Chapter 273: Unstoppable!

Chapter 273: Unstoppable!

Tafman sensed a disruptive upheaval in the emotions of the behemoth beneath him, which he had only just managed to soothe. Its massive head began to thrash violently, and a torrent of scorching breath exhaled from its nostrils, sweeping over his head. The surrounding blood mist retracted as its whiskers lashed upward, desperate to eradicate the threat upon its brow at all costs.

"Is the array ready yet?" Tafman roared to Zimar.

"Not yet!"

Zimar screamed back in response. The foundational array had been laid out, but the material components meant to amplify its effects were not yet fully embedded, which would drastically compromise the destructive power once unleashed.

"No time, start it now!"

A barrier of radiant light erupted around Tafman as he grabbed Elder Zimar by the shoulder, forcibly dragging him down from the crown of Dorons's head.

If they did not leave now, it would not just be a matter of the explosion falling short of expectations; the entire array would be destroyed. Alone, he was utterly powerless to withstand a Dorons that had driven itself into a frenzy.

The moment Elder Zimar felt his body hurled backward by Tafman's grip, he immediately triggered the array.

In that split second,

A fierce beam of crimson light exploded from the crown of Dorons's head!

Boom!

Failing to pull back to a safe distance, Tafman and Zimar were sent flying by the sheer force of the blast. As they plummeted toward the ground, Tafman gritted his teeth and channeled the power of the Dark Moon. A red glow flared behind him, lifting Elder Zimar with him into a steep ascent, before he deliberately positioned his own back to take the brunt of the impact.

Thud!

The two men crashed into the earth, tumbling over each other.

Tafman was drenched in blood, an unknown number of his bones shattered. Zimar’s injuries were lighter, but as he gasped heavily for air, he could not help but stare at Tafman.

"Tafman, you..."

"Once this is resolved, you can denounce me."

"No, you misunderstand, I wouldn't..."

Zimar hurried to explain.

Just then, a roar echoed through the air.

Under the force of the powerful explosion, Dorons's neck was blasted downward, and its advancing stride finally ground to a halt.

…

"Did it succeed?" Ophelia asked, her eyes glittering with anticipation.

"Presumably," Karen echoed, though his tone carried none of her optimism.

"Heh, how could it?"

An unfamiliar voice drifted down from above their heads.

Ophelia and Karen snapped their gazes upward. In the next instant, Ophelia blurred, leaping straight into the air to bring her sword down upon the figure in a vicious slash.

Karen hesitated. The last time, he had truly believed the captain was lost, which was why he had struck without a shred of reluctance, aiming that final sword stroke directly at the captain's heart.

But this time, Karen no longer believed the captain was lost, and so he lacked the impulse to act.

With Ophelia on one side and the captain on the other, aiding either felt entirely misplaced.

The captain slipped past several of Ophelia's strikes in rapid succession. He seemed to have no interest in fighting her, merely laughing, "If I were you, I wouldn't be starting a brawl right now."

"Pity, I am not you," Ophelia replied, swinging her blade once more.

A sword of pure light coalesced in the captain's hand, parrying Ophelia's blade before his figure retreated swiftly. Just as Ophelia prepared to pursue him, the captain’s retreating form dissolved, rematerializing right behind her.

Ophelia brought her sword back in a flash, pivoting her body into a defensive stance.

Yet the captain chose not to ambush her, pulling back once more.

Seeing this, Karen had no choice but to shift into the path of the captain's retreat, intending to intercept him.

The captain seemed to show Karen a peculiar indulgence; his retreating figure suddenly surged forward, colliding with Ophelia again. Their blades clashed over a dozen times, but Ophelia handled the assault with calm resolve, weathering every blow.

"Oh, you've made quite some progress since our last match."

Karen closed the distance again, beginning to chant.

"Ah."

The captain let out a sigh. A blinding white light erupted from his body, forcing Ophelia's offensive back as his figure vanished into the distance. Karen offered him a parting gift in the form of a Cage of Order.

