Chapter 850
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Chapter p2-51: TCF Part 2 - Hide and seek (6)
The glass coffins were all different sizes. However, the glass coffins became larger as they got farther away from Cale.
“It’s dark.”
Cale’s gaze headed toward Number 7.
Number 7 flinched before looking around.
“Ahem. I'm not too familiar with the lighting system in here.”
Cold sweat was visible on his forehead.
The swordsman’s eyes slowly moved from the bottom to the top... Observing Number 7. It was as if he was looking for a spot to attack.
‘I am not scared of death.’
Number 7 was not scared of death. That was why he was not scared despite his organs feeling cold from Choi Han, the swordsman’s gaze.
‘This motherfucking Purifier son of a bitch!’
However, the Purifier's gaze looking at him from beyond the swordsman’s shoulder was odd. His eyes looked as if he was smiling.
However, the anger within them could clearly be felt.
‘Bastards that have eyes like this go crazy if they get angry!’
The Purifier looked away from Number 7 as he started to speak.
"Raon, let’s turn on some lights.”
“...Alright, human.”
Raon responded in a weak voice before turning to look at a large glass coffin in the darkness.
Cale knew why Raon was like this but left the group for a moment and stepped forward.
Step, step.
His footsteps echoed in the area.
This area was completely empty except for the countless glass coffins.
“Number 7, follow me.”
Number 7 sighed once Cale called for him. He then made eye contact with Cale.
‘……!’
Number 7 felt as if his whole body stiffened when he looked into those green eyes. The air surrounding him all disappeared, making him unable to breathe.
“...Gasp!”
However, it was just an illusion.
The air around him was still there. He had only been unable to breathe because of the pressure from the eyes looking at him.
‘...S, such an aura......!’
Number 7's eyes started shaking without knowing where to look.
That Purifier who had seen extremely weak and annoying for some reason... Suddenly gave off an intense pressure to Number 7 when he looked into those eyes.
‘It, it felt like the esteemed Blood Demon-’
He had met the Blood Demon, who came out to praise him, before coming to this dimension. The Purifier's gaze was reminding him of that esteemed sir.
‘No, that’s not possible.
The Blood Demon, our esteemed leader, is the only person who will become a god.
I can’t compare such a revered presence with this damn Purifier.’
Number 7 walked toward the Purifier despite having those thoughts. Number 7 had gotten rid of any thoughts about escaping after hearing Cale telling him to come over.
Cale watched Number 7 approach him before starting to walk again and asked.
“Are they jiangshis?”
“...Yes.”
Cale's eyes looked around.
The glass coffins... They were full of all sorts of creatures.
“...Elves, Dwarves, Beast people-”
There were even monsters.
All of them had their eyes closed with their bodies intact. They did not look like corpses at all other than the fact that they were extremely pale.
“There is a pattern on their foreheads.”
However, all of the jiangshis had a purple flower drawn on the center of their foreheads.
“Is it a lotus?”
“Yeah.”
Cale listened to the quietly answering Number 7's voice and asked.
He was walking toward the back to the glass coffins that were getting larger as he did that.
“Based on the amount, it looks like it took a long time to prepare.”
“…….”
“I guess the House of Huayans is tight with the Blood Cult?”
“…….”
Number 7 bit down on his lips.
Cale was telling him to tell him the full story of this incident right now. Number 7, who found it difficult to tell him, showed some hesitation.
It was at that moment.
“Speak.”
He felt that pressure surrounding his whole body again.
It was not the Dominance that made him unable to breathe earlier, but it was enough to make him recall the fear from that time.
“...Our cult made a pact with the House of Huayans about 400 years ago.”
“Continue.”
Paat.
Cale saw bundles of light starting to float up one after another from the entrance of the area.
Raon was breaking magic stones and creating them with magic.
The area slowly started to light up.
“The Huayans wanted to gather the strongest of each race and turn them into jiangshis.”
“Why jiangshis of all things?”
“It is because they retain more of their abilities from when they were alive compared to the undeads.”
“I see. Why did the Blood Cult agree to that pact?”
“I do not know the details.”
Cale’s gaze headed toward Number 7.
Number 7 flinched and continued to speak.
“It has only been five years since I was assigned to this task. I am not at the level to know the inside story behind it.”
“You don’t know the details? Then what is the public reason they gave for the pact?”
“...Jiangshi experimentation.”
Cale’s green eyes stared at Number 7.
Number 7 couldn't even sigh properly as he continued to speak.
