Chapter 367: Night游 Before Battle
The dark sky was no longer silent, becoming noisy. Various ghosts floated and wandered in the sky, their blue bodies flickering with flames, howling in the wind.
When Lohil and Cecina entered the carriage and settled down, a series of bone joints creaked and collided. The roof of the carriage gradually moved backward, then the seats began to rise.
Finally, Lohil and Cecina sat at a height of over three meters, able to easily overlook the street scenery below.
“Our Temple Academy has a tradition of night tours before the competition. This is not only to boost morale but also to help everyone within the academy understand each other, knowing what kind of strength and team they have,” Cecina explained.
Since students at the Temple Academy generally preferred quietness and did not interact much, figuring out how to familiarize and unite them was a pressing issue. The night tour effectively addressed this problem.
Students would gain understanding during the night tour, learning about the various entities on their side. At the same time, such collective activities greatly boosted confidence, making their will more resolute in battle.
As Cecina’s words fell, figures began to slowly emerge from all around the streets. Among them were skeletons with bones, cultivators in black robes, incomplete spirits, and fully armed black knights, some holding torches, others long swords, and some gripping glowing staffs. There were many different props, but the most numerous were purple wisteria flowers.
As the carriage moved forward, these figures slowly converged, some at the front of the team, some on the sides for protection, and others trailing behind.
These figures did not crowd each other; everyone slowly formed lines, walking alongside the carriage.
Several figures wearing bird-beak masks plucked their guitars, beat small drums on the skeletons, and pulled their violins. A soothing musical prelude played. The people in the group sang along, and more ‘people’ emerged from the streets, joining the grand chorus and the night tour.
If the earth at night was originally pitch-black, these figures were like scattered sparks of fire, slowly merging into the central ‘river’. The golden river composed of firelight and music flowed slowly across the earth, touring the main thoroughfare of the academy.
Lohil leaned on the black iron railing of the carriage, watching the crowds and figures around her. The lively and noisy music and singing gradually enveloped her. Unconsciously, she was infected by the enthusiastic atmosphere and began to softly sing along with the common song.
[You will be in the dark night
[Return]
The regime celebrated together.
Earth, ocean, sky,
Shining under the new moon.
I will wear a black robe and hold the purple wisteria,
Cross the river of death, embracing you once again.
I love you so much.
Mercury moon, wisteria flag.
The entire academy was immersed in a sea of enthusiasm, golden torches and blue ghostly flames interweaving, a vast crowd like a flowing river. The usually silent Temple Academy became the most dazzling place in Emanas tonight.
After the procession circled around the academy, the carriage finally stopped at the central square within the academy.
The center of the square was left empty, and the accompanying crowd slowly stood on both sides, standing still.
Sesina gently held Lohil’s hand and whispered in her ear,
“Watch closely, it’s about to begin.”
Lohil blinked. So this is when it officially starts. She turned her head to one side, and heard a neat sound of horse hooves coming from one side of the street. A group of knights dressed in purple capes appeared.
These knights held lances and shields, wearing heavy black knight armor. The iron hooves made steps that were frighteningly uniform as they rode down the cleared street, making clanking sounds of armor. What was most astonishing was that their shoulders had no heads, giving them an eerie yet powerful appearance.
“Do you see the purple wisteria pennants hanging from those lances? These are specially hung to commemorate the Mercury Dynasty,” Sesina finally began explaining.
The purple knights inside the field were tightly arranged, their lances and shields advancing like walls. Each headless knight was at least Sequence 5, and there were nearly 300 of them in total.
“Although they are not students here, they can still fight for us in the competition,” Sesina said. This was the tactic of the Necromancer Sequence since ancient times, crossing the boundaries of life and death, summoning combat power from the other side of the River of Death.
After these knights passed through the square, another formation appeared behind them: massive war chariots constructed from skeletal remains. Pale fangs protruded forward, and the wheels were over five meters high. As these war chariots entered, the central skeletal giant spewed out blazing azure flames.
Even from several dozen meters away, Lohil, standing on the carriage, could feel the burning sensation from the scattered sparks. It was not just the fire of the present world but also the kind that scorches the soul.
Facing such a moment of great attention, Lohil suppressed her curiosity and continued to turn her gaze to the rear of the formation. There was a sea of bones, densely packed skeleton warriors holding long lances. The spears were as dense as a rainforest, layer upon layer, although
However, these skeletal individuals were not weak, each roughly having Sequence 2 strength, with their numbers reaching several thousand.
Yet, this was not the end. Just as this bone sea reached the center of the square, a strange ripple swept through, causing these skeletons to transform and move. Instantly, they formed a dense hollow wall like that of a hedgehog. The piled-up skeletons formed walls in three levels, each higher than the last, while behind them, meteors streaked across the sky. These ‘meteors,’ which came whistling through the night, pierced the sky and landed at the center of the bone wall. They were none other than masked necromancer wizards, their staffs dancing in the air, the rings hanging from them emitting clear chimes.
These necromancer wizards stood in the center of the wall, casting spells together. A complex and mysterious array formed beneath their feet. Then, a huge sphere formed in the sky, adorned with ancient and flowing inscriptions. Immediately after, this special sphere made of magical power ascended into the sky and burst open, scattering like blossoming flowers in the sky, with dark blue and purple light trails slicing through the heavens.
This is?
Just as Lohil was puzzled, within the Temple Academy, a gale of wailing spirits arose, and one by one, indistinct yet flickering spirits rose into the sky, their forms becoming more solid and clear.
In Lolan Hill’s perception, these spirits seemed to have suddenly advanced in rank, moving from Sequence 4-5 to Sequence 5-6. Hundreds of spirits danced wildly in the air, flowing everywhere, nearly obscuring the vast sky.
At this moment, Sisena extended her hand, gently turning it, causing the spirits to change and fly, eventually forming a perfect circle that continuously circled in the sky.
“This is my innate ability, the enhancement and manipulation of spirits,” Sisena turned to Lohil beside her and said.
After circling in the air for some time, the spirits dispersed. Below the square, new formations emerged. They were a group of centaur knights wielding halberds, with archers on their backs holding bone bows.
Besides these, there were also groups of skeletal ships, skeleton sorcerers, and so on. The vast army of necromancer warriors seemed endless in both types and numbers.
Until finally, after these necromancer armies had passed, students dressed in neat black robes slowly returned to the square, standing in formation.
“This is the tradition inherited from the Mercury Dynasty by the Temple Academy, the pre-battle night parade,” Sisena said. Her black hair flickered in the firelight, her eyes filled with confidence and longing.
“However, what happens next depends on you,” Sisena gently pushed back her disheveled hair, speaking to Lohil beside her.
Me? Lohil blinked in confusion. I just entered the academy less than half a year ago. Besides, I don’t know anything.
(End of Chapter)