However, the captain had left a puppet doll in his wake. The two puppets he had previously obtained from Inquisitor Luke had both been pierced through by Ophelia's sword during their battle on the shrine island. This particular doll was noticeably cruder, and would undoubtedly prove to be a makeshift creation of the captain's own hand. It was rather ugly, yet it now conjured a phantom illusion of the captain. As for his true self, he had already widened the distance significantly, vanishing into parts unknown.

In truth, the captain possessed an absolute advantage in strength over Ophelia, and with Karen merely putting in a half-hearted effort, the decision to stay or leave was entirely up to the captain's leisure.

Ophelia raised her sword, poised to run the puppet through.

Karen spoke up, "Wait a moment. It looks like he wants to say something."

Ophelia stayed her blade, refraining from the strike.

"You are far cleverer than this little girl, haha. Worthy of being the new vessel I originally chose, even if your body still reeks of the foul scent of the Bernard bloodline."

The phantom of the captain projected by the puppet began to speak.

"If the mark of Mistress Paul inside you hadn't shielded you at the critical moment, and if I hadn't hesitated out of respect for her myself, I might well have succeeded in taking over your body back then. Alas, this current vessel is rather broken after all, it doesn't even have its skin left."

Karen did not know whether to laugh or cry; the captain still had not forgotten to patch up the narrative for him even now.

He knew exactly why the captain had appeared here. It was because watching the spectacle alone felt rather dull; having enjoyed his solitary loneliness, he now craved a companion to share it with.

This was where the captain found his amusement.

Many of the things he had said before, which sounded like jokes, were never jokes at all, because he had been putting them into practice the entire time.

"Can you control it?" Ophelia demanded.

"Barely a fraction," the captain replied.

"Philias, I know the hatred that burns in your heart, but many of the citizens on Dark Moon Island are just ordinary people. Not everyone carries the Dark Moon bloodline. Your vengeance can be aimed at me, at the palace, at us descendants of Bernard. The vast majority of the people in the town are innocent."

The captain's phantom looked toward Ophelia and said, "My choice of vengeance is far too narrow for that. Besides, have you ever seen a retaliation that comes packaged with rationality?"

"The people in the town are innocent," Karen added, offering a piece of redundant sentiment. "They are quite pitiful."

"I know they are pitiful, but back then, was I, were my followers, not pitiful? We sacrificed so much for the development of this island, and in the end, what reward did we receive?

It was betrayal,

It was slaughter,

It was humiliation!"

Roar!

In the distance, a furious bellow erupted. Dorons, whose progress had been halted by the blast to its head, raised its skull once more, and its colossal frame began to move anew.

The efforts of the Dark Moon elders had failed to achieve ultimate success.

Witnessing this, Ophelia spoke out in desperation, "I am the candidate to be the next Dark Moon Patriarch. If you can halt the destruction of the town right now, Mr. Philias, I will take my own life before you."

The captain laughed. "Go ahead and kill yourself, do as you please. A single death from you will never satisfy me."

"Ophelia, don't do anything foolish," Karen comforted her. "That behemoth cannot possibly enter the town."

"Little girl, you are indeed different from your ancestor Bernard, and I believe what you just said came from the heart. But I am sorry, I cannot agree to your terms, for I would lose far too much in the bargain. As for you..."

The Captain extended his hand, pointing at Cullen, and continued:

"Of course I know the people of the Church of Order are on the island right now, but since I dared to summon Dorons, do you really think my revenge is just an meaningless vent?

Let me tell you, I do not like doing meaningless things."

Cullen was momentarily bewildered; he would not believe the Captain could lose his mind again, but he felt the Captain was somewhat influenced by Philias, and besides, what did the Captain's previous words actually mean?

Even an intervention by the Church of Order could not stop Dorons?

Ophelia tightened her grip on her sword once more, knowing that Philias's true body must be nearby, though she could not perceive it, yet she had to do something; she could not remain here wasting her breath on this puppet projection.

But how could the Captain allow his audience to leave early? He could not tolerate his own amusement being diminished at this moment;

He spoke up: "You had best stand right here now and go nowhere. Remember the bugs you ate last time? I have placed dozens of hives on this island. Believe me, if you leave here now, I will detonate those hives immediately."

"You..."

Ophelia ultimately had no choice but to remain standing where she was.

Cullen knew the Captain did not possess those kinds of bugs, but he still could not understand how the Captain's declaration of not doing meaningless things was going to unfold.

