The Grotesque Miss’s End Story v3c91

Chapter 91: A Lonely Path

What Chou Ke always hoped for was the emergence of more grave keepers, not just one.

This was a long and lonely mission. Even until the end of time, they might never know if there were other beings beyond this vast and distant void, if anyone could reach them…

Holding the “tombstones” recording the past, surviving in the dark and silent nothingness, if there was only one, even if they successfully became a grave keeper, their tragic mission would ultimately be in jeopardy, unable to continue.

Endless silence, a future without end, holding a “tombstone” of unknown meaning, forever drifting in the void… Not everyone could bear this, not even the Twelve Hours of Doomsday.

Chou Ke didn’t resist this mission, nor did he excessively pursue it. He distributed the power he held to other Messengers, always prepared to embark on this endless path.

This plan proposed by Zi Ke, in Chou Ke’s opinion, was a last resort. If it weren’t for Zi Ke’s rule against Messengers fighting each other, he would never have agreed to it.

However…

Even with Zi Ke’s prior warning, it didn’t mean the Twelve Hours of Doomsday would obediently comply.

There were already some conflicts between them. These conflicts were usually suppressed by the three original Messengers and kept within a controllable range.

But in this life-or-death moment, even minor disagreements would be magnified infinitely.

Mao Ke’s sudden attack was just a fuse. Whether she successfully killed Chen Ke or not, the result would be complete chaos.

If she succeeded, other Messengers would have a reason to attack her. If Chen Ke successfully retaliated, other Messengers would also take advantage of the situation.

As long as one of them died… no, even just a fight between them would completely shatter the previous tacit agreement of “mutual non-interference.”

“What is Zi Ke doing now…”

Chou Ke sensed through his spies, but still couldn’t contact Zi Ke.

He currently needed to control the overall situation, constantly monitoring the other factions’ movements, and allocating the Doomsday Messengers’ limited forces and branch stations in real-time. He couldn’t leave.

In other words, among the Twelve Hours of Doomsday, the only one who could stop Mao Ke without triggering a chain reaction of collapse was Zi Ke.

Chou Ke became increasingly anxious and urgently notified Chen Ke, asking him to temporarily avoid Mao Ke, while he tried his best to finish his work and free up some time.

Investigating Mao Ke’s motives was pointless now. As long as Chen Ke didn’t fight back, everything was negotiable.

However…

The message Chou Ke sent to Chen Ke was like a stone sinking into the sea, without any response. The connection still existed, but an eerie silence, a chilling premonition.

Chou Ke closed his eyes in pain. He clearly sensed that behind all this, an unseen hand was manipulating everything.

First the attack on headquarters, then the internal chaos, followed by Yin Ke’s betrayal, Zi Ke’s desperate plan, and now…

“Are we… destined to walk this path where we have to gamble everything…”

Chou Ke murmured in a daze. Entrusting such a heavy mission to a single person was like hanging a thousand-pound weight by a single thread, an outcome he absolutely didn’t want to see.

No matter who this “grave keeper” was, even if it was Chou Ke himself, he didn’t have the courage or confidence to endure the long, endless night.

But at this point, he seemed to have no choice but to embark on this path he had always resisted.

Six different swords pierced the burly man’s body, pinning him to the ground.

The surging nothingness around him didn’t dissipate. When it reached the blades, it was transformed by some kind of power that looked like an evil curse, instantly becoming gentle.

But even so, Chen Ke wasn’t completely dead. He raised his head with difficulty, staring at the slender figure before him in disbelief.

“Mao Ke…”

He wasn’t shocked that Mao Ke would attack him, as this was almost inevitable.

Actually, even Chen Ke himself had similar thoughts. If he could completely crush Xi He Palace before the other Messengers, he might also attack them.

Because of Doomsday’s nature, once nothingness completely consumed something, there was almost no chance of reversing it.

In other words, the territories conquered by the Doomsday Messengers couldn’t be reclaimed by the origin points. Their internal strife wouldn’t benefit the origin points.

Therefore, this sudden betrayal could not only eliminate an unpleasant rival, but also seize all their resources, killing two birds with one stone.

As for the previous so-called agreement…

Perhaps only Chou Ke truly believed it.

Every one of the Twelve Hours of Doomsday knew that the chance of becoming a “grave keeper” was incredibly slim. As the strongest Messenger, Zi Ke had practically secured one spot, and at most, only one more “grave keeper” could be born.

Even without previous conflicts, even if they were close friends or sworn brothers, in this life-or-death moment, relying on a non-binding agreement to stop them was wishful thinking.

In this situation, a fight between the Twelve Hours was only a matter of time.

The reason they maintained a superficial harmony was simply because they didn’t have any decisive trump cards yet. At least, they needed to complete the annihilation of a territorial fragment first, gaining Doomsday’s brief attention, and wielding its power, to have a chance of winning.

