The Grotesque Miss’s End Story v3c92

Chapter 92: Funeral Dirge

Across this nearly devastated battlefield, as far as the eye could see, lay mangled corpses, their broken bodies bearing both sword and blade wounds and the marks of Doomsday’s erosion.

Anyone could tell that a fierce battle had recently taken place here.

As for the victor of this brutal fight…

A towering figure stood like a god of war, undefeated. Not far before him lay a woman, dead, a blade piercing her heart, her body exuding the heavy stillness of Silent Demise.

The victor and the vanquished seemed clear.

Just as Mao Ke had said, within less than fifteen minutes, two faint auras appeared on this ravaged battlefield.

Xu Ke and Wei Ke.

Although they almost completely concealed their auras, with their understanding of their comrades after countless years together, a brief encounter was enough to identify each other.

After confirming that all the Twelve Hours of Doomsday, except the original Messengers, were present, they no longer hid their identities, revealing themselves.

Simply put, this was a tacit ambush.

Regardless of whether Mao Ke or Chen Ke won the battle, since it ended so quickly, they must have paid an unbearable price.

A weakened Messenger, a territory completely consumed by Doomsday, and another territory on the verge of falling. What a tempting prize.

If anyone present could claim this unexpected bounty alone, they would gain an overwhelming advantage over the other Messengers, and the “grave keeper” level would be within reach.

Even without attacking another Messenger, with this power, like a snowball rolling downhill, they could devour the weakest territories of Great Xia Imperial City and Victoria.

Although there were other territories that hadn’t fallen yet, conquering them would require a heavy price, a losing proposition.

Moreover, if things reached that point, the true arrival of Doomsday wouldn’t be far off.

Therefore, everyone wanted this prize for themselves, and no one wanted another Messenger to gain an advantage. Speed was key, acting before Zi Ke and Chou Ke intervened. Thus, the final outcome could only be…

…a contest of abilities.

Of course, first, they had to seize this tempting meal from the pitiful victor before discussing how to divide it.

“Chen Ke, I didn’t expect… you would actually kill Mao Ke.”

The first to speak was Xu Ke, always with a smile on his face. This seemingly amicable middle-aged man was the most unassuming among the Twelve Hours of Doomsday.

Of course, this was just a facade. As the saying goes, “There are no good people with squinting eyes,” and Xu Ke was no exception, his thoughts always hidden deep, never easily revealed.

He wasn’t smiling now, but looking at Mao Ke’s corpse on the ground with a seemingly regretful expression, sighing as if heartbroken.

“Even if she made a mistake, she… was still our comrade. You killed her, how are we going to explain this to Zi Ke?”

“It’s simple, we’ll explain it with his head.” Wei Ke, who looked like a child, said with righteous indignation. “He actually killed Older Sister Mao Ke, unforgivable!”

…

Facing the two Messengers’ coordinated act, Chen Ke’s towering figure remained silent, the atmosphere around him becoming increasingly stifling.

“Could it be that he’s too exhausted, unable to even speak?”

Xu Ke and Wei Ke exchanged glances, silently communicating.

They weren’t just putting on an act. With Chen Ke’s personality, he would never tolerate such accusations. Having just finished his battle with Mao Ke, he was definitely still agitated.

A little provocation would be enough to make him lash out. This way, Xu Ke and Wei Ke wouldn’t be responsible for attacking a comrade first.

This wasn’t some meaningless evasion, but a necessary action under Chou Ke’s watch.

Chou Ke was always fair and strict, his actions based on results, not right or wrong. Even if the deceased was his great-grandson, he wouldn’t be biased at this moment.

However, Chen Ke’s current silence made them apprehensive, a strong premonition of something bad.

Could it be a trap?

A heavy aura of Silent Demise emanated from Mao Ke’s corpse. She was undoubtedly dead, while Chen Ke’s aura, although incredibly weak, practically on the verge of death, was still alive.

“We can’t delay any longer.”

This thought appeared in both Xu Ke and Wei Ke’s minds. They knew that Chou Ke and Zi Ke would likely arrive soon after receiving the news.

By then, this hard-won opportunity would be completely lost.

If Chen Ke recovered, he would be far ahead of the other Messengers, claiming this possibly only “grave keeper” position.

This was an outcome neither Xu Ke nor Wei Ke wanted to see.

In the next instant, Xu Ke and Wei Ke suddenly attacked, giving Chen Ke no chance to react.

“Brother Chen Ke, lend me your head, to appease Mao Ke’s spirit in heaven!”

“Big Brother Chen Ke, this is the punishment you deserve!”

…..

Luo Ling, controlling Chen Ke from the shadows, almost wanted to cover her ears. Why were these two so long-winded? They were here to divide the spoils, why the hesitation?

If they delayed any longer, Chen Ke’s body would completely collapse.

To control Chen Ke’s body, the Xuanyuan siblings didn’t hold back. Coupled with Mao Ke’s final blow, compared to Chen Ke’s current state, even complete paralysis could only be considered a minor injury.

However, only this way could Luo Ling’s Puppet Ballad successfully control him.

This was an incredibly powerful Messenger. If he could be easily controlled, Luo Ling wouldn’t have needed to meticulously plan all this, just spreading her spores and hyphae would be enough.

Therefore, seeing Xu Ke and Wei Ke attacking Chen Ke, Luo Ling breathed a sigh of relief.

They didn’t disappoint her.

Just as they approached, Luo Ling began to control Chen Ke.

The burly man slowly turned around. What appeared before Xu Ke and Wei Ke was a face filled with horror, his mouth opening and closing with difficulty, as if trying to say something.