The Captain's phantom looked at Cullen and said, "The joy of revenge, have you ever experienced it?"

"I do not know."

"Is that so? You do not know, well then, you can observe me now. I hope you realize that this is a lesson for you, given for the sake of Miss Poe."

With that, the Captain's phantom spread his arms, and then, with a sharp snap, clased his hands together tightly, making a shooting gesture toward the direction of Dorons's advance, his mouth even mimicking the sound effect:

"Bang!"

By this time, Dorons had already advanced to the front of the Dark Moon Legion, and the legion began firing their artillery, but these magical projectiles were all blocked entirely by the blood mist before Dorons; though the scene looked brilliant, it produced no substantive effect.

"Prepare to engage!"

The warriors within the legion grasped their weapons tightly one after another, awaiting the arrival of this behemoth.

Dorons craned his neck, his throat beginning to flush red, and then, thrusting his head forward, he opened his massive maw and spewed scorching, terrifying lava at the legion blocking his path.

The colossal pillar of magma sliced the army formation straight through the middle; the warriors caught in its sweep mostly melted away alongside their armor in the very first instance, while the scorched warriors nearby lay on the ground, beginning to wail in agony.

Although the entire army formation did not instantly collapse, anyone with eyes could see that after this round of attack, it was basically on the brink of falling apart, waiting only for Dorons's massive body to crush them, whereupon they might immediately drop their weapons and flee.

...

"The army formation was deployed, but there was no three-dimensional defensive arrangement," Bishop Rodina spoke up.

She was one of the three representatives from the Knights; if the Church of Order were compared to a country, she would be the representative of the military.

Cardinal Crede opened his eyes slightly and gestured to Vina, the patriarch of the Dark Moon Clan, who was kneeling there.

Vina immediately rose, walked over, and then knelt before the Cardinal.

"The quality of the Dark Moon Island's military is truly deficient."

In truth, Vina could explain that the legion blocking Dorons ahead had been hastily redeployed from various parts of the island, untrained and not comprised of soldiers meant for the front lines, but Vina did not explain because he had already caught the underlying meaning, so he spoke up:

"You are correct, and we have long since realized this issue. I originally intended to wait until the meeting concluded to personally petition you, requesting that the great Church of Order send people to help us organize and train our military."

Cardinal Crede remained silent, while Bishop Rodina beside him spoke up: "Indeed, the navy of Dark Moon Island needs to be reorganized as well; only in this way can it shoulder the defensive responsibilities of this sea area."

It was clearly a matter concerning the land forces, yet it had been dragged into the navy.

And the true strongest power of Dark Moon Island was its offshore fleet.

But Vina did not hesitate in the slightest; though he believed the Church of Order would not sit by and watch Dorons destroy the towns, he understood even better that Order was currently seeking an excuse to take military authority over Dark Moon Island. He could refuse, but next, the Church of Order might not even bother looking for an excuse anymore.

"Yes, you are completely right. The defensive capability of Dark Moon Island is far too weak; we urgently need the assistance of Order."

"Mhm," Crede finally spoke again, "Rodina, since Patriarch Vina has already issued a request on behalf of Dark Moon Island, you will have to take up the trouble to remain on the island and help them reorganize their defense."

"Yes, My Lord," Bishop Rodina immediately saluted and accepted the command.

Promptly, she looked at Patriarch Vina and said, "Have your legion withdraw; they cannot block that behemoth anymore, and holding out stubbornly will only cause more pointless casualties. I do not wish to spend time recruiting new conscripts later."

"Yes, I will transmit the command to them immediately."

...

As Dorons's massive body advanced, the Dark Moon Legion received the order to retreat and evade; all the warriors fled toward both sides without the slightest delay.

Dorons paid them no mind either, charging straight toward the final ridge; beyond this ridge lay the towns!

Right at that moment, a black throne appeared above; it was incredibly vast, brimming with majesty, and as it descended from the canopy of heaven, it was about to wedge itself right into Dorons's indispensable path.

The Church of Order had finally made its move.

...

Ophelia let out a long sigh of relief, her posture swaying slightly; she believed that once Order took action, even a creature as tyrannical as Dorons could not advance another step.

