Chapter 210: Despair Country
Shax grabbed the communicator and yelled angrily, "What's going on?!"
"The Cuixin Fighter made a mistake!" the little animal said in a panic. "I set it to attack the area with the strongest foreign aura, but for some reason it hit that area instead..."
"That's right." Qing Ye said, "There are two... no, maybe three outsiders over there!"
Shax almost laughed out loud. "You haven't dealt with a single one yet? What the hell is Snake doing?"
"If only this could be easily resolved..."
Qing Ye suddenly spun around and lashed out with her sword, slicing through the flaming arrow with a powerful blow. Flames exploded on either side of her, igniting a blaze of light that soared into the sky. While they were talking, the two emissaries had already caught up. Limb Spider volunteered to act as a flesh tank, while Ran Jin stood on top of this "good partner" with a sullen face.
The spider was still chattering, "Hurry up! I'll take the damage. You have to snipe at least one of them! Let them reunite..."
"Shut up and I'll do it!"
Burning Embers took aim, ready to fire his next arrow. However, the two people who had been there just moments before had vanished without a trace, leaving only a wisp of mist in the air. A cold sweat broke out on the spider's forehead. "No way..."
"Idiot, get out of the way!"
Burning Embers instinctively turned, scattering the flaming arrows that pierced the bullets fired from the fog. But the long blade, gleaming like sunlight, had already struck, severing the entangled limbs of the Fallen One and slicing through the thick flesh of the Limb Spider. The blade's flashes burst forth like starlight, shredding the spider's body into a pulp.
The spider spat out a mouthful of black blood: "Qian Ye Shun Xing...you!"
Qingye emerged from the fog, his eyes closed, and a knife in both hands.
"If it will disturb you, don't look at it. If it can be repaired, chop it more." Qingye judged calmly, "I will chop you to death."
"Stop it, idiot!" screamed the spider. "That's why I hate the Heartless!!"
From its shattered body, a thousand blood-red hands emerged, forming seals, incantations, and talismans. For a moment, a cascade of illusions unfolded, and pieces of foul blood fell. Qingye didn't retreat, slashing through the blood at breakneck speed, advancing steadily with an impenetrable defensive stance. Ranjin attempted to draw his bow to rescue, but was interrupted by Shax's sniper fire from a distance.
It immediately drew its bow and leaped forward in a ball of flame, but a wicker figure rushed out at that moment, using its sturdy body to block the impact of the burning embers. Shax took the opportunity to retreat, and Gulbo jumped over on his cabbage wheels.
"I think there's still time, so I gave the war plants a command." Gulibo said tremblingly, "Is there still time?"
"Just right." Shax reloaded his bullets. "Just kill them all!"
Gunfire, roars, and the crackle of flames—a chorus of abject cries—returned the battlefield to its normal state. The remaining war plants, receiving orders, renewed their offensive, while the Burning Ember and the Spiderlings, too busy fighting to direct their troops. Without their commander's restraint, the Scourge, sensing the emotional turmoil, instinctively left their fortresses and joined the fray.
The slayers broke free, destroying the lawn and plants. Large corpse puppets fled the fortress, only to be met head-on by the wicker men. A chaotic battle ensued, with the attacks of the messengers and warriors occasionally unleashing fierce winds and raging fire, mowing down the lower-ranking troops like grass.
In a matter of seconds, the battlefield descended into a chaotic, uncontrollable chaos. The towering Jade Core Warrior commanded the most attention in this chaotic battle. One of his arms had been shattered by the lightning, and the remnants of his body were constantly bearing the brunt of the blow. The sudden blow had clearly enraged Curse Thunder, and he ignored the surrounding attacks, swinging his hammer with brute force.
"You, a heartless creature, how dare you interfere with the battle of the brave!" The heavy hammer of the cursed thunder was gathered into a pure purple by the lightning. "The curse gathers... the divine punishment thunder strikes!"
The massive hammer roared, expanding into a colossus comparable to a fortress. The cursed thunder hammered down, and the blast of lightning instantly burned the Green Core Warrior's torso. The cursed power within the lightning was so sinister that even the vitality of the war plants could not withstand the wrathful blow of the messenger. The Warrior's green leaves withered, and it crashed to the ground in a blazing fire, crushing a large number of the Demon King's reinforcements.
But when Zhu Lei launched his pursuit, the others didn't stop either. Wen Yao's soft sword bound him like a whip, Silar's blades shattered his eyes, and his spear and prosthetic arm, one after the other, pierced Zhu Lei's burly upper body. "This is not a battle of honor..." Zhu Lei roared, but the warriors no longer had the energy to care about him.
The chaotic battle, the pressing situation, and the indifferent, colorless atmosphere in the air stirred everyone's emotions. In this unprecedentedly chaotic battlefield, no one had time to think too much. Kill now! Kill every enemy within sight!
"This guy is so hard to kill." Finder roared, "Have you found the sniper? Use his bullets!"
