Heir to the Kingdom of 1.4 billion people

Chapter 137 The People's Aspirations: A Single Strike Gathered by Ten Thousand People!
On a high platform in the city square.

Ekus, now a pale giant over two meters tall, had blood-red eyes filled with hatred and resentment. His gaze toward Xia Mingyu was as sharp as a knife.

He should have seized this opportunity to advance to the Crescent Moon rank and become the bishop of our god. Although he has achieved the former, he has been reduced to a low-ranking vampire who has lost the world's protection and can never make any progress under the influence of that damned sage!
He only needed to advance one more level on the path of a merchant to become a true vampire of the Crescent Moon rank.

With the blessing of suffering gained from his promotion to bishop, he can naturally ascend to the rank of Grand Duke of the Moonlit Vampires by spreading suffering, truly becoming equal to Lord Simon and jointly leading the Clay Clan.

This was the bright future he had planned for himself, but now everything, everything has been destroyed!

He had realized that Xia Mingyu, the so-called sage, was the real culprit. Without him, Rosa would never have discovered the secret of Twilight Tea, and the bewitched would never have been awakened by the bard he brought. Twilight City would have been destroyed long ago!
"Aaaaaah, Xia Mingyu, I'm going to pull out your bones one by one and crush them, I'm going to tear your tendons and skin you, and let you experience every kind of torture in the world!"

Ekus let out a sharp roar, and an immense surge of blood-red magic erupted from his body, creating invisible waves of air that swept in all directions. Ordinary people couldn't even stand firm under such fierce air currents.

Swish!
In an instant, his massive body vanished from its original spot, transforming into a streak of blood-red light that pierced the air at an incredibly terrifying speed as it pounced towards Xia Mingyu.

"Do not harm my lord!"

Cat shadow, snake eruption!
Brownish-brown magic surged forth, and Berg gripped his longsword tightly, leaping towards Ekus with the aid of both abilities.

The longsword, forged from refined iron, slashed towards Ekus's head with a sharp, piercing whistle.

Clang!
Under Berg’s incredulous gaze, the blade of the longsword was actually caught by Ekus with his pale hand, producing a deafening metallic clang.

It was as if it had struck not flesh and blood, but some kind of hard steel.

"Is that all the strength you have? You were so arrogant just now, saying you wanted to chop off my hands and feet."

A hint of mockery flashed across Erkus's cold face as he tightened his grip on the sword blade.

boom!
With a crisp cracking sound, the blade of the longsword was crushed, and fragments flew everywhere, embedding themselves deeply in the floor.

The next moment, Erkus's thick right leg kicked toward Berg's chest like a battering ram.

"Bear skin!"

Berg's pupils contracted as brownish magic enveloped his body. Unable to dodge in time, he could only maximize his defensive capabilities.

boom!
With a deafening crash, Berg was sent flying dozens of meters like a kite with its string taut, rolling several times on the ground before barely managing to stop the impact.

He gagged, clutching his chest, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

Berg looked up, his expression one of surprise.

He never expected that the previously frail merchant's physique would increase more than tenfold in an instant after transforming into such a monster!

Cuckoo.

Ekus, who wanted to deal with the hunter first and then slowly torture Xia Mingyu, was about to continue the pursuit when he saw hundreds of white doves flapping their wings and swooping towards him.

The flock of pigeons engulfed Ekus's massive body like a blizzard.

"Get out of here!"

Enraged, Ekus swung his hands, which had grown sharp nails, and tore the attacking white doves to shreds.

With his vampire body now as hard as steel, he could have ignored the attacks of these white doves, but unfortunately, these white doves were really insidious, specifically targeting his eyes, groin, and other vulnerable areas, which really annoyed him.

He's supposed to be a sage, so how come he's so insidious?

"Purple Flame Roland!"

After finally tearing apart the flock of white doves that were obstructing his view, Ekus saw a flower made of purple flames crashing into him.

boom!
The blazing violet exploded with a roar from its center, the intense heat causing the surrounding air to vaporize, and an eerie dark purple light engulfed Ekus.

Under the expectant gazes of the crowd, the light gradually dissipated, revealing Ekus's charred body, with dark red flesh faintly visible through the cracks.

Subsequently
"Hahaha, what a weak and ineffective attack!"

