GDK 422 –
part 1
The ribbon-like brilliance wrapped tightly around Han Shuo’s entire body, but Han Shuo didn’t have the feeling of being restricted.
Strands of light slowly entered Han Shuo’s skin, causing a refreshing feeling to flow through his whole body, as though he had entered a cool and refreshing lake.
When the little skeleton saw Han Shuo being wrapped up by the black fruit after receiving the black fruit from him, he extended his snowy white hands which were holding a few thumb-sized ores in his palms. The little skeleton’s Purple Demon Eye shined brightly, as though he was pondering about something.
After staring blankly for a while, he put his palms together and started to grind them against each other. As an ear-piercing creaking sound emitted from his palms, a dense deathly aura suddenly emanated from his palms, and the creaking sound stopped abruptly.
Grains of greyish-white sand-like particles slowly flowed out from between the little skeleton’s palms. He quickly rushed to Han Shuo’s side, sprinkling the sand-like particles on Han Shuo’s body.
As the fine grains were falling Han Shuo’s body, they suddenly sparkled like stars in the night, giving off a bizarre yet beautiful sight. However, when the fine particles landed on his body, they disappeared without a trace, like water that flowed into the sea and no more sparkles could be seen.
The little skeleton’s Purple Demon Eye actually exuded a serene dense color which moved non-stop as it winded around Han Shuo who was encased by the black fruit. It sprinkled the particles from the little skeleton’s hands even throughout Han Shuo’s body, making sure not miss a spot.
At first, Han Shuo had a snug and lazy feeling, as though he was soaking in a refreshing pool of water, causing him to be languid and somewhat drowsy.
However, when the fine particles landed on his body, the areas where the particles landed had a sudden fiery, stinging pain. The thread-like particles seemed to have spirituality as they slowly assimilated into Han Shuo’s bones.
Han Shuo who was originally feeling languid and comfortable, suddenly felt his body become incredibly heavy. Wherever the fine grains landed on, the surrounding bones would felt as though they were cast with lead. Han Shuo realized that the heavy sensation wasn’t an illusion, but was actually happening.
Han Shuo did an internal inspection using his consciousness, and distinctly saw specks of starlight-like radiance slowly fusing into his skeleton, gradually reinforcing his bones and causing them to strengthen. This felt similar to the first time Han Shuo felt that he was reborn.
Gradually, the numerous strands of light from the fruit completely entered Han Shuo’s body. The little skeleton had already stopped moving around Han Shuo. The fine sand-like particles from his hands had flowed into Han Shuo’s skeleton like water, fusing with the fruit’s radiance, enhancing every inch of Han Shuo’s bones.
Throughout the process, Han Shuo’s bones ached as though they were pierced by many fine needles. However, having practiced his demonic arts till this level, Han Shuo had endured all kinds of pain. When compared to the time when his skull was cut open, where he had felt terrifying pain as though his brain was sliced into many pieces, the current pain was easily endured by Han Shuo.
Therefore, Han Shuo did not reveal any signs of being unable to endure throughout the process, nor did he even groan. He was quiet as though he had fallen asleep.
The little skeleton who was beside Han Shuo, looked at him in a daze, as though Han Shuo’s expression was extremely strange.
After an indefinite amount of time, Han Shuo felt the pain throughout his body subsiding, allowing Han Shuo to be able to ignore it. Right at this moment, he exhaled and opened his eyes. When he looked down, Han Shuo realized that he had already completely recovered, and there wasn’t anything abnormal with his body anymore.
He cracked his neck, swung his arms, flexing his muscles and bones. Han Shuo suddenly had an odd expression. This was because Han Shuo suddenly felt that his body weight had increased tenfold. This was truly inconceivable!
That ordinary-looking fruit had strengthened Han Shuo’s bones and increased their density, causing their durability to become extremely astonishing. As his bones were strengthed, his weight had increased along with it. Although Han Shuo was mentally prepared and understood that there would be changes to his body, when the changes were way beyond his expectations, Han Shuo was also extremely amazed.
“What kind of fruit is this? What are its uses?” A shocked Han Shuo stared blankly for a while before he asked the little skeleton.
“We call it ‘black resolute crystal’. Just like the serene luster gem you had taken previously, they are extremely miraculous items from my world. The serene luster gem can strengthen one’s soul, causing the soul to be purer; the black resolute crystal strengthens one’s bones and can make our bones much harder.
A black resolute crystal like this can strengthen an evil knight’s body several times. I had previously consumed a black resolute crystal and had suffered terribly. However, after absorbing the black resolute crystal’s energy, I could detect that my bones became much more solid.“ The little skeleton explained to Han Shuo, pausing for a moment before sighing in admiration, “Father, you are truly amazing! You actually didn’t have the slightest dreading of the pain!”
It turns out that the fruit was something as precious as the serene luster gem. No wonder it had such a miraculous effect! During Han Shuo’s previous visit to the netherworld, he had seen with his own eyes how the undead creatures fought desperately over a serene luster gem. Therefore, he knew that this black resolute crystal was definitely also a highly sought-after item that all undead creatures will scramble for.