"Here they are! They are killing each other!"
Chu Hengkong heard the faint sounds of small animals. Across from the burning remains of the Cuixin Warrior, Qingye and Shax were engaged in a fierce battle with two other messengers. Chu Hengkong immediately unleashed his Mischievous Wrist, his freely transforming prosthetic arm swirling three times, tying up the three opponents and pulling them away. Shax aimed his rifle at Curse Thunder, but a sniper shot from Ranjin interrupted its trajectory. The flaming arrow landed at Curse Thunder's feet, and the explosive force sent it flying to the side of the two messengers.
Both sides paused. Amidst the chaos, their forces unknowingly reunited. The expeditionary force was in poor condition, but only suffered minor injuries. Curse Thunder was scarred, the Spider Limb was nearing death, and Burning Ember was nearing its limit. This was an undeniable advantage. The outcome of the battle was already decided at this moment.
"Everyone is here, retreat now!" Chu Hengkong shouted, "Return to the settlement—"
"Such a great opportunity, how can we give it up so easily?" Wen Yao smiled and raised his sword, "Sister, how about you and I take the lead?"
"Leave it to me." Qingxia gathered her strength, "We'll defeat them in one fell swoop!"
"No, no," the spider whimpered. Nearly desperate, it knelt on the ground, its hands clenched tightly. "Please, retreat quickly..."
"The battlefield is not a place to beg for mercy!" Shax pulled the trigger.
Bullets fired, warriors drew their swords, and knights with spears rushed towards the enemy. Thunder and fire exploded amidst roars. This is war, chaotic and disorderly, like a sudden storm that swept all life into it.
Hundreds of years ago, heretics and allied forces clashed on this very land, and now, the newcomers have begun the same war once again. Death, life, victory, defeat—only these four words remain on the battlefield. Chaos is unpredictable, madness unquenchable. The few sober souls within the conflict are powerless to single-handedly reverse the course of events.
Thus, the encounter battle came to an end. Thus, the situation slid into an irreversible abyss.
"It's coming." cried the spider.
It's coming.
In that instant, everything vanished. The bullets, the thunder and the fire, the very events of the battle vanished into nothingness. The sword, once thrust, returned to its sheath; the bullet, once fired at the enemy, rolled back into the chamber. In a single instant, both enemy and friend returned to their original positions, their memories still clear, but the actions they had taken mysteriously vanished.
There were no traces, no damage, even the wind and the earth remained in the same state as they were seconds ago.
It was as if those few tense seconds were just a dream shared by everyone.
In the center of that incomprehensible phenomenon.
The devil stood alone.
He was a dark-skinned man in a leather jacket, his blond hair, colorless and like withered weeds, he opened his arms as if embracing and smiled cheerfully at everyone.
"That's great," Vansalar said. "That's great."
"You have broken through the difficulties that have not been overcome in hundreds of years.
You have killed the undefeated messenger who appeared in the wilderness.
Even my resurrected Demon King army is no match for you now!"
Its laughter was like the shrieking of bats, and its words, filled with sincere emotion, made people shudder. No, in the final analysis, no one heard Vansalar's words clearly. The moment it appeared, everyone's will fell into a trance.
Those deep black eyes seemed like the giant mouth of a god devouring reason and conscience.
"The messenger is unable to complete the test, and the battle has lost its meaning. I must appear here in person to give you my sincere blessings.
I wholeheartedly commend you. I admire your perseverance, your determination, your courage in never giving up despite adversity and hardship, and your resilience in racking your brains to find a way out despite desperate circumstances and pressure.
"Ah, I have to admit, I like every one of you. The 34th Warriors once made me want to rest in peace, but you have far surpassed your predecessors - you are the best heroes since the resurrection of the Despair Wilderness!"
His eyes brimmed with joy, his voice was filled with ecstasy, and a smile dominated his features. It was undoubtedly genuine, without a trace of falsehood in that emotion. It was almost like an apostle's confession to God, like a sinner's adoration of a saint.
That is why all living beings are afraid.
What is it saying.
Is this person crazy?
The hearts of the audience trembled instinctively.
——Why can such deep malice be hidden under such sincere words?
I couldn't comprehend it. I couldn't function. My mind had ceased to function. I made involuntary noises. I heard cries of pain. Was it my own? Was it someone else's? My mind was breaking. My body refused to obey.
escape.
Run away.
Run away. Leave. Escape, escape, escape escape escape escape escape escape escape escape—
The devil doesn't care about the hearts of others
It just laughs loudly and utters filthy chants.
Imposing one's emotions and enthusiasm on the world without any explanation.
"For you like this, I will devote all my strength!"
·
West of the Desperate Wilderness, the Undersea Valley.
Fine sand flowed through the wooden door of the church, and a rumbling sound came from the sand sea. Bernfar walked out of the church, feeling confused.
