Chapter 626

Chapter 626 – The Banner of Crescent Moon

In the First Era, Year 6825, it was an age of Elves and Beastmen.

Under a dim sky, light rain drizzled down, wetting the branches and leaves of the mountain shrubs. Rainwater flowed over the broken stones and fallen leaves. Stepping on the ground would splash up a small water flower.

Huff. Huff. Huff.

Two children were gasping as they ran through the rain-drenched forest. The dense foliage and shrubbery effectively concealed their figures, and the flowing rainwater washed away any faint traces.

To avoid unknown pursuers behind them, they deliberately chose paths through thick shrubs and forests, and were very careful to step on fallen leaves or stones instead of muddy soil, to avoid leaving footprints.

After traversing several kilometers, both of them finally slowed down due to exhaustion, and eventually hid among the bushes under a large tree.

Leaning against a slippery stone, cold rain seeped into their clothes from their necks and chests, flowing over their bodies, causing a chill and discomfort.

“Selena. Huff. Are you okay? Huff.” The boy asked his sister while panting. He looked about 16-17 years old, somewhat thin, while the girl beside him was even more petite.

“Huff. Huff. I’m fine.” The girl also panted, her face pale, with almost no blood color visible on her face drenched by rain.

“That’s good.” The boy relaxed slightly, lying on the stone and looking at the sky with fine raindrops, the unease and panic finally calming down a bit.

The two children lived in a nearby human village. They were young, and their daily lives usually involved helping adults with odd jobs, such as weaving, gathering firewood, or tending to livestock. Occasionally, when they weren’t busy, they would play with other children around the mountains.

It was because of this that they were very familiar with the mountain area, allowing them to move quickly through the rain without getting lost or falling.

They never expected that the place they played in would save their lives at a critical moment. The youth sighed deeply.

At this time, humans were very weak. They often lived in remote forests or narrow caves to avoid contact with Beastmen.

In today’s world, three powerful Elven clans had established three prosperous Elven kingdoms around the World Tree. However, they showed little interest in the outside world, setting up barriers at their borders to prevent outsiders from entering. Only a few Elves acted as rangers and travelers, wandering across the world. They were usually highly skilled and adept at handling various situations.

Outside the territory ruled by Elves, vast wildernesses, mountains, and seas were controlled by Beastmen. Some raised horses, some flew, and some dived into the sea to patrol, occupying large tracts of land. Although they had far fewer high-ranking Extraordinary Beings compared to Elves, they still possessed formidable strength.

The small village where the two children lived was located in a remote wilderness within the Beastman territory.

Previously, Beastmen rarely paid attention to this small village deep in the mountains. After all, the path was difficult, and there wasn’t much valuable here, so things were relatively peaceful. Unless you were unlucky enough to encounter Beastmen, who might either toy with you to death or ignore you if they were chasing larger prey. Apart from these, few could escape the pursuit of Beastmen.

Their physique and sense of smell were clearly stronger than humans, and in terms of Extraordinary abilities, they were generally superior as well. A mature Beastman could easily handle 3-4 humans. Moreover, many humans didn’t have good nutrition, making them even more vulnerable against Beastmen.

In this situation, human villages were like snacks for Beastmen during hunting, occasionally raiding to see if there were any good things accumulated. Then they would plunder and torment, letting off steam.

Faced with such circumstances, humans could only endure silently and keep moving deeper into the mountains and more remote lands.

But even this situation was becoming unsustainable now.

For reasons unknown, the climate had been unusually cold for several years, as if entering an ice age. The temperature was slightly lower, and many places had poor harvests. This bad situation spread throughout the continent and various tribes, leading to a shortage of food.

And the image of humans, whom Beastmen previously ignored, gradually deteriorated. In the eyes of some Beastmen, humans were like rats in the mountains, always doing petty thievery. Perhaps they stole the Beastmen’s food and ruined other provisions.

With such thoughts, some Beastman tribes began to expel surrounding human villages. More extreme ones directly picked up axes and started hacking away, taking them back as other prey, to be smoked and eaten.

This morning, the village where these two children lived faced such a situation. Fortunately, one of them was quite clever and, noticing something amiss, took his sister and escaped amid the chaos.

“Brother, do you think Uncle Copper Thunder and the others will be okay?” After resting, the girl gradually regained some strength and started worrying about the village’s situation.

The boy fell silent for a moment before speaking softly.

“Don’t worry, they’ll be fine.”

Although he felt uneasy, he didn’t want his sister to be so frightened. Copper Thunder was the best and strongest hunter in the village, and many children admired him. His presence always brought a lot of security.

The two children stayed hidden in the cold wilderness until the next day, then cautiously returned to check the situation.

Both of them were very hungry and hoped to find familiar adults in the village or get something to eat.

