Chapter 900

Chapter 900: The Darkmoon Clan

Amidst heavy breathing, Lolan Hill’s figure reappeared in the sky. Her originally flawless armor and steel wings were now marred with traces of damage. Sweat trickled down her forehead and back, soaking her hair.

Through the dark gold visor, Lolan Hill looked down at the blazing Sea of Fire below. In the distorted light and flames, the once mighty giant lion lay on the ground, pierced with reflective metal blades. These blades were over ten meters long, sharp as glass, reflecting bright glints amidst the flames.

The witch who had been standing atop the giant lion was nowhere to be seen, and with the spread of the fire, other demonic beasts did not immediately approach.

Trees crackled as they burned and then fell, sending sparks swirling into the cold night sky.

Unable to locate the witch for now, Lolan Hill shifted her gaze towards the outskirts of the mountain range. The small town where she had previously been was not far away. If the fire spread, it would likely reach there within one or two hours.

Should she go to extinguish the fire? Unfortunately, she was still in danger.

The young lady’s senses extended through the night wind, searching amidst the cacophony of roars and cries of the demonic beasts for the witch’s presence. However, the current interference was too great; she could not quickly determine Ibel’s location.

Given her current state, dealing with Sequence 7 demonic beasts was manageable, but facing a Sequence 8 royal beast might lead to a grueling battle.

Ibel’s demonic beasts differed from wild ones; they were more disciplined and empowered by the witch’s abilities. If they weren’t instantly killed, they would recover quickly.

Thinking this, the silver steel feathers on Lolan Hill’s back gradually peeled off, floating behind her like feathers.

Since Ibel wasn’t appearing, she would have to cautiously manage the spreading fire first.

A silver star streaked across the night sky, these silver steel feathers accompanying Lolan Hill, cutting through trees and bushes like a metal storm, transforming them into fine fragments.

These fragments were then swept up by swirling air currents and carried toward the middle of the fire.

Though this intensified the fire, it also created a barrier, stopping the fire from spreading further.

Just as this seemed about to be completed, a loud cry finally echoed from afar in the sky, piercing through the clouds. A group of eagle hawks flashing with lightning darted forward.

Original Sequence 5: Snow Mountain Thunderhawk, Original Sequence 6: Airborne Electric Eagle. These demonic beasts, summoned by the witch, flew through the sky like moving lightning, leaving scorching trails of tiny electric sparks.

Were they seeking help to counter me? Lolan Hill realized what Ibel had been doing during her absence. But could these demonic beasts truly hinder her?

Even though she couldn’t freely use her powers over wind and atmosphere now, she remained a witch who commanded the skies, a miracle star beyond ordinary people’s reach.

Electric sparks flickered as these thunder eagles soared through the sky, leaving long trajectories before diving toward the witch below. Their speed increased rapidly, eventually resembling intense lightning. They had seemingly transformed their elements within a short time, a capability they hadn’t possessed before.

Without time to ponder the reason, Lolan Hill moved swiftly, but the thunder eagles rained down like a torrent of light, sweeping across the airspace instantly.

Bang! Bang!

Electric currents surged through the silver armor, instantly burning and melting it with intense heat, causing tremendous impact and damage. Even when Lolan Hill fragmented the electric light, the subsequent electric currents still struck her body.

Her holy weapon operated at full capacity, continuously repairing the shattered armor, but its activity level rapidly decreased.

61% 55% 48% 42%

If she couldn’t find a solution soon, once the activity level dropped below 5%, the sacred relic would enter a dormant state, and she would no longer be able to maintain her current Sequence 7 status.

Thoughts raced in her mind as Lolan Hill watched the various pieces of information flow on the screen, analyzing efficiently under tension.

Under the night sky, this angel with silver wings pursued relentlessly, dodging cascading electric sparks while continuously swinging her sword to cut down approaching demonic beasts.

Indeed, she still wasn’t accustomed to the combat style of the war sequence. Reflecting on her experiences, the young lady realized her combat experience at high levels was still lacking.

Since she wasn’t particularly clever or experienced, she would have to resort to some simple methods.

This angel with sword wings plunged into the Sea of Fire, disappearing into the fierce light and heat, making her difficult to track.