After receiving news of Mao Ke completing the annihilation of the Kingdom of Qing Qiu, Chen Ke’s first reaction was to halt his attack on Xi He Palace, because he knew that Mao Ke’s first target would definitely be him.

Fortunately, although Mao Ke currently possessed Doomsday’s brief attention, her strength was the weakest among the Twelve Hours of Doomsday, and her forces were almost completely depleted. She was just a lone commander. Defending against her attack was still possible.

As long as he could hold on for a while, other Messengers would definitely come.

However, they wouldn’t come to help Chen Ke, but to carve up Mao Ke.

Knowing this, Chen Ke directly ignored Chou Ke’s warning. He thought this was a golden opportunity. As long as he could obtain the greatest benefit from Mao Ke’s demise, he could take the lead in this “grave keeper” competition.

The result…

He never expected that the attacker wasn’t just Mao Ke, but also the Xuanyuan clan’s void battleship fleet, attacking from the void.

Utilizing the void’s invisibility, the void battleship fleet launched a sudden attack, directly flanking Chen Ke’s defenses against Mao Ke, as if they knew his weakness from the beginning, their advance unstoppable. The three Xuanyuan siblings, Mu Yan, Mu Xue, and Mu Wu, arrived before Chen Ke, ready for the final battle.

It had to be said that Chen Ke’s strength was truly formidable. He fought one against three in the void environment, almost completely holding his own.

Just then, Mao Ke suddenly appeared from the shadows, delivering the fatal blow.

The battle ended.

With the perfect coordination between Mao Ke and the Xuanyuan clan, Chen Ke’s defeat was incredibly swift. What he couldn’t believe the most was Mao Ke’s collaboration with the Xuanyuan clan.

Not “would,” but “could.”

The Xuanyuan clan’s power was something even the Doomsday Messengers were wary of, but compared to their hostility, the Doomsday Messengers were mostly forced to fight back.

If they could collaborate with the Xuanyuan clan, even if it wasn’t related to spreading Doomsday, none of the Twelve Hours would object.

But unfortunately, the Xuanyuan clan only had one attitude towards the Doomsday Messengers.

—You are Doomsday’s lackeys, you deserve to die.

This impossible fact clearly appeared before Chen Ke.

He stared at Mao Ke, but could only watch helplessly as she casually took out his heart, the source of his power.

Losing his heart, he completely lost his ability to resist.

“Truly worthy of a Messenger, really hard to kill…”

Xuanyuan Mu Wu said, bandaging his wounds.

Despite his words, his expression was spirited. Even injured, it was still an exhilarating battle.

“…”

Xuanyuan Mu Xue silently wiped her sword, occasionally glancing warily at the woman standing before Chen Ke.

She looked at her older sister, Xuanyuan Mu Yan, with a puzzled look.

But Xuanyuan Mu Yan just shook her head, saying nothing.

Actually… it was because she also didn’t know anything.

This was all Miss Black Kite’s arrangement.

—Through Mao Ke, Luo Ling had a certain understanding of Chen Ke’s strength, knowing that this Messenger couldn’t be easily killed.

Moreover, the reason for choosing to kill Chen Ke wasn’t entirely to eliminate him, but to use his death to gradually disrupt the Doomsday Messengers’ plans.

Therefore… the act of killing Chen Ke had to be done by Mao Ke.

However, even with Luo Ling’s help, Mao Ke’s strength wasn’t enough to crush Chen Ke, only to slightly suppress him. Chen Ke could hold on until other Messengers arrived to share the spoils.

Therefore, Luo Ling used a hidden chess piece: the Xuanyuan clan’s void battleship fleet, which had been roaming the void.

The Xuanyuan clan’s mission was to hunt down the Doomsday Messengers, and the void battleship fleet was created to directly attack their lairs. Although after their creation, they rarely encountered the Doomsday Messengers directly, they brought the Xuanyuan clan many unexpected benefits in other aspects, not a complete waste of resources.

Knowing that she had a chance to kill one of the Twelve Hours of Doomsday, Xuanyuan Mu Yan naturally wouldn’t miss it. Her younger siblings were also currently in the void battleship fleet, so they immediately agreed. With the detailed deployment intelligence from Luo Ling, they launched a surprise attack on Chen Ke.

Xuanyuan Mu Yan’s strength was slightly inferior to her mother, Xuanyuan Linglong, at her peak, so even fighting a Messenger alone would be difficult. But with the help of Xuanyuan Mu Xue and Xuanyuan Mu Wu, Chen Ke was forced into a prolonged battle.

Moreover, the Xuanyuan clan’s weapons were all enchanted by Luo Ling, carrying a trace of Savior Witch’s power, used to suppress Chen Ke’s Doomsday erosion, neutralizing his most terrifying aspect. Therefore, his defeat was only a matter of time.