But when they arrived at the village, they found only a gray-black ruin.

Buildings seemed to have been deliberately destroyed and set on fire. Fortunately, it had rained the previous day, so only a small part was burned, with most of it still intact.

The two walked through the muddy ground after the rain, searching for any signs of life.

, or food.

But unfortunately, the village had been thoroughly plundered, leaving nothing of value behind. In the end, they only found half a softened cassava root soaking in a corner.

“Father,” said the older brother standing at the door of his home. Sadly, there was only a pile of ruins in front of him, and a piece of wood on the ground still had some bloodstains.

“Will Dad not come back?” the innocent younger sister asked beside him.

“No, he won’t,” the older brother replied, stroking his sister’s head before enduring his hunger and leading her away, heading deeper into the mountains.

——————–

Several days later, while the two were struggling through the mountain area, they got lost. They were then drawn to a battle in the forest and cautiously approached to observe.

In the wild surrounded by trees, three orc warriors wielding axes and long knives circled a blood-covered figure in the middle. At the feet of this figure lay another dead orc.

Roar—

The orc roared furiously, then swung his long axe, creating an arc of shadows that charged forward.

Blood splattered as the figure barely avoided the vital parts of his body but still had large chunks of flesh cut off. However, his goal was achieved; the bone dagger in his hand slashed a long gash across the orc’s chest, exposing its flesh and bones.

He crawled and rolled on the ground, using the surrounding trees to dodge attacks, then screamed and rushed again, stabbing a dagger into one of the orcs. His movements were erratic, like those of someone having a seizure, yet incredibly swift, causing fear.

Under such frenzied attacks, all three orcs were injured, and he wasn’t faring much better. Eventually, he was decapitated by the orcs, half his body rolling to the ground, filling the air with a nauseating stench of blood.

The orcs were about to roar and advance to torture their victims to vent their frustration and anger, but after taking a few steps, they fell in agony, gasping for breath, their lips turning purple.

The siblings watched the scene in horror until all the figures stopped breathing.

After instructing his sister, the older brother covered his mouth and nose with his clothes and carefully approached. He knew there might be some poison here, but they hadn’t eaten for days and couldn’t hold out any longer.

Shaking, he stepped over the corpses and reached for the orcs’ waists, searching for possible food.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed his ankle.

He cried out in fear and struggled to run away, but the wrist was not as strong as he thought and was easily freed.

Only then did he turn around to see the man with only half his body left, leaning against a tree, looking at the boy with a difficult yet relieved smile, as if he had found salvation.

So he was still alive, the boy thought.

Trembling, he lifted his hand, beckoning the boy.

The boy hesitated but slowly walked over and knelt down in front of the man, waiting to hear his last words.

A hand gripped his wrist, sending excruciating pain through his mind. He broke free from the man’s grip, who finally fell to the ground, closing his eyes.

Watching this, the boy took a few incredulous steps back, then looked at his palm, where faint red magic power was appearing.

This kind of magic power brought pain when flowing through the body, but it also made one acutely aware of life.

He seemed to understand something, knelt down again, picked up the dagger beside the man, and walked back with some safe food.

——————–

Sena, the younger sister, watched her brother’s back curiously. Recently, he seemed to be avoiding her, doing other things.

Now, the two had escaped to another remote village, finding a temporary haven.

Time passed, and two more years went by.

During these two years, the number of human settlements decreased, becoming increasingly difficult. Many humans from other places also fled to this secluded spot deep in the mountains.

Faced with this situation, the adults in the village began to argue.

Some said they shouldn’t accept so many people; it was enough to live peacefully without risking others.

Others argued that more strength was always better, making them safer.

These debates continued until the day orc traces reappeared near the village. Everyone realized it was too late to argue; they could only prepare for battle. Beyond this, there was only the towering Sighing Mountains, leaving them no way out.

The battle was fierce, and many died, but with the leadership of certain extraordinary beings, they achieved notable success, killing the orcs that had tracked them in the mountain pass.

However, the joy of victory didn’t last long as another group of orcs arrived.

Under such pressure, more people in the village began learning the special powers of extraordinary beings. Sena also discovered her brother’s secret.

“You’re using that power too, aren’t you, brother?” Sena looked at her somewhat matured brother.

“Yes,” he admitted frankly this time.

“But I heard that anyone who studies that sequence rarely lives for more than a few years,” Sena said, looking at her unfamiliar brother, who seemed taller and more stern.

“So what? Isn’t it worth trading years for power, my naive sister?” This brother no longer cared about her feelings as he once did.

“But…but…” she wanted to say something but couldn’t bring herself to speak.

“But…I want you to live longer, I don’t want to see you die…” her voice gradually choked with tears.

“Haha, you’re just like before,” the brother bent down, using his bandaged hand to stroke her head.

