Khuree.
The battle for sovereignty had been raging for over three hours, and it was finally coming close to an end.
Hundreds of thousands of cavalry bearing the light of the Reverse Cross Military Formation were still forging forward against their opponents in preparation of driving the final nail into their coffin. The skies were filled with thousands of radiant bursts of light. Even then, the Cossacks cavalrymen continued to charge forward like endless waves, beating away at the remnant forces of the Mongol Underworld until the last of them were huddled into tiny groups like islands stranded out at sea.
On the ground, the six majestic creatures symbolizing the leaders of the Mongol Underworld had already been hunted down like hapless prey, only to be trampled underfoot by the tide of Russian cavalry and reduced to wisps of Yin energy that quickly dissipated into the skies. The final remnants of the once glorious Yuan Dynasty was soon about to be swept away from the surface of the Three Realms.
The Mongol Underworld was already at the verge of destruction, and yet, the Mongol cavalrymen that were huddled closely together didn’t even say a single word in complaint. Instead, they simply raised the long scimitars in their hands that represented the valiance of their once-domineering army. It was almost as though they were all mustering the final hurrah despite the tattered banners of their ill-fated underworld.
Qin Ye watched on silently. It was the fall of the curtains soon. Those who were on the verge of annihilation were almost warning him that if he didn’t remain vigilant and work diligently at Hell’s revival, he would one day only follow in their footsteps.
He had no intentions of making any moves. After all, he was only an observer in these events that were panning out. He took on the role of a scribe keeping records, and that of a first-hand witness to the tragedy that befell the Mongol Underworld.
Time seemed to come to a complete halt at this moment. He could see each and every Mongol cavalryman that was still alive. They still put on a brave and courageous front, but the Iron Stupa were all dead, and so were the rest of the leaders of the Mongol Underworld. They were still filled with passion and a burning desire to fight back, but they were no more than helpless groups of Soul Hunters.
And to make matters worse, they were all covered in wounds, from which Yin energy continued to pour out endlessly. Their breaths were ragged, and yet they continued to remain still and silent as they stared intently at the boundless invaders that were still rising from across the horizon. Finally, one of the leaders of the remnant forces raised his scimitar mightily into the air and yelled at the top of his voice.
“Gods be with us!”
The lonesome voice swept through the desolate fields of bloodshed like a spark of light, instantly igniting the flames of passion in the hearts of the remnant forces. At once, the spirits of the Mongol forces stirred mightily.
At least, they would die in valor and glory.
A split second later, the rest of the Mongol remnant forces followed suit and raised their scimitars high in the air, taking a deep breath before shouting at the top of their voices, “GODS PROTECT US!!!”
And then, they charged recklessly towards the boundless oceans of Russian cavalrymen arrayed against them.
It was all for the sake of their dying underworld.
This was their final test of faith.
This marked the final memories in this world. These words would determine how their valor and courage would be recorded in the annals of netherworldly history.
Charge!
Our hearts and our souls will remain together even if our bodies burn up in ashes and flames. The light of our underworld will shine on forever even in the deepest nights of the netherworld.
There were only a few thousand remnant Mongol Yin soldiers remaining, but they still charged with such vigor as though they numbered tens of thousands in all. But, just then, the Russian military formation suddenly shifted to the side, revealing a crack running through the entire formation. And then, a figure slowly walked out.
Qin Ye’s eyes gleamed brightly. This was the skeleton of a lady dressed in the style of a European aristocrat. She waved a feathered fan in her hand, wore a sapphire-encrusted crown on her head, and even held an opulent gold scepter with a huge ruby set right at the top.
As she forged forward, the pack of remnant Mongol forces that were charging straight towards the Russian army quickly slowed down. The Yin energy at their feet flourished wildly in response to the queen that was standing right in front of them. Within moments, their Yin energy slowly began to converge together into a mighty vortex of Yin energy. Yet, even then, she showed no signs of backing down or retreating. In fact, she even stepped forward, as though declaring that she alone would confront the thousands of Mongol cavalrymen arrayed in front of her.
It was Catherine the Great!
One of the three gods of death of the Russian underworld!
Her name preceded her. In fact, it was precisely because she was so well known that she was hailed as one of the three great rulers of the world!
“What a terrifying oppressive might…” Qin Ye gasped coldly, and the Harken promptly responded, “She’s stronger than Peter the Great. Take a good look. This marks the erasure of an underworld from the surface of the netherworld. Although the Mongol Empire has left a heavy mark in history, their inability to secure for themselves the soul of Genghis Khan meant that their underworld was devoid of any Yama-class existence. Their death and destruction has been a long time coming.”