The thunder eagles continued to chase in the sky, summoned from other regions and rapidly strengthened. Originally Sequence 3-4 beasts now briefly possessed the power of Sequence 5-6. These beasts savagely destroyed the environment, pursuing the intermittently visible silver figure.

Whooosh—

A long whistling sound echoed through the air as a dozen white elephants stomped on the hillside. They raised their heads and trumpeted loudly, then spewed cold white mist from their nostrils, sweeping across the scorching Sea of Fire, hoping to extinguish it and find the silver-winged figure.

Ice crystals condensed in the air, quickly covering countless grasses, lands, shrubs, and tree barks with a layer of gray frost, some even freezing into fragments scattered on the ground.

Facing the group of demonic beasts, Lolan Hill’s range of movement began to significantly decrease.

High above, the thunder eagles circled, dark clouds gathering densely, occasionally flashing with lightning before striking through the air and descending.

Crack!

Another heart-stopping clap of thunder, like a god tearing the sky apart, momentarily blinding the vision with dazzling lightning. Its residual thunder reverberated like a hammer, rolling across the earth and reaching distant regions over a hundred miles away.

In the mountains of the Dragon Wing Province, today was destined to be a sleepless night. Many residents were awakened by the darkness and saw the brilliant and intense firelight illuminating the sky, with large sparks floating in the night sky. Then came another round of thunder and lightning, with intermittent flashes of tiny lightning, creating an eerie and terrifying atmosphere.

Under the cover of the intense thunder, several figures fled clumsily through the woods.

Lotte’s helmet, which she had worn, had long been knocked off by branches, and her face bore scratches and bloodstains. Her clothes were covered in mud and tears, turning her originally clean cloak into a mess. She breathed heavily, each step feeling as heavy as lead, every move making her feel like her heart would burst out.

“I-I think I can’t walk anymore.” Even an Extraordinary Being, after such a long run, was approaching their limit.

“Grab my hand.” Gersimi frowned in the darkness, looking back anxiously, worried about the pursuers catching up.

Although sporadic running sounds could still be heard from the forest behind, thankfully, there was still some distance, and they wouldn’t be caught up in the short term.

Unfortunately, they didn’t have the energy to accelerate now; otherwise, they could have escaped these elite soldiers.

A flash of white light briefly lit up the night sky, followed by another rumble of thunder from the distant mountains.

“What’s happening over there?” Even Lotte could sense the chaos emanating from the area where the lightning flashed.

“I don’t know, but it’s good news; it can draw their attention away from us,” Gersimi said as he pulled Lotte up the mountain, occasionally grabbing branches to steady himself.

“Just a bit further, and we’ll reach a dense and complex jungle. There, we should be able to shake off those people behind us.”

“Hang in there a little longer; they must be reaching their limits too,” Gersimi reassured the young lady behind him.

“Mm.” Lotte’s mind was still in turmoil, responding subconsciously as she gazed toward the distant mountains, where lightning and thunder flashed intermittently, releasing dazzling bursts of flame.

Suddenly, amid the sudden bright white lightning, a figure appeared in the forest—a young boy with pale short hair.

“Did you see? What bad luck,” the boy said, though he didn’t seem to care about being exposed. His figure vanished abruptly from the treetops and appeared in front of them, revealing that he held a black scythe.

The scythe’s blade reflected a fleeting cold light in the lightning, then spun casually in his hands, slicing through surrounding trees and leaving smooth cuts.

A path cleared between the two parties.

“Who are you?” Gersimi growled, drawing his short sword, his eyes fixed on the boy, sensing the danger.

“Me?” The boy stretched out his overly pale fingers from his wide sleeves, gripping the scythe handle and pointing at them.

“Of course, I’m here to help Miss Xialuoluo.” A sinister smile crept onto his lips.

“But I’ve never seen you before, even the Basca family has never heard of anyone like you,” Gersimi raised doubts.

“Well, I’ll explain later. Shouldn’t we deal with these pesky sparrows first?” As he spoke, he lightly swung the scythe, causing the trees behind them to fall, revealing several concealed soldiers approaching.

They wore pitch-black armor, agile in movement, and after being discovered, they evaded, drawing matte-finished military knives, charging swiftly. Their armor flashed crimson patterns, making them even faster.

