Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 383 The Land of Sea Serpents and Evil Spirits: Eastern Xia's Purifying Heavenly Fire

Deep underground in the capital region, in that dry landscape garden, the lights of "Sunset" hadn't been adjusted for a long time, remaining motionless on the wall.

Kenichiro Kishi knelt on the prayer mat, trying his best to straighten his back.

Across from him, the gaunt old man known as "the Imperial Attendant" was slowly stirring the matcha in his teacup with a small silver spoon.

"How is it outside...?" the old man asked hoarsely.

"Reporting to the old lord, the defense lines of the three major metropolitan areas can still be maintained, but the outer areas... the outer areas are no longer under control and can only be abandoned, left to fend for themselves!"

"The number of those monsters keeps increasing, and our forces are stretched thin. The Bald Eagles are conducting a large-scale withdrawal, only promising to maintain a garrison at effective bases..."

"In other words, we've been abandoned."

"Yes."

The old man laughed, his laughter tinged with a worn-out hoarseness.

Without continuing the topic, the old man changed the subject and suddenly asked, "Did you go to see the masters of the Shinto Sect?"

"Yes, I took a plane yesterday with a master from the Shinto Sect and carefully inspected the Summoning Temple."

"What did they say?"

"The masters say this is... this is divine revelation!"

"The Temple of Summoning Souls is growing. That black mist has already covered an area of ​​twenty kilometers and is still expanding. The masters say that the Temple of Summoning Souls is awakening and is... is rebuilding the spirit of the empire in their own way!"

"Go on!"

"Yes!"

"The high priest of the Shinto Sect said that over the years, the White Eagle has been emasculating the spiritual world of the Empire's citizens! Trying to make us cannon fodder and sacrifices for the White Eagle!"

The old man slowly put down the silver spoon, the handle of which lightly touched the sandalwood table, making a crisp "tap" sound.

“Sacrifice…” The old man chewed on the word, his withered lips twitching slightly.

"I, the Four-Clawed Sea Serpent, am never afraid to offer sacrifices, but what can these sacrifices ultimately bring me?"

"We can't just trade the wealth and peace of the bald eagles for the eternal damnation of me, the four-clawed sea serpent! They're always like this, thinking they have everything under control, but the world is no longer what they imagine it to be."

After speaking such a long speech, the old "Imperial Attendant" was breathing heavily, but he quickly continued, "Kenichiro, do you know why we keep an eye on that continent?"

"In response to your question, sir, it is for the survival of the people!"

"Yes, for the survival of the people!"

"We also hate eagles, but eagles are too far away. Only that land is within our reach!"

“That is the promised land of my Four-Clawed Sea Serpent. Our predecessors shed their blood on that land to gain the right to cultivate and harvest there. But they could rise again after failing a hundred times. For us, one failure means annihilation!”

"I'm a dying man, I have no fear of evil. Tell me, what are you going to do?"

Kishi Shin took a deep breath and once again assumed the "dogeza" (a traditional Chinese kneeling posture).

"The masters of the Shinto Sect say that the black mist is not just mist; there are spirits within it, the heroic spirits of the empire."

"They seem to have sent some detectors. Although we couldn't see anything in that black fog, we could hear singing."

What kind of singing is that?

"It seems to be, it's 'The Battleship March,' and, and 'Cherry Blossoms of the Same Era'..."

Kenichiro Kishi's voice trembled slightly. These were the very tunes that had long been regarded as symbols of evil, existing only in historical archives and among the mouths of certain old people, but in reality, they echoed in the hearts of these guys all the time.

"singing……"

The old man murmured to himself, "That's the indomitable spirit of the empire!"

"Yes sir!"

Anxin leaned down, his deep voice carrying an irrepressible heat.

"My lord, the White Eagles have been castrating us for so many years. They've dismantled our army and shackled us with that damned constitution; they've corrupted the empire's younger generation with cheap entertainment and childish aesthetics, and they've used status and money to wantonly exploit the empire's women!"

"They've tampered with our textbooks, turning heroes into madmen, sacrifices into sins, and the glory of the empire into something filthy that can't be spoken of!"