Like a bull in a bullfighting ring, Empress Catherine’s appearance immediately drew the attention of all Mongol cavalrymen. Their eyes were filled with endless hatred. Without any hesitation, they sealed off their surroundings using the mighty vortex of Yin energy, forcing a final standoff between them and the Empress.
“Gods protect us!!”
Thousands of cavalrymen rushed forward like a crushing wave filled with Yin energy. Their eyes glistened with blistering flames, while their scimitars gleamed with the cold light of war. Meanwhile, Empress Catherine simply covered her mouth with her fan and chuckled coldly. A split second later, her feathered fan vanished, and a massive black hole appeared in her mouth.
Whoosh!! The bodies of the Russian cavalrymen promptly became elongated as they were forcibly sucked into the black hole against their own will. Within moments, all of them were reduced to their constituent wisps of Yin energy and netherflames and were drawn into the heart of the black hole without any form of resistance whatsoever.
With that, the Mongol Underworld’s final hurrah came to an abrupt end. It was so quick that none were even able to react properly to the situation. Empress Catherine covered her mouth and snickered contemptuously, “Pfft. A group of barons dare stand in the way of a Duchess without the might of military formations?”
Rumble… There was a final tremor. Then, a split second later, what seemed to be a scarlet thread suddenly appeared in the void, before promptly splitting into a crack that remained invisible to the naked eye of mere mortals. Copious amounts of Yin energy poured out from within.
No, in fact, it wasn’t just Yin energy.
An entire underworld of netherflames and buildings were all reduced to wreckage in an instant. There were even traces of what once used to be statues of their lord Genghis Khan, as well as the carvings that depicted the legends of their faith. Like a reverse black hole, the crack began to spew out everything within, almost as though forcibly expelling everything that belonged to the Mongol Underworld.
Furthermore, everything that was expelled from the rift was instantly reduced to ashes and disappeared without a trace. Most unfortunately, the Yin spirits within weren’t able to escape from the rift to the Mongol Underworld, and everyone outside could only stare blankly as the tides of screams and shrieks filled the air. At the end, everything was reduced from dust to dust, and from ashes to ashes. The Yin spirits were also reduced to wisps of netherflames that blazed with a brilliant flourish, before promptly dissipating into the surroundings.
This was the end of a civilization, and the collapse of an underworld. Qin Ye silently took in every bit of this sight, and he couldn’t help but tighten his fists.
It was only when he personally witnessed the downfall of an underworld that he finally appreciated just how tragic it was.
And it was also at that moment that he swore in his heart that he never wanted Hell to experience something like that.
Rumble… The rift grew wider and wider, and then finally breached the boundaries between the netherworld and the mortal realm. The city of Khuree trembled slightly, as though struck by an earthquake of magnitude over four. Moments later, clouds of Yin energy surged up from every direction, engulfing the capital of the Mongol Empire in darkness, leaving only brilliant sparks of netherflames bursting out in the skies.
Tragic, yet beautiful. This was the swan song of the Mongol Underworld. The legends of the Mongol Underworld had all gone up in flames.
The all-consuming darkness made Qin Ye feel as though he was walking through an endless eternal night. He sighed soft and shook his head. But before he could say anything further, he noticed a figure walking straight towards him!
Every step the figure took made the clouds of Yin energy tremble beneath her feet. She was obviously only accompanied by her two skeletal maids, but her imposing figure felt like the presence of an army of thousands of soldiers and war horses. Her presence was stifling.
“Duke Harken. Marquis Qin.” Catherine the Great walked up elegantly and curtseyed slightly, “I’ve kept you waiting. It’s taken us a little bit more time than expected, but that’s only to be expected, given that the Mongol Underworld’s forces consisted of heroes that once dominated the East Continent after all.”
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Her voice sounded as though it had been stitched together from the voices of a multitude of women of all ages, including old and young, and even infant girls. But, even then, her words rang clearly in each of their ears.
Qin Ye smiled faintly and continued to stroke the Harken’s fur, “So, how are Peter the Great’s excavation works going?”
He made it patently clear that he knew all about the Russian Underworld’s feeble attempt to keep him here. There was no meaning to beat about the bush after all.
“It’s going rather smoothly.” Catherine the Great straightened up and smiled, “In fact, why don’t you two follow me to have a look?”
Qin Ye was about to respond when his pupils suddenly shrank, and his hand suddenly paused on the Harken’s back.
As Catherine the Great was speaking, he sensed that the imprint of the scale in his hand suddenly flared up with a burning sensation! And this sensation only intensified as time passed by!