Seeing this, Gersimi charged forward, blocking two assailants instantly. The air resounded with the clash of blades and metal, followed by streaks of blood blossoming on Gersimi.

Though these soldiers were only Sequence 4, their well-equipped and coordinated attacks quickly suppressed Gersimi.

“It seems Uncle needs help,” the boy’s voice suddenly echoed in Lotte’s ear, sending shivers down her spine.

“Can you help Mr. Gersimi?” Lotte’s voice trembled slightly. Although she disliked Gersimi, he was currently the last person she could trust.

“Is this Miss Xialuoluo asking me?” The boy’s voice was like cold water mixed with ice.

Seeing Gersimi struggle and getting more wounded, Lotte became increasingly anxious.

“Yes, please.”

“Such a kind young lady, hehe.” Amid the clashing of weapons in the forest, the boy laughed loudly, and two soldiers changed targets, launching a surprise attack on Lotte and the boy.

“Well, I’ll reluctantly agree. After all, I am the most loyal servant of the royal family.”

He bowed respectfully in front of Lotte, a gesture so perfect that even the most critical court etiquette officer would find no fault. Then, he swung the scythe behind him, cleanly dividing the two attackers into two halves.

A strong, warm, bloody smell permeated the forest. Lotte covered her mouth and nose, feeling a wave of nausea.

Then, the boy easily plunged into the enemy ranks. His scythe never swung twice at any opponent; its blade danced like a silver moon, and within seconds, all the pursuers were killed, falling against trees with messy bloodstains.

When he swung the scythe again to wipe off the blood, Gersimi finally collapsed.

“Mr. Gersimi.” Lotte ran over to support the severely injured man, frantically trying to remember her healing medicine and applying it to prevent him from bleeding to death.

The boy ignored everything, sitting on a branch, holding the scythe, and gazing at the night sky. It took a long time before Lotte finally tended to Gersimi’s wounds and helped him rest under a nearby tree.

“Now, can you tell me who you are? Or perhaps, what you want me to do?” Lotte approached again. She didn’t believe the boy would help without reason.

“A smart young lady, this saves me a lot of trouble. I’m not good at explaining,” the boy said as he jumped down from the tree.

He took a few steps forward, holding the scythe horizontally in front of him, half-bowing, then stood up.

“I come from the Darkmoon Clan, which serves the Verdant Emperor. You can call me Cystin, Miss Xialuoluo.”

“The Darkmoon Clan?” Lotte quickly recalled the notorious intelligence and assassination organization ‘Darkmoon’ from the empire’s history, a secretive group directly under the royal family, known for their ferocity.

“Weren’t you disbanded by the new emperor?” Lotte hesitated, mentioning the information circulating now.

“Would Miss Xialuoluo believe such rumors? A clan skilled in intelligence and assassination wouldn’t disappear so easily.”

“Perhaps… not so easily.”

Even the Baska family, which wasn’t adept at assassinations, could leave a seed through various means.

“But why, if you’re the Darkmoon,” Lotte suddenly understood. The relationship between the royal family and the Darkmoon was completely different now.

After Aimanke’s coup, the Darkmoon were no longer protectors of the throne but an obstacle to the royal family now.

“What is your purpose in finding me?” Lotte began to understand vaguely.

“Miss Xialuoluo should be clear about her own identity and what she wants to achieve,” the boy with white hair looked up at the frail young lady.

“You need powerful strength to avenge the current imperial family, and we need someone to challenge the regent and the royal family, paving the way for future corrections.”

“The emperor’s golden throne will return to its rightful owner, and the Baska family will rise again in your hands, becoming the left and right arms of the new emperor, just as the ancient oath foretold.”

[Third Era, Year 892, the King of Verdant led a great army to defeat the remnants of the Oz Country in the South Region and made a vow on the Dragon Spine Mountain with the ancestor of the Baska family:

“I shall make you the king and guardian of the South Region, ruling over this fertile land.”

“And I will become your sword and shield, guarding the walls and castles of this empire.” The first head of the Baska family responded.

From then on, this lineage branched off from the royal family, becoming one of the most prominent families within the empire.]

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(End of Chapter)