The little skeleton had actually not kept such a valuable treasure to improve his own strength and instead gifted it to Han Shuo without the slightest hesitation. This caused Han Shuo to be extremely moved. As Han Shuo looked at the ordinary-looking little skeleton and was just about to praise him, he suddenly thought of another matter.
In the past, whenever changes happened to Han Shuo’s body, time would past unwittingly. He didn’t know if a long time had passed this time around when he used the black resolute crystal to strengthen his bones. As Ossen City was currently at its most chaotic moments, time was the most precious thing. As someone who could observe the whole situation remotely, Han Shuo was someone who could not be missing at this critical moment.
“How much time has passed?” Han Shuo’s eyebrows creased as he hurriedly asked the little skeleton.
“I have no idea!” the little skeleton calmly replied.
Han Shuo came to his senses soon after. The Cemetery of Death was the same as the netherworld where there was no concept of time. The Cemetery of Death was encapsulated by a strong barrier. Neither sunlight nor moonlight could penetrate it, and therefore it was naturally impossible to derive time from the rise and setting of the sun and moon.
Thinking about the impending major battle, Han Shuo immediately panicked. He didn’t dare to continue staying in the Cemetery of Death. After sending the little skeleton back to the netherworld, he hurriedly stood in the center of the Cemetery of Death’s magical transportation array.
All of a sudden, the sounds of horses trampling, magic exploding and the wretched howls of warriors’ at death’s door all rushed into Han Shuo’s ears. The source of these sounds wasn’t that far away.
Sure enough, the battle had already begun! Han Shuo immediately came to his senses, tidying up the magic array. All kinds of images were being projected into his brain, allowing him to clearly observe everything that was happening.
So long as Han Shuo was within Ossen City, the mystical demons would be able to transmit every scene of Ossen City into his brain. However, if Han Shuo is too far away from Ossen City, the connection between Han Shuo and the mystical demons will be too weak to support the transfer of information. Moreover, the Cemetery of Death has a peculiar barrier, and therefore Han Shuo naturally wasn’t able to know the happenings within Ossen City while in the Cemetery of Death.
However, once Han Shuo returned Ossen City via the transportation array, his connection with the twelve mystical demons was immediately re-established, allowing him to possess the ability to control the whole situation again.
Through the mystical demons’ point of view, Han Shuo saw that fierce battles were ongoing on several wide spaces around the castle. The powers headed by Firenze, Karel, and Lawrence were fighting relentlessly with Ashburn and eldest prince Charles’ troops, with deaths occurring at every moment.
This castle was originally used for storage of military supplies and it just so happened that there were no residents in the surroundings. The surroundings were simply vast open land, allowing the two sides to have the perfect location for battle.
TL note: So, the black resolute crystal is supposed to be an item similar to the previous serene luster gem. The raws for this is 黑坚晶. Wanted it to have a similar style of naming with the serene luster gem. Do give your thoughts on what you feel about the name and any suggestions on what else it could be caught that might fit better!
part 2
Everywhere he looked was involved in a vigorous battle. Every plot of land within a few kilometers radius of the castle was densely packed with troops fighting. Apart from the northern city district, mystical demons placed in the different districts observed that the other districts including the imperial palace were also shrouded in the flames of battle.
However, compared to the great battle ongoing at the northern city district, the battles at the other districts were clearly smaller in scale. This was because, headed by Lawrence, those high-ranking figures that could threaten Charles were currently all gathered in the northern city district.
It was unknown if there was a tacit agreement, none of the sacred rank experts participated in the battle. Karel and Sabakas on Lawrence’s side, Dempus and the sacred knight on Charles’ side, all watched by the sidelines as their troops went all out in battle.
Both Lawrence and Charles knew the incredible lethality of sacred rank experts, especially that of sacred magi. A single forbidden magic spell was enough to turn the tide of battle. However, every kingdom within the Profound Continent had a tacit agreement, that sacred magi would not use forbidden magic in an ordinary battle.
With forbidden magic not permitted against foreign enemies, it was naturally must not be used during internal conflict. Even though Ossen City was rather huge, if it was really bombarded by a few forbidden magic spells, Lancelot Empire’s capital, Ossen City would disappear from the continent, with countless casualties among the residents.
This was precisely why both space sacred magus Sabakas and earth sacred magus Dempus have been looking on without lifting a finger during this war. Neither of them dared to use forbidden magic on the opposing army which was from the same empire.
Firenze was the commander of the war. At a high vantage point at the middle of the castle, Firenze roared unendingly as several armored officers under his command arranged their troops methodically in accordance to Firenze’s orders and attacked Ashburn and Charles’ troops from all directions.
Han Shuo observed the overall situation through his mystical demons. He suddenly realized that under Firenze’s never-ending roar, the troops from his Howling Legion looked as though they were randomly dispersed, but indistinctly formed various peculiar formations that divided Ashburn and Charles’ army into several large chunks, and quietly surrounded every one of them.
Only Han Shuo who could see the view the overall situation through his mystical demons could clearly see this strange transformation. The participating soldiers and generals would never be able to notice the quiet changes in battle without overlooking anything.