They’re coming…
Over a dozen Mythic Spirits of the Alkebulan Underworlds were arriving shortly! They had probably already crossed the Daehan Peninsula, and were already entering the borders of the Russian Underworld!
It wouldn’t take them more than 20 minutes… No, in fact, it would probably take slightly over ten minutes before they arrived!
In other words, it was finally showtime.
“Oh, that reminds me.” Just then, Catherine the Great suddenly paused in her steps and turned back to gaze intently at the Harken, “There was an incident while excavating the tomb of Genghis Khan, and we’ve sealed it off completely…”
The Harken abruptly burst into a mad frenzy as soon as it heard this. With an infuriated howl, a spear congealed entirely out of Yin energy appeared out of nowhere and thrusted straight towards Catherine the Great’s chest.
“How dare you?!!”
“Don’t you know that the Mongol Empire is the buffer zone between Hell and the Russian Underworld? Aren’t you aware that Genghis Khan is one of the imperial spirits of the Cathayan lineage?! International convention would have it that no imperial Yin spirits be seized by foreign underworlds!”
“How dare you encroach upon Genghis Khan’s tomb without Hell’s approval! This is treachery! And to think that you even dared seal the tomb of your own volition! Are you courting death?!!”
CRASH!!! The spear formed out of Yin energy appeared to disintegrate into a flood of Yin energy as soon as it arrived ten meters before Catherine the Great. She slowly raised her head, and the netherflames in her eyes shrank to the size of her thumb. Then, she chuckled softly, “So, does this mean that Hell will soon be sending troops marching against the Russian Underworld?”
“Does Hell actually still have it in them?”
“How bold.” Even Qin Ye couldn’t help but speak up in the face of such haughty provocations. That said, a trace of doubt suddenly crept into his heart.
Why?
Why did their attitude suddenly change?
Even though they haven’t made any categorical declarations of war, her words are still more than sufficient to trigger a serious diplomatic fallout! Are they not afraid of Hell’s terrifying might?
Or is there perhaps… something or someone else here that fills her with unprecedented confidence?
The Harken chuckled.
The Yin energy in the surroundings stirred into a mad frenzy. At once, the Yin energy of the God of Nine Vitalities slowly converged at the Harken’s lips, causing the entire city of Khuree to tremble even more violently than ever before.
Divine Dust!
BOOM!!!
A terrifying pale light began to shine through the darkness, and it was aimed directly at Catherine the Great. At that instant, she lifted her puffy skirt slightly, and she vanished from sight with a quick flicker. Then, just as the pillar of light was about to burst out with intense might, a withered hand suddenly emerged from the darkness, forcibly wresting energy away from the ball of light at the Harken’s lips and onto the palm of his hand. The hand was clearly unharmed by the light as it continued to drag more and more light away from the Harken.
Yama-King… Qin Ye’s eyes widened abruptly with great disbelief.
A third Yama-King. Has the Russian Underworld actually sent out a third Yama-King?!
Doesn’t that mean that this has to be Tsar Arturo? The true god of death of the Russian Underworld?
Crack… The withered hand tightened its grip, and the ball of light in his hand shattered into countless spots of Yin energy that quickly vanished into the surroundings.
“Hell… It’s been a while…” An old, hoarse voice called out from the darkness. A split second later, the dark clouds of Yin energy receded like a tide, revealing the silhouette of a man within.
It was an old man.
He was dressed in a white robe, and sported a thin white beard. His robes were tied together at the waist with a gold girdle, and he was adorned with gilded arm bands and a golden helmet painted with exquisite depictions of gods and goddesses. He held a wooden cane in his hand, and his body was severely hunched.
Qin Ye gasped in horror. His mind went numb in an instant.
These weren’t Russian garments.
Ever since the onset, they had always been acting on their postulations and deductions of what the truth actually was. However, even though their deductions were theoretically sound, they had no hard evidence to prove their deductions in the slightest.
At least, that was the case as far as it concerned the identity of the person who gifted the initiation module of the Forbidden Arts to the Russian Underworld.
Would the Russian Underworld have dared to act so boldly to seize the Resentment Crystals if not for the support of one of the P4 underworlds?
Would Catherine the Great have even dared to talk about Genghis Khan’s tomb if not for the presence of an immovable backer that was acting from the shadows?
They were probing.
They were probing because the main cast were finally gathered in one place, and they couldn’t hold back any longer.
Meanwhile, as soon as the Harken saw the old man, it took a deep breath, “This is… the Argosian Underworld. Vice-chairperson of the Assembly, Aristotle.”
“You’ve actually travelled all the way here to the East Continent?!”