Ekus covered his face and laughed wildly, the laughter so shrill it almost ripped people's eardrums apart.

He suddenly realized that becoming a lower-ranking vampire wasn't such a bad thing after all. At least now, he had the power to crush everything and take his revenge!
“Your Highness, Ekus is likely already at the peak of the Crescent Moon rank. Please and your attendants step aside for now. I will lead the knights of Twilight City to hold him off and buy you enough time.”

Looking at the rapidly regenerating wounds on Ekus's charred body, Rosa spoke solemnly.

Even if it meant sacrificing all the knights of Twilight City, she absolutely could not let His Highness, who bore the mission of saving Sosia and even the Western Continent, die here.

"My lord, please come with me immediately!"

After taking a kick from Erkus, Berg staggered over, clutching his chest, and knelt down on one knee to plead.

He knew that his lord would find it difficult to abandon everyone and escape, but as a servant, he could not bear to see his lord fall into a state of death and humiliation. Therefore, he had to take his lord away, even if it meant forcibly taking him away.

Are we really going to abandon everyone and run away?
Listening to their words and seeing the pleading on their faces, Xia Mingyu was in a state of utter confusion.

He was not afraid of death, but he was afraid of failing to fulfill the responsibilities he was entrusted with.

After learning that Leo the Crimson Flame had traded his entire life for everything he had now, he was bound by an invisible shackle, which restricted him to moving forward.

He knew that from any perspective, running away now was the right choice, but how could he abandon his companions!
He has already abandoned it once; there must not be a second time.

Think about it, think about it again, Xia Mingyu. Even if something seems impossible, there must be other ways!

Tapping.

After his injuries had fully healed, Ekus found himself surrounded by a group of extraordinary knights clad in heavy armor, each wielding a knight's sword.

After the bewitched crowd was freed, the extraordinary knights guarding the edge of the square were finally able to come to the rescue.

"Get out of the way if you don't want to die."

Ekus said coldly that with his current strength, these mere extraordinary knights, no matter how well-equipped, could not possibly be his match.

However, if this drags on for too long, there's no guarantee that that damned sage and Rosa won't escape.

Swish swish!
His response was a barrage of sword blades slashing towards him.

After nimbly dodging several strikes aimed at his eyes and other vulnerable spots, Ekus allowed the blades to slash at him.

Clang clang!
When the sharp knight's sword struck his body, it seemed to hit steel and could not advance an inch.

Recalling his capture by these knights and the torture he suffered in prison, a savage glint flashed in Erkus's blood-red eyes. "Die!"

Ekus stretched out his pale hand and grabbed the head of the nearest extraordinary knight, then began to exert force.

Bang!
With a sickening metallic clang and the sound of skulls bending, the extraordinary knight's head, along with his helmet, was crushed by Ekus.

Blood splattered, staining Ekus's body red, while the knight's headless corpse fell limply to the ground.

Upon witnessing this terrifying scene, a hint of fear flashed in the eyes of the extraordinary knights, and they all took a step back in unison, but soon they stepped forward again and surrounded Ekus.

Retreating is human nature, but advancing is also human nature.

For a knight, failing to fulfill his mission and tarnishing his honor is more terrible than death.

"Go for it, Knight!"

"Sage, destroy that hideous monster!"

"Erkus, I'm fucking ***."

Just as Ekus was getting impatient and was about to kill these extraordinary knights who were blocking his way one by one, a series of extremely harsh curses caught his attention.

He looked in the direction of the sound in anger, and saw the crowd in the square who had regained their senses supporting each other, encouraging the knights on the platform while cursing him loudly.

These damned fools actually mistook him, who had transformed into a vampire, for a monster!

He is clearly a noble Clay, and the whole world is a paradise given to the Clay by the Creator. These fools are nothing but parasites in this paradise, yet they dare to humiliate him like this!
"Aaaaah!" Erkus roared.

In his rage, he no longer held back his magic power; a massive amount of blood-red magic power erupted from his body, transforming into a torrent of magic that nearly pierced the sky.

The extraordinary knights surrounding him were blown backward by the shockwaves caused by the torrent of magic, and some even stumbled and nearly fell.

"Go down to the underworld!"

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Ekus bent his hand into a blade, wrapped it with magic power, and slashed horizontally. Instantly, a blood-red blade light more than two meters long slashed down at the crowd cursing him below!