“But thinking like this…

“Impossible,” he said, his tone unusually gentle.

—

The sacrifice was inevitable, even necessary. I don’t regret using this power; at least it made me feel alive. His once azure eyes had turned blood red, yet they were filled with an incredible tenderness.

—

After saying this, the brother turned to leave. Training would start again soon, and today, more people would join their ranks, using the power known as demonic sequence.

—

Pain pierced through his bones, like a knife cutting through flesh. The unrestrained and aggressive magic flowing through his body brought not only physical suffering but also relentless mental torment. Its existence could hardly be considered happiness, but such a unique power was like a sharp blade and poison, making life a struggle, tearing at those who dared to invade.

—

When forced to the brink by enemies, some humans chose to fight to the death. Thus, the demonic sequence gradually came into public view.

—

This extraordinary transcendent sequence had severe side effects in its early stages, with practitioners often dying young, from months to a few years due to organ failure. But many didn’t even reach that limit; they went mad under the torment of pain and insanity.

—

Years later, a woman around twenty stood before a small hill, planting a tiny sapling there.

—

It was still raining lightly in the sky, reminiscent of her childhood, but now she was alone.

—

Silently looking at the ground where her brother was buried, the grown-up sister turned to leave, her smooth hair gently drifting in the air.

—

As she left, several red-robed envoys followed closely, rushing through the light rain.

—

“Madam Senna, we are envoys from the Crimson Court, inviting you to the Arrow Poison Valley in the north. There are beings of equal nobility there.”

—

“Equal?” The woman gazed at the gloomy sky. She no longer had any family.

—

“Yes, beings called witches. In fact, you are far nobler than anyone can imagine.” The envoy replied respectfully.

—

“What good will it do to go there? To huddle together for warmth? I am not the kind of fragile person.”

—

Awakened now, Senna was much stronger than her brother ever was.

—

“No, we will unite, using this crimson magic to forge a new path.” The envoy’s voice was sincere, almost frenzied.

—

At the end of the First Age, an organization called the Crimson Court emerged among humans. They were all practitioners of the demonic sequence. Amidst their frenzied killings, a nation teetering on the edge was finally established.

—

And thus, the first human nation, the Crimson Empire, was born.

—

That little girl named Senna also changed her name, becoming the witch Selene, remembered as the Purple Moon.

—

—

Time flew swiftly. After centuries, the Crimson Empire prospered and thrived, with the human population reaching nearly a billion. This was no longer something the beastmen could tolerate. Even the powerful Elven Kingdom felt uneasy.

—

War broke out again.

—

In the chaos of blood and fire, several great witches of the Crimson Empire were killed. Selene escaped with a few others.

—

In a small cabin in a canyon.

—

“Brigid, come here. This is Seline,” a mature woman said gently, leading a small figure to someone nearby.

—

“Hello, Seline,” Brigid said shyly, her black eyes looking up at the elegant witch.

—

“You’re welcome,” Seline knelt down, her eyes filled with affection as she looked at the little girl. Was this her new junior and family member? How cute.

—

“Grow up well,” she held the little girl in her arms, warming her nervous heart, slowly calming her down.

—

—

Time passed quickly. The once little girl grew into a stunning young lady.

—

Seline and Brigid walked slowly on the hillside, talking softly.

—

“How do you view necromancy, Brigid? I feel that many people fear and dislike me,” Brigid confided in her recent troubles. Those guarded and cold eyes made her uncomfortable.

—

“I think it’s impressive and wonderful,” Seline held Brigid’s wrist.

—

“They’ve grown up in stable environments, never experiencing harsh moments of desperation. That’s why they are so naive and unaware.”

—

“Strength is the foundation of any happiness. Fleeing endlessly, immersing oneself in the beauty of illusions, is not the path to happiness.”

—

“Perhaps it brings temporary comfort, but upon waking, one faces immense emptiness and regret, bowing to reality once more.”

—

“So, even if this power is painful and impure, I hope you hold onto it tightly.”

—

“Because its existence ultimately brought me peace and led me to the true shore.”

—

“Even if it causes countless deaths, erases dignity, and makes people hate?” Brigid stopped, looking at this elder beside her.

—

“Yes.”

—

“You’ve grown up, Brigid. If you pursue ideals, you must be prepared to face the consequences. Being swayed by a few words, wanting to be flawless, is a dream.”

—

“And some great ideals require sacrificing lives, perhaps millions.”

—

“Only then can we carve out a future in the darkness.”

—

Their footsteps slowed as they reached the top of the hill, overlooking the vast wilderness below. Flags bearing the symbol of the Purple Moon waved high, covering the hills.

—

This army of corpses stretching across provinces, spanning hundreds of kilometers, would eventually encircle the beastmen and elves, opening a new homeland for humanity.

—

(The chapter ends)