Chapter 547: Enslaved People

At Ronin's command, the fleet surged toward the docks of Requiem Bay like arrows loosed from a bow, the astral banners aloft snapping sharply in the wind, merging flawlessly with the roaring martial spirit of the warriors.

Simultaneously, a sharp horn resounded from the towering watchtowers within the harbor; catching sight of the vessels upon the sea, the wraith-soul knights rushed to the shore, immediately erecting magi-cannons and heavy ballistas to retaliate, filling the air with an incessant, deafening roar.

Yet, as these bolts and magical spells drew near the fleet, the shimmering barriers, walls of wind, and shields of water became impassable chasms, rendering every attack utterly futile.

"Kill!"

With only a few hundred meters remaining between the ships and the shore, Maken, Ibn, Gushan, and the others leapt aloft, landing directly upon the coast to begin a dominant slaughter.

Led by the legendary and sun knights, the rest of the host followed suit, disembarking in succession as soon as the distance allowed.

These foes clad in pitch-black regulation armor were all wraith-soul knights; before the assault, the captains had already briefed their soldiers, ensuring everyone knew the critical vulnerabilities to exploit against them.

In the blink of an eye, a secure zone was cleared near the harbor, and the captains maneuvered their vessels to berth along the shore one after another.

Atop the spire that pierced the clouds at the center of Requiem Bay, the guardian Georgia Bustamante appeared at the summit.

Her sharp gaze took in the scene unfolding at the harbor, her pale visage turning utterly cold.

"To think that the warning Lord Salonas gave me two days ago would actually come true; these mongrels from the desolate lands truly possess the audacity to assault Requiem Bay!"

Georgia slowly raised her hands, dark energy surging upon her palms. This energy seemed to act as a key, and as it ignited, the entirety of Requiem Bay's domain began to resonate in response.

Before her, ripples distorted the fabric of space, pulsing wave after wave like a beating heart, herald to the awakening of something terrible.

Humming softly, the air vibrated.

A brilliant light flared as the fiendish nightmare energy formed a barrier, sealing away the core region of Requiem Bay.

As the grand protective array activated, the entire subterranean realm began to spew a bizarre, purplish-black miasma upward like a single entity, plunging Requiem Bay into darkness in an instant, as though night had suddenly fallen.

A grey rat, poking its head from a crack in the wall, inadvertently brushed against this purplish-black vapor and instantly exploded into nothingness, reduced to countless fragments of shredded flesh.

This was the grand strangling array, designed to target every living creature save for the wraith-soul clan and those marked by them.

Under his elemental vision, Ronin could see both formations with absolute clarity.

He also knew that beyond the protective and strangling arrays, an invisible energy permeated the air; it caused neither physical trauma nor magical harm, but targeted the human soul directly.

This was precisely the grand soul-shock array Salonas had mentioned, though Ronin did not know its name.

"Everyone, raise your battle-qi armor and defensive magic!"

Ronin's voice rang in everyone's ears, and in the same instant, he vanished, reappearing atop the spire.

Georgia snapped her head up, her heart seizing in sudden terror; this man was fast, so fast that he had ascended above her before she could even register his movement.

Meeting the gaze that looked down upon her, Georgia was instantly consumed by fury: "Ignorant human, die!"

As the controller of the arrays, she directed every ounce of energy from the strangling and soul-shock formations toward Ronin in that single moment.

Against such an unavoidable dual assault, even a sage would be instantly dazed and overwhelmed.

Particularly the soul shock; if one's defenses were inadequate, even if they survived, they would be reduced to an idiot.

Ronin's spiritual fire had long since fused with the body reforged by the world's energy, rendering him immortal; the impact of the soul-shock array was like an ant biting an elephant to him, completely unfelt.

As for the strangling force, though it possessed some strength, it amounted to little more than that.

Ronin swept his hand before him, powerfully brushing aside the dual array's encirclement as if tearing a massive rift open; the churning nightmare energy in the surrounding space was instantly thrown into chaotic disarray.

As the controller, Georgia felt as though a heavy fist had slammed into her; her delicate frame swayed repeatedly until she tumbled backward, barely catching herself against a pillar behind her to avoid collapsing entirely.

"How is this possible!"

Her eyes widened, staring in disbelief at the human before her who stood entirely unscathed, completely unaffected by the assault.

The corner of Ronin's mouth curled slightly, offering a word of praise: "A fine array, though unfortunately, it is useless against me."

He raised his hand and struck downward with a heavy blow, an explosive impact descending like a falling meteor upon the spire, instantly shattering the iconic structure and Georgia atop it into dust!

With the destruction of the spire, the three grand arrays established in Requiem Bay collapsed one after another, triggering a chain reaction that filled the air with the incessant explosions of volatile energy.

"This spire must have been the core of the array; destroying it left all that energy unstable and with nowhere to vent."

Ronin looked toward the harbor, relieved to see that his forces were still at the perimeter and largely unaffected.

"Rydal, the rest is up to you."

Ronin returned to the harbor watchtower, "I have scanned Requiem Bay; there are still a few legends holding the line here."

