflower would enter this illusion.

“Let’s go!” Moonflower said.

Camellia’s face held a rare hesitation, but she quickly composed herself and nodded slightly.

“Mmm.”

Snowdrop, who had been waiting patiently, hadn’t acted, simply observing.

This small skirmish wasn’t worth her intervention. Xuanyuan Mu Yan’s strength was comparable to Moonflower and Camellia’s. There was no need for all three of them to attack together.

Camellia retrieved Gungnir from Xuanyuan Mu Yan’s chest, and together with Snowdrop, they were enveloped by Moonflower’s illusory nine tails.

The three entered the illusory past, then vanished.

Leaving Luo Ling alone.

“……”

She hadn’t even gotten on board yet!

Luo Ling was silent for a long time, her good manners preventing her from cursing.