Cullen's gaze fell upon the Captain's phantom; everyone had actually anticipated this scene long ago, but from where did the Captain's confidence arise?

"Tsk, tsk, tsk..."

The Captain clicked his tongue,

And spoke:

"Dorons, let them witness your true appearance."

...

When the colossal Throne of Order appeared in the sky, it should have signified that this sudden crisis had finally reached its conclusion.

Aside from the Throne of Order, two large-scale arrays on the Church of Order's side were fully prepared; meanwhile, a regional chief bishop had already selected a Whip of Order squad, ready to replicate what Taffman and the others had failed to accomplish earlier.

This was the final line of defense, but it was also the line of defense that drove the behemoth to the deepest despair.

However, right at that moment, Dorons's body suddenly began to undergo a change; senility appeared upon its head, its trunk began to turn decayed, and vast patches of fractures began to break open across its carapace;

As for the pool at the center of the carapace, its originally azure water turned dark and foul.

A dense aura of death enshrouded the behemoth's entire body, and large areas of dark spots began to break out across its flesh.

Aboard the carapace, Taffman and Elder Zimar looked at each other, a trace of horror emerging in both of their eyes.

Elder Zimar's hands began to tremble; a colossal sense of terror left him capable only of agape silence, unable to utter a single word.

Taffman collapsed to the ground,

Propping his head with his hand, and muttered:

"So, is this the reason why Philias wanted to seal Dorons away?"

...

"Because back then, Dorons's lifespan was already nearing its exhaustion; it was about to die."

The Captain's phantom said,

"Its racial talent could grant it the ability of a long slumber; I helped it complete its self-sealing and sleep. It said it hoped that a century later, when it woke up, it could see just how prosperous and beautiful the Dark Moon Island we managed and built together back then had become.

Even if a single glance were followed immediately by death."

Cullen spoke up: "So, a terrifyingly immense aura of death had already accumulated within its body long ago."

"Yes, exactly, and there is one more thing; those curse bugs of mine were bred from the fleas on Dorons's body. Guess how many insect eggs are inside Dorons right now?"

Shock flashed in Karen’s eyes; despite having mentally prepared himself, he truly had not anticipated that things would devolve to this point.

For this meant that the colossal, lumbering beast was now, in fact, a massive and terrifying source of corruption.

Once it ruptured, or was detonated by some external force, that horrific blight would instantly carpet the greater part of Dark Moon Island; to say nothing of the sheer number of lives it would claim, the island itself would be rendered entirely uninhabitable after enduring a defilement of such magnitude.

The Throne of Order suspended in the heavens ceased its descent at that very moment, a clear sign that the Church of Order had also realized how the situation had shifted.

Dorons was now nothing short of a gargantuan abscess, on the verge of bursting under its own pressure to spill its putrid fluid.

Yet, to suppress it now with the Throne of Order or other magical arrays would be akin to forcibly squeezing it, a move that would only unleash far greater devastation.

Bishop Rodina spoke up, saying, "Cease the attack, and exert every ounce of effort to evacuate the populace."

…

The Captain’s phantom form wept even as he laughed:

"This was my purpose in awakening it, a promise I once made to it; that Bernard’s descendants and I would wake it more than a century later, so that before its demise, it might gaze upon the island's vistas, and see just how beautiful the place where light blooms anew would be.

But quite clearly, Bernard did not dare commit this truth to his diary, haha..."

The Captain raised both arms, roaring to the heavens:

"Dorons, now, do you see it, have you seen it!"

"Roar!"

Dorons unleashed a furious, resounding bellow; above, the Throne of Order did not continue its descent, nor did the other magical arrays activate, and Dorons crashed straight through the hillside before it, shattering the final line of defense that held it back, its foot finally stepping into the fringes of the town.

A scene of sheer carnage was about to unfold.

Yet at that exact juncture, Dorons brought its own massive form to a sudden halt.

It tilted its head up toward the sky and let loose a profoundly desolate, sorrowful wail.

Beholding this sight, Ophelia asked instinctively:

"What... what is wrong with it?"

The Captain lowered his arms,

bowed his head,

and replied:

"It cannot bear to do it."

———

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