"Leave it to me, Your Majesty!"

Rydal felt a tinge of regret that there was no sage-level opponent to face, for he eagerly wished to test his mettle.

With the grand arrays of Requiem Bay so easily dismantled by Ronin, the ensuing battle proceeded without further twist or turn.

Ronin could not help but sigh.

Salonas had occupied Requiem Bay for centuries, backed by the Sea of Storms, and no enemy had ever been able to threaten this place, which had presumably caused him to lower his guard.

Or perhaps, he had simply never conceived that Ronin's forces would strike directly at his headquarters.

Above Bolt Town, the world's energy churning out from the elemental ocean turned the region into a chaotic space.

Rifts of various sizes opened and closed, breathing lethal hazards that only a sage-level existence could disregard; anyone else, even a legend, would be wounded upon contact, and those below legendary status would likely be torn to pieces instantly.

Under Lyne's aggressive assault, the Shadow Lord Salonas had remained at a disadvantage, though he was well aware of the disparity between their strengths.

His role in this battle was clear: he did not seek to defeat Lyne, only to bind him here.

To delay him was to win.

Boom!

Another clash ensued, the ferocious shockwave altering the very colors of heaven and earth.

Salonas, who had maintained a composed demeanor, suddenly felt his heart tighten; realizing something, he snapped his gaze toward Requiem Bay.

In his perception, the nightmare energy of Requiem Bay had turned utterly chaotic.

But that was not the worst of it.

Most critically, he sensed that the triple array he had established at Requiem Bay had been annihilated in an instant.

"How is this possible!"

Seeing this expression, Lyne laughed uproariously, "Finally noticed? Too bad it's far too late, Salonas! From this day forth, the balance between humans and demons is shattered!"

"Humph!"

Salonas glanced at the forces fighting below; if he retreated now, Lyne would undoubtedly harvest his subordinates to the last man.

He could not disengage.

"A mere town, what does it matter if I give it to you?"

Regaining his composure, he immediately informed Phoenix of the situation at Requiem Bay, sensing the latter dispatching reinforcements to Bolt Town while Phoenix himself flew straight toward Requiem Bay.

He taunted, "I only wonder if your ally will survive until your arrival when facing the wrath of the Fire King?"

Salonas advanced once more, entangling Lyne to force him to remain on this battlefield rather than reinforcing Ronin.

Though Lyne had significant contact with Ronin, he had never witnessed Ronin's true power and did not know if the man would face peril against Phoenix.

Considering the grand strategy, he needed to reinforce Ronin.

He waved his hand to block the strike, then pulled back to fly toward Requiem Bay, "Then we shall see if Phoenix can withstand the combined might of myself and him!"

Saronas furrowed his brow—had the enemy really left the front lines?

He let out a cackling laugh and gave chase. "Blindly trusting your comrades? You'll lose in the most miserable way!"

At that moment, Ronin, who had been overseeing the battle from afar, was suddenly drawn by an urgent report from McKenn.

On a street in Zhenhun Bay, thousands upon thousands of knights, shields raised and weapons drawn, were charging at the defensive line. But under the fierce counterattack led by Iben and others, they had been forced into retreat. Now both sides stood locked in tense standoff.

By Ronin’s decree across the Starlight Continent, non-Wuhun Knights could be spared—kill only if absolutely necessary.

"Your Majesty," said McKenn, his expression grim. "There are at least seventy to eighty thousand here—all human, yet all loyal to Saronas."

If they were Wuhun Knights, McKenn wouldn’t hesitate to slaughter them all. But faced with this, he didn’t know what to do.

Ronin stared ahead, brows knotted. Indeed, though their strength varied, every one of them was undeniably human.

He turned to Elron. "Are they under mental control? Is there any way to break it?"

Elron shook his head. "From what I can tell, no one is controlling them directly."

"They’ve simply been brainwashed."

Sophia arrived beside Ronin, having rushed from another battlefield. She looked upon the crowd before them, her eyes filled with sorrow.

"Their parents, their grandparents, even generations before—they’ve lived here, enslaved by Saronas, bred like pets or livestock."

"They may appear human, but from the moment of birth, their minds bear the mark of 'Wuhun servants.' They take pride in serving the Wuhun race. To die for them is their highest honor!"

Ronin’s face darkened.

Such innate obedience was nearly impossible to undo.

In truth, these people only resembled humans outwardly—their essence was no different from the alien race.

"Is there any way to purify them, to restore their identity as true humans?" Ronin asked.

Their numbers were staggering. If they could be redeemed, it would be ideal.

But once again, Sophia shook her head.

"We’ve tried this before—centuries ago."

She continued: "During that war, we rescued hundreds of so-called 'fellow kin,' brought them to our towns, cared for them, taught them how to live anew. Yet in the end, they betrayed us."

"That betrayal cost us an entire township. Over a hundred thousand fell into slavery under the Wuhun, lost to endless darkness—none ever escaped, until death claimed them all."

She met Ronin’s gaze. "As cruel as it sounds, killing them all might be the greatest mercy we can offer." (End of Chapter)