“There is a jiangshi form that the cult desires. We shook hands with the House of Huayans in order to experiment until we can find it.”
“And what kind of jiangshi is that?”
“...Just kill me.”
Number 7 tightly closed his mouth.
His eyes showed a determined gaze that this was something he could not say.
“Kill you?”
Cale chuckled and looked at the ceiling.
The light was a bit blinding.
“Just tell me the things you can tell me. Do you know the goal of the House of Huayans?”
“One of my missions is to figure that out.”
The corners of Cale’s lips curled up.
“I guess the Hunter households are not very close with one another? It sounds more like you guys are wary of each other and hide your inner thoughts because you are in competition with one another? Do you know the reason for that?”
Number 7 shook his head.
He tried to calm his body that was stiff with anxiety as he did that.
‘You crazy bastard. Don’t tell you if I don't want to?’
The fact that this guy said that he had no intentions of killing him made it even scarier.
He was acting like he would not give him the rest that death would entail.
Number 7 realized that the Purifier's gaze had changed. The Purifier had stopped looking at Number 7 like a fellow living creature as soon as he saw the countless number of jiangshis in this place.
‘Fuck.’
His fingertips were shaking in fear.
He opened his mouth to speak.
“...There has always been competition between the households. It will take a long to share the reason but each has a household they are friendly toward or hostile toward.”
“Really? Then I can hear that long reason in a little bit.”
Paat!
The last bundle of light cut through the air from the entrance and arrived at the end of the area.
Raon and Choi Han approached the two of them.
Raon looked at the end of the area with a sunken voice.
There were some glass coffins that looked as if they would touch the high ceiling. Raon’s pupils were shaking while looking at these three large coffins. They were shaking in anger.
“...Human, there are Dragons too.”
Three corpses of Dragons that were said to have gone extinct were in these glass coffins as jiangshis.
‘...They are not clean.’
However, unlike the other corpses that were in good condition, the Dragon corpses all had traces of someone trying to fix the damages. They did not look hideous but the group could tell that the Dragons had gone through a gruesome fight with their lives on the line.
‘They could not go back to nature.’
The end for Dragons who did not die naturally... Was to be left behind without returning to mana.
This was the worst type of death that Dragons would find to be terrible.
Eruhaben would have been extremely angry if he saw this. Eruhaben was someone who definitely would do that.
‘It is not just the Dragons.’
Probably all of the corpses here would find their current appearances to be terrible deaths.
“Cale-nim.”
In front of the three Dragon jiangshis were around one hundred corpses of people who looked like necromancers.
Choi Han spoke as if he was so angry that he was in disbelief.
“...Aren't those the former Emperors?”
Having made the decision to partake in the Imperial candidate test... Having made the decision to be with Mary in the test as her helpers... Cale’s group had gathered basic information about the Imperial family.
“You’re right. The Emperors are there too.”
The Emperors who had ruled over the Empire for the past 300 years or so were there as jiangshis as well.
Of course, there were differences from the other necromancers.
“Human, they are black.”
The Emperors’ corpses were completely black.
Cale realized how the current Emperor would change once he died.
Choi Han’s hand was shaking as he clenched his scabbard.
‘How can they do something like this-?!’
Choi Han had seen quite a lot of what the White Star had done as they went against him.
Whether it was the dead mana storage facility in the basement of the Mogoru Empire's Alchemists’ Bell Tower or the sacrifices incident in the Endable Kingdom... They had experienced many terrible things but never something like this.
‘...They are crazy bastards.’
Choi Han knew that the Hunters were worse than the White Star but had not truly felt it until now. But he felt as if he knew now.
‘And those bastards are messing with Roan.’
The Hunters were causing a ruckus in the world he lived in, the place his family lives.
His shaking pupils soon calmed down and sank low.
Choi Han’s hand that was holding the scabbard stopped shaking. Choi Han then saw Cale firmly petting Raon’s head.
Cale looked at Number 7.
“Number 7.”
“…….”
Number 7 could not respond.
He was warily looking at Cale. Cale sneered internally while looking at him.
‘This bastard is trash too.’
Number 7 was not feeling embarrassed that someone else had seen this sight.
Cale had not hoped for guilt or regret from this bastard. However, this bastard wasn’t even embarrassed by his actions at all.
He was only worried about something happening to him or to the Blood Cult.
“Hah”
Number 7 got chills looking at Cale laughing out loud after calling for him. However, Cale soon asked in a calm voice.