However, the final blow came from Mao Ke, a sudden attack from the shadows, completely ending Chen Ke’s life.

Seeing Mao Ke, the three Xuanyuan siblings initially thought another powerful enemy had arrived, only relaxing after receiving a message from Miss Black Kite.

However, their deep-rooted wariness of the Doomsday Messengers still made Xuanyuan Mu Xue apprehensive. Although Xuanyuan Mu Yan didn’t say anything, she still kept a certain distance from Mao Ke.

“Take this heart, and you can retreat.”

Mao Ke casually tossed Chen Ke’s heart towards Xuanyuan Mu Yan, her tone indifferent.

Xuanyuan Mu Yan didn’t catch the heart with her hand, but drew her sword and pierced it, leaving it impaled on the tip of her blade—she only needed this heart as proof of a Doomsday Messenger’s death, not for any other purpose.

Besides, who knew if another Doomsday Messenger had left some kind of surprise on this heart?

Even if she was Miss Black Kite’s designated ally, the surging Doomsday aura on her was undeniable.

“Big Sister, we…”

Xuanyuan Mu Xue hesitated slightly and asked in a low voice.

“Let’s go.”

Xuanyuan Mu Yan nodded slightly to Mao Ke and then, carrying the heart impaled on her sword, began to retreat.

At the same time, the void battleship fleet, currently battling the Doomsday Messengers’ army, received the signal and began preparing to retreat.

Several Messengers were on their way. If they didn’t retreat in time, the void battleship fleet would be hard-pressed to escape their encirclement.

Further fighting was pointless. There was no need to continue. Having achieved their goal, it was best to retreat.

“…I’ve rarely seen the Xuanyuan clan so… rational when facing us.”

Chen Ke gasped slightly, pain evident in his eyes, as he watched the Xuanyuan clan retreat, a deep look in his eyes.

He wasn’t stupid. What just happened clearly revealed the identity of the traitor Zi Ke had been searching for.

“I want to know… what’s your purpose?”

Perhaps nearing death, Chen Ke’s emotions gradually calmed down, or perhaps because his heart had been taken, he no longer had any emotions.

Mao Ke shook her head without saying a word, walking towards him.

“Such narrow-mindedness, can’t you even satisfy a dying man’s curiosity?” Chen Ke sneered. “It seems, Mao Ke, I misjudged you.”

“Your taunts are useless against me. Don’t even think about leaving any messages for them. Miss Luo Ling has already severed all your methods.” Mao Ke shook her head and sighed.

Even now, Chen Ke still didn’t understand her true nature, still trying to use his usual methods to extract some information to leave for the other Messengers.

Unfortunately, Luo Ling, the expert in this aspect, had already included some spores in the Savior Witch enchantment from the beginning.

These spores had formed hyphae, spreading within Chen Ke’s body, utilizing his corpse until the very end.

Puppet Ballad’s third ability, “Complete Control.”

Chen Ke, severely injured and dying, his heart, the source of his power, taken, could no longer resist Puppet Ballad’s erosion and control.

However, for beings at Chen Ke’s level, all crucial information wasn’t stored within their bodies or souls. Extracting anything from the depths of his consciousness wasn’t something the current Luo Ling could achieve.

…..

Hearing these words, Chen Ke’s face instantly paled.

The traitor Zi Ke suspected was guided by the White Witch, and this Miss Luo Ling, mentioned by Mao Ke, should be the White Witch herself.

And the White Witch’s methods…

At this moment, Chen Ke finally noticed the strangeness in his body.

It was… moving in a strange way.

After pulling out the swords from his body one by one, he heard his own voice speaking calmly, “Those Xuanyuan siblings were a bit rough. I can probably only move for another half an hour, but at least it’s enough to give them a little surprise.”

“Half an hour is more than enough. They’ll run faster than rabbits after hearing this news, arriving in fifteen minutes at most.” Mao Ke suddenly grinned, rubbing her hands excitedly. “Miss Luo Ling, what should I do now? Lie down and play dead?”

“If you want to lie down, then lie down. It doesn’t matter.”

Luo Ling, controlling Chen Ke’s battered body, said. Her consciousness wasn’t here, but in the small puppet in Mao Ke’s hand.

Since Luo Ling discovered that a puppet’s size didn’t affect her ability deployment or consciousness descending, she liked to give puppets to everyone, and Mao Ke naturally had one.

“Alright.”

Mao Ke clapped her hands, picked up a nearby sword, stabbed herself in the heart, then lay down straight, her tongue lolling out.

“Ah, I’m dead…”

The little Luo Ling puppet hidden in her pouch couldn’t help but rub its temples. Weren’t you cool and aloof before Chen Ke? Why are you acting like this before me…