Perhaps it was the influence of the great battles on the ancient battlefield, the monk thought, that the messengers or warriors used weapons with a wider range of range. He was about to continue his work, but the crying interrupted Bernfar's thoughts.
People were crying in the fog. Although the nightmare had been blocked by his fog, desperate cries could be heard from the crowd.
"No need to panic." He tried to calm the panic, "The aftermath of the ancient battlefield will not affect this place—"
"It's too late!" A slug-like monster looked at it, its small eyes hiding deep despair. "You don't understand anything. It's too late. It's about to start again. It's about to start again!!"
“It’s coming!!”
An unprecedented, violent tremor struck, as if the entire world were shaking. Bernfar lost his balance and fell to his knees, his movements mirroring those of the people in the fog, as if he were curtsying before some unimaginably vast being. Looking up, Bernfar saw the moonlight, the blasphemous black moon hanging across from him. But that was impossible. No matter where he was, the black moon always hung in the sky.
It was their position that had changed, Bernfar realized. It was the ground that had shifted. He couldn't stand. The ground had become a cliff, and the sand dunes that had accumulated for millennia had collapsed. Without the support of gravity, the white sand flew like a bone-white avalanche. A teeth-grinding noise echoed from the edge of the world.
Incomprehensible forces are eroding reality, and the world itself is changing!
"Sunk in the depths of hell, polluting the hearts of men;
Gathered in the dome of the clear sky, they dare to block out the radiance of the sun."
The gods' chants reached the ears of all living beings, and a strange change swept across the world. People saw a deep black, darker than night, deeper than blood. The inky blackness surged upward, and the sky vanished, even the brilliance of the black moon disappeared.
The sky was filled with nothing but chaos, and the earth was reduced to creeping shadows. Countless pitiful faces emerged from the shadows, singing a sacred song:
Brave man, one with courage in his heart, you will surely win and be covered with glory!
“The dream of the masses, building a nightmare kingdom;
Eternal madness, playing the song of hell!"
The world groans in the shadows.
Souls trembled in the singing.
Under the darkest night, the devil raised his hands.
"The God's heart has turned."
"A Tribute to the Prison Realm: The Land of Despair!"
Thus, at the outermost edge of the Heavenly Prison, in the vast world known as the Despair Wilderness—
In a physical sense, it is "reversed".
It was like the movable panel on a toy box. A child's fingertip flipped the entire panel, the ordinary front side moving inside, and the new toys slid back outside. The Wilderness of Despair was that panel. Until now, both messengers and warriors had operated solely on that exposed surface. But now, the truth was revealed, the divine heart had reversed, and they were moving from the outside to the inside. Beneath the deliberately concealed stage lay the "Realm of Despair" ruled by the Demon King!
Mountains and rivers collapsed, the sky sank, up and down were reversed, and the vast land tilted to one side. They fell into darkness, into an endless abyss.
I couldn't feel time, and the concept of space seemed to have vanished. I tried to sense the presence of others, but all I felt was endless emptiness. Then, in that extremely tormenting thought, something I could perceive appeared.
There was blood, bones, swarms of worms, flames of corruption, the decaying corpses of the dead, and the despairing eyes of the living. All beings saw in it what they feared, and behind that fear lay the combined fear of all living things. Fear fused into their flesh, despair tainted their hearts, and amidst their indistinguishable screams, they fell to the depths of hell.
At the bottom of Nirvana lies a pitch-black wilderness where no living creature lives. Corpses and blood pile up like the earth, and shadows forge a throne of terror. Amidst the wilderness stands a black forest, a cruel instrument of torture forged from steel. Countless corpses hang from it, their withered faces etched with the fear of life.
In the dark world, brown rain fell, which was a noose dropped from the sky. The strangled corpses were hung on the ceiling of the country of despair, singing hymns of blessing loudly.
Brave man, one with courage in his heart, you will triumph and be covered with glory.
“——”
Chu Hengkong wanted to speak, but he couldn't utter a word.
Black needles pierced out of his mouth and pierced through his tongue.
He instinctively understood that it was fear. Fear exists in the hearts of all living things, and even the bravest warrior cannot eradicate it. Because it is a common emotion among all intelligent beings, it is a weakness that even outsiders cannot avoid.
In the Kingdom of Despair, fear is the devil's torture instrument.
He raised his hand, and needles pierced from his palm, from his eyes, from his ears, from his heart, from his bone marrow. Flesh was dismembered, the body was cleaved, the spirit was shattered, and the will was crushed. There was no hope, no probability, no miracle. The devil's torture destroyed life at its very source.
In his broken vision, he saw the rest of the people being pierced through their bodies by the same needles, warriors and messengers alike. The violently growing needles of fear strung their bodies together like iron trees, executing them by crucifixion.
Then, the last of his body was worn away by the needles, and he lost his voice in the endless chanting.
Ten seconds after the Nightmare Lord Vansalar appeared.
All the enemies and ourselves were killed.
(End of this chapter)
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