Chen Ke’s strange behavior made Xu Ke and Wei Ke hesitate slightly, but they didn’t stop.

Seriously, if they stopped now, and the other Messenger didn’t, wouldn’t they lose their share of the spoils?

Regardless of their considerations, Xu Ke and Wei Ke continued to approach.

Only when they were close enough did they finally see Chen Ke’s current state.

…Previously, due to some kind of power blocking their vision, they couldn’t clearly see Chen Ke’s condition, thinking he was doing it on purpose, but now they realized… this was a trap!

A trap using Chen Ke’s corpse!

However, by the time they realized this… it was too late.

“Run…”

A deep, hoarse voice, filled with despair.

This was Chen Ke’s warning, but it was useless now.

“I didn’t expect that even in such a terrible state, Chen Ke could still briefly break free from ‘Complete Control’.”

Luo Ling couldn’t help but gasp. For absolute experts, Puppet Ballad’s control wasn’t foolproof. Even achieving control was incredibly difficult.

It was imaginable how difficult it was for the former Puppet Ballad to completely subdue Columbia with her Authority, Kingdom. It definitely required the Doomsday Messengers’ assistance and countless years of effort to achieve such a terrifying result.

However… even briefly breaking free from “Complete Control,” all Chen Ke could do was express his emotions, unable to change the outcome of this trap.

His body completely collapsed, and countless streams of black blood bloomed like flowers, a heavy nothingness eroding everything around it. Xu Ke and Wei Ke, caught off guard, were severely injured by this close-range nothingness.

Doomsday Messengers weren’t immune to the void. Except for special cases like Yin Ke, ordinary Doomsday Messengers needed Sacred Tools to enter the void.

Being able to enter the void with their physical bodies was something only “grave keepers” could achieve.

Therefore, the nothingness of Doomsday unleashed by Chen Ke’s collapsing body also inflicted lasting damage on Xu Ke and Wei Ke.

“I heard you two really wanted to avenge me?”

A playful voice echoed in their ears.

At the same time, a strong sense of danger surged. They realized the true victor of the previous battle.

—Mao Ke.

This newcomer among the Twelve Hours of Doomsday was known for being difficult to get along with. Except for a deceased Messenger, she rarely collaborated or interacted with other Messengers, always acting alone.

This seemingly crazy action, although unexpected, was also within reason. No one doubted Mao Ke’s motives.

However, the fact that Mao Ke could defeat Chen Ke so quickly and even set up this trap was something they hadn’t anticipated.

“…Damn bitch.”

A sinister glint flashed in Xu Ke’s eyes. Forced to use his trump card, he exuded a dark aura, transforming part of himself into nothingness, paying this price to reverse his injuries and escape Mao Ke’s sneak attack.

This was a method he created by referencing Yin Ke’s special state, allowing him to temporarily increase his perception and adaptability to Doomsday, at the cost of permanently damaging a part of his body.

He had been extremely cautious when using this ability before, at most just damaging a finger or toe, then gradually restoring the balance through walking the path of Doomsday, trying his best to avoid Yin Ke’s tragic fate.

But now, Xu Ke knew that if he continued to be cautious, he would likely die at Mao Ke’s hands.

After all, Mao Ke had already caused the entire Kingdom of Qing Qiu to fall to Doomsday, killed Chen Ke, and obtained his power. She didn’t seem to be injured and was currently at her peak.

Therefore, Xu Ke had to sacrifice half of his body to recover from the injuries caused by Chen Ke’s collapsing body, not just to avoid Mao Ke’s attack, but also to have a chance against her.

To fight against Mao Ke, the price Wei Ke paid was no less than Xu Ke’s.

He originally looked like a child, but his back suddenly hunched, his body aging rapidly, becoming a frail old man.

This wasn’t just aging, but Wei Ke’s life force being irreversibly transformed into nothingness.

Regardless of the outcome of this battle, the price paid by Xu Ke and Wei Ke was unimaginable, simply because, in their judgment, Mao Ke’s power was terrifying.

However…

They were wrong.

Or rather, the Twelve Hours of Doomsday had always misjudged Mao Ke.

Mao Ke didn’t intend to use the Doomsday-consumed territory for anything. The power she possessed was always her own.

She just watched the Kingdom of Qing Qiu fall to Doomsday, sensing her homeland’s final fate, not irreversibly walking this path of Doomsday herself.

From the very beginning, Mao Ke wasn’t a follower of Doomsday.

Neither the annihilation of the Kingdom of Qing Qiu nor killing Chen Ke increased her power.

Power wasn’t always better. The more one tried to approach Doomsday using the power of nothingness, the easier it was to be consumed by it, unable to escape, and Mao Ke didn’t want to become such a being.

Seeing Xu Ke and Wei Ke reveal their trump cards, Mao Ke smiled because she knew that her goal had been achieved.

The remaining Doomsday Messengers…

…would have no chance of recovery.

Until everything about them ended, the sins of countless years turning to ashes.

And the fuse that would ignite this long-awaited outcome was her “death.”

Mao Ke reached out, gently stroking the hair of the little puppet in her arms, and whispered, “See you later, Miss Luo Ling.”

“Yes.”

A soft, childish voice echoed, and the puppet instantly turned into a mass of white hyphae, then a blurry mass of flesh and blood, merging into Mao Ke’s body.

Luo Ling, using the puppet’s last bit of strength, played Mao Ke’s funeral dirge.

And raised the curtain on the Doomsday Messengers’ final act.