Swish!
The crimson blade flashed through the air with a sharp whistling sound. If this strike were to land, countless people would likely be cut in half at the waist.

"Doremifa".

Just then, accompanied by melodious piano music, several silver-white musical notes appeared out of thin air, combining to form a shield that blocked the blood-red blade light.

boom!
The two collided in mid-air, producing a deafening explosion.

Seeing that he had finally blocked the blood-red blade light, Damien, who was playing the lyre, breathed a long sigh of relief.

This is one of the abilities he gained after being promoted to Singer, which allows him to solidify musical notes through playing for attack or defense.

However, this is only a temporary solution. To truly resolve this battle, we must consider the situation on Lord Starfire's side.

Thinking of this, the silver-haired poet couldn't help but feel a little worried as he looked at the black-haired youth on the high platform.

If things really come to the worst, he will surely sacrifice his life to slow down Ekus's advance and buy Lord Starfire a chance to escape.

I just hope that when Lord Xinghuo escapes, he can settle his sister down and give the man on the ground some peace.

"Wait, I got it!"

Looking at the dense, excited crowd in the square, Xia Mingyu suddenly realized that after he advanced to the level of Harvest Sage, he gained another ability in addition to abundant harvests.

The people's will: When people admire you from the bottom of their hearts, you can gather their strength into yourself and release a blow beyond your limits.

Currently, there are at least 100,000 people here. If we can truly gather their power into ourselves, then even fighting against opponents of higher levels is not impossible.

After all, even the smallest number becomes enormous when multiplied by 100,000, and even the largest number becomes insignificant when divided by 100,000.

I wonder if he'll be overwhelmed by the power to hold so many people at once, but it doesn't matter. As long as we can eliminate Ekus and save Dusk City, then the coldness of death won't seem so terrible.

So, let's take a gamble!
A resolute glint flashed in Xia Mingyu's eyes, and the next moment, pitch-black magic erupted from his body like a tidal wave, engulfing him like a blazing black torch.

"Hoo." He took a deep breath, then spoke in a stern voice:

"All inhabitants of Twilight City in the square, heed my words."

Under the influence of magic, his voice instantly resounded throughout the entire city square.

In an instant, the crowd that had been angrily cursing Ekus fell silent, and an eerie silence descended upon the square.

Realizing something was wrong, Ekus tried to accelerate his attack, but was desperately stopped by the extraordinary knights around him and Berg who came to his aid.

The knights knew that if anyone could influence the entire battle and kill the villain before them, it was only that sage.

They were willing to risk their honor and lives to buy that person enough time!
"That greedy Clay merchant wreaked havoc throughout Twilight City, bringing untold sorrow. I swear to the land that nurtured me, I will bring it eternal death!"

"However, my strength alone is weak and I have failed to kill the enemy, but if we gather the strength of 100,000 people, we will surely be able to deliver the heavenly thunder that judges the villains."

"All those who truly respect me, raise your right hands and lend me your strength, and I will surely destroy you with the rage in your hearts!" Xia Mingyu shouted.

The next moment, countless people in the square raised their right hands, even the guards in leather armor did so.

"Listen, the wind blows through the southern border, bringing legends from far away~"

At the same time, as if it were an instinctive reminder, Damien began to play and sing the "Hymn of the Sages," which was gradually becoming popular in the Southern Reach.

"A wise man walks among the mortals, his steps firm and silent~"

The crowd that had raised their hands joined in singing in response to his music.

"A mad peasant woman who lost her child arrogantly called the wise man her son. People thought she was going to be attacked by swords, but she was actually embraced and blessed by him~"

As the hymn began, tiny blue and white dots of light rose from the raised right hands of the crowd. At first, there were very few of them, but as they continued to emerge, they quickly became as numerous as a sea of ​​stars, beyond measure.

Then, these blue and white light spots, like water flowing into the sea, converged on Xia Mingyu, making him shine with a dazzling light, as if he were a god, impossible to look directly at.

Xia Mingyu, who was at the center of these points of light, felt an unprecedented surge of power coursing through his body. He even had a feeling of being in the Starfire Hall, where he was in control of everything.

A strange sense of information and hallucination flashed through his mind; it seemed that he had finally awakened his innate magic!
(End of this chapter)