“Number 7, how do you get these jiangshis to move? Are you able to control them?”
Number 7 clenched his eyes shut after hearing the question he presumed he would get ever since he knew Cale found out about this place.
‘I'm screwed.’
However, he wasn’t feeling too bad about it.
‘The Black Bloods will face quite the loss from this.’
The thing that the House of Huayans put their heart and soul into preparing for the last 300 years was about to be destroyed by this Purifier in front of him.
‘That’s not bad.’
That was not that bad at all.
‘I just have to make sure that it does not harm the Blood Cult at all.’
Of course, the Blood Cult would not be defeated by the Purifier.
Number 7 was certain about it.
It was because he had seen the Purifier’s strength.
The Central Plains. The Blood Cult that has taken root in the shadows of that place was able to take on the Purifier and his few allies no matter how talented the Purifier might be.
‘I'll need to look for an opportunity to send them somewhere else and not to the Central Plains.’
Number 7 was thinking that doing that was the last thing he could do for the glorious Blood Demon. That was why he had no choice but to pretend as if he was cooperating with the Purifier as much as possible for now.
“...Haaa.”
He sighed as if he didn't want to say it.
He then peeked at the Purifier.
‘Mm.’
The Purifier’s eyes underneath the masks had curled up like crescent moons. It made him feel uneasy for some reason but Number 7 ignored it and started to speak.
“...These jiangshis only listen to the orders of the host.”
“Is the Emperor the host?”
“Yes. Of course it is possible to change the host but the process takes a long time.”
Number 7 pointed around the area and continued to speak.
“For this amount it would take at least a month without any rest to change the host.”
Number 7 added on.
“And you would need to stay here for a month as well if we were to change the host to you. It is not just a general host change and is for battle so it requires a more thorough connection-”
“No. That’s not what I am asking.”
Cale shook his head.
“I don’t plan on using them for battle.”
“Mm.”
Number 7 figured out the Purifier’s inner thoughts and thought to himself.
‘He’s uselessly pretending to be such a good person.’
This jiangshi brigade was an amazing battle element.
He opened his mouth to speak.
“Do you want to make them useless?”
Choi Han scowled at that moment. Useless. He didn’t like that word.
However, he was silent. It was because Cale was silent.
“…….”
Number 7 stopped talking for a moment as well. However, the silence was short.
“All of these jiangshis have death ki or dead mana in them. The way to send them back is simple.”
Cale's gaze headed toward Number 7 who calmly spoke.
“Burn them. Burn them with your power.”
Burn them all with the Fire of Purification.
“That is the cleanest way.”
Raon’s eyes opened wide. Raon’s two front paws were fidgeting as he looked at the corpses of the Dragons and the others and at Cale.
“These bodies are just empty shells without souls anyway so just purify them. I'm sure the souls of these corpses probably want that as well. Destroying this area itself is a good idea too.”
Shh.
Cale took off his mask. Number 7's shoulders started shaking after seeing the face that appeared.
The corners of Cale lips were curled up.
“What about turning them back into corpses without burning them?”
“...It is possible. But that will take at least half a year. You have to slowly remove the death ki in the bodies.”
“And what happens if you take the death ki out?”
"They will become the same as regular corpses. I'm sure they will rot naturally.”
Cale tilted his head to one side and asked.
“Number 7. Why are you not telling me the easiest way?”
“What?”
“Not using them in battle. There is one simple answer.”
The moment Number 7 tilted his head to the side confused about what Cale was saying...
“The Emperor.”
“......!”
“Just make it so that the host cannot use his powers.”
Cale looked at Number 7 as if something was weird. The moment cold sweats formed on Number 7's forehead...
“Why haven't you told me about that method?”
Cale approached Number 7 and asked.
“There are more jiangshis, aren’t there?”
Only three of the extinct Dragons’ corpses had turned into jiangshis.
However, a lot more Dragon had died.
Would this be the end?
Would these jiangshis really be all there were?
There were too few jiangshis for them to have been gathering them for 300 years.
There was not enough to make this world perish and to offer as karma.
The moment Number 7's pupils shook...
“I guess I can’t reason with this son of a bitch.”
Cale motioned to Choi Han once he said that.
“Ugh!”
Number 7 was immediately knocked unconscious by Choi Han.
“Choi Han.”
“Yes, Cale-nim.”
“We will abduct the Emperor in four days.”
“Yes, Cale-nim.”
Four days later in the public execution ground... They now had one more thing they had to do there.
Chapter end
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