The Howling Legion, which Firenze had brought, had the same design painted on their armor. These soldiers came from the southern border and they had many years of experience fighting against the brutal Orcs. All their weapons have been doused in too much blood. Each and every one of them looked valiant and had a cold expression. Their fighting strength was more fearsome than the Redbud Knights that Han Shuo had seen previously.
The fighting strength of the city guards of Ossen City was also ranked among the best. However, when facing against Firenze’s Howling Legion, they were clearly being suppressed. Apart from being slightly better equipped, their battle experience, troop coordination, and individual strength were all greatly inferior to the Howling Legion.
Han Shuo suddenly noticed that Firenze’s Howling Legion and the northern city guards were actually gradually gaining the upper hand under Firenze’s seemingly crazy commands. Unknowingly, they were slowly withering away Ashburn and Charles’ troops.
This madman who was able to stand tall at the southern border for so many years, preventing the barbaric Orcs from penetrating the southern border defense line, definitely had a well-deserved reputation! Han Shuo was in awe and deeply convinced with Firenze’s remarkable commanding skills.
“Firenze! These men are soldiers of the Lancelot Empire. They are innocent and have no choice but to fight simply because of the orders of Charles and Ashburn. If they were all killed, it would be Lancelot Empire’s loss! ” sacred swordmaster Karel was enraged as he glared at Firenze.
Karel placed the utmost priority on the future of the Lancelot Empire. When he saw that under Firenze’s commands, the northern city district had completely turned into a war zone, with corpses lying everywhere in the northern city district, corpses which belonged to soldiers who were loyal and faithful to the Lancelot Empire. However, because they were under a different commander, they had no choice but to kill each other mercilessly. The loss of the empire’s own people was clearly what Karel didn’t want to see and hence he continuously made a racket.
Even Dark Mantle’s chief elder Sabakas felt endless grief as he saw the ever increasing losses. He hesitated for a moment before shouting, “Firenze! At the rate you’re going, even if we win the war, the empire’s strength will be greatly weakened! ”
Firenze was unmoved and continued to howl out commands to his officers. When he saw that Sabakas and Karel were still clamoring, he suddenly glared at Karel and said, “During the civil strife of any country within the continent, which of them did not end in rivers of blood? Other than defeating their army, do you think you can make Ashburn yield just by mere words?
Hmph, with the sacred knight and earth sacred magus Dempus over there, not to mention all kinds of experts around them, even a semi-divine expert might not be enough to kill them! I don’t think that you have a better plan?
Both of you listen up! This matter can only be resolved quickly by shedding blood. The longer a civil strife drags on, the worse off it is for the empire. Dammit, my men are also getting killed but am I complaining? What’s the use of being so emotional? Well if you don’t like my methods, I can stand aside and do nothing. Let’s see if you guys can convince the two foxes on the other side to give up the throne with words. Are you willing to take control of the whole battle?”
Firenze spoke unrestrainedly, bombarding the two sacred rank experts like artillery and leaving them speechless and unable to find any grounds to retort.
Firenze had always been arrogant and conceited. At other times, he might perhaps still show some respect to Sabakas. However, during a state of war, Firenze would immediately turn into a real madman. In order to achieve victory, he would even dare to violate His Majesty’s orders without hesitation. So it’s needless to say that Firenze wouldn’t bat an eye at the advice of the two sacred rank experts.
After his vulgarity-filled tongue-lashing, Firenze no longer paid attention to them and continued to howl commands at his officers, conveying information of the battlefield to his troops. His Howling Legion slowly and quietly took control of the battlefield, covertly surrounding Ashburn’s troops without anyone noticing.
The two sacred rank masters bitterly turned a blind eye and could only sigh. Although they felt aggrieved, there was no other way. They weren’t good at commanding large-scale warfare. Furthermore, without Firenze and his Howling Legion, this battle would simply be impossible to win.
Besides, what Firenze said made sense. He who hesitates loses. Unfortunately, the current Lancelot Empire would only be able to swiftly settle its turmoil through blood-filled battle. Otherwise, if either side escaped Ossen City and occupies other cities, the battle would continue to spill out into other cities, which would be a destructive blow to the Lancelot Empire.
Hence, even though the two sacred rank experts were berated and cursed by Firenze, they could only swallow their grievances and no longer dared to contradict Firenze, so as to avoid that fellow having any further crazy behavior.
Having received images of every location, Han Shuo couldn’t help but let out a breath of relief. He didn’t stay in the cave that he dug any longer, immediately flying out and headed for the castle.
“Whoosh whoosh!” several long-range arrows streaked across the sky as they pierced toward Han Shuo.
Han Shuo was shocked. He looked downwards and saw a few soldiers from the Howling Legion, their expressions cold as they gave him deadly stares. They had unexpectedly sighted Han Shuo from far away and shot arrows at him.
Han Shuo’s evaluation of the Howling Legion rose even higher. He cast a spell and a snow white flower bud appeared in mid-air. The bone shield blocked all the arrows and Han Shuo was unharmed. By now, he had already reached the middle of the castle where Firenze was.