"What they want is a docile, dependent watchdog that can never stand up straight!"

"The high priest of the Shinto sect said that the souls enshrined in the Temple of Summoning Souls are the ones that have not been castrated! They are heroic spirits who know no fear and are full of the spirit of the empire!"

"Since these cowardly children lack the courage to fight for the empire, let them accept the call and baptism of the Ghost Temple!"

The old man remained silent for a long time, and for a moment only the gurgling sound of flowing water could be heard in the courtyard.

The dry landscape garden had no water, so that was just background noise from the speakers. In a fleeting moment, the old man seemed to understand something, raised his hand, pressed the switch, and cut off the looping sound. He spoke in a hoarse voice:
"How many people will die?"

"do not know!"

Kenichiro Kishi answered bluntly: "But what difference is there between these pleasure-seeking fellows who have forgotten the spirit of their predecessors and those who are dead?"

"I'd rather die and serve the heroic spirits of the empire!"

"Even if it transforms into a demon, at least the demon's teeth will be pointed at the enemy's throat."

To some extent, the retreat and abandonment of the bald eagle became the final straw that broke the back of the four-clawed sea serpent.

"My lord, we have no choice. White Eagle knew from the beginning that they were using our people as experiments!"

“They would love to see us bleed to the last drop in the monster horde, and then they would come back to ‘clean up the mess’ and rightfully turn this land into their laboratory and frontline fortress.”

"Fortunately, we still have the temple, which keeps these dead citizens from the control of the white eagle!"

"The temple is growing, spontaneously drawing nourishment from the despair, anger, and resentment of this land! The high priest of the Shinto sect told me privately that if it is allowed to grow for a while longer, it may become a kingdom of heroic spirits!"

"Heroic spirits... Divine realm..."

The old man kept repeating the word, his gaze passing over Anxin, as if piercing through the thick layers of earth and rock walls, to see the chaotic and fanatical black mist that was constantly expanding above the ruins and wails.

He felt as if he had returned to the glorious era of that empire, a time when boys were willing to die for their country and girls bravely stepped forward.

Can the Temple of Heroes recreate the glory of that imperial era?

The fluttering Rising Sun Flag transforms into an unyielding dark cloud in the thick fog; the unified, earth-shattering roars of billions of monsters echo through the heavens; a necromantic realm built on obsessive madness, a serpentine empire that refuses to forget, refuses to compromise…

"Without sea serpents, the existence of Blue Star would be meaningless!"

It seemed that these words finally moved the old man. The "Imperial Attendant" squeezed the wrinkles on his face and finally nodded very slowly.

"Let the Shinto Sect members do it!"

He picked up the small silver spoon again and reached for the already cooled teacup, but instead of stirring it, he picked up a brush, dipped it in the tea, and wrote a few fierce characters on the dark tea board.

"One hundred million jade fragments shattered!"
The gaps between the characters resemble eyes from the abyss, slowly opening.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Whether you acknowledge it or not, the world order is actually maintained by a few major powers.

In those corners that the great powers can't be bothered with, there is slaughter, plunder, corpses strewn across the fields, and genocide.

Everyone can see it, but no one does anything about it.

The current world order has reached a twilight point. The old empire's white eagle is weakening. Its core motivation for maintaining order in the past was that the world allowed it to exploit others without restraint. But now, the rise of Eastern Xia has brutally broken its fangs. Because the cost of "order" is high, and the benefits need to be calculated, retreat is an inevitable choice if it cannot seize enough benefits.

The new "empire," Dongxia, had no interest in maintaining world order.

I respect every country's choice, as long as they don't provoke me!
Thus, in the midst of this advance and retreat, the world order has actually quietly collapsed.

Bald eagles indiscriminately capture Aisha's descendants within their own borders and detain them in internment centers, with the exception of a few weak condemnations from the victimized countries, causing no significant impact.

Everyone has seen the Four-Clawed Sea Serpent's strategy of luring civilians to gather in the Ghost Temple area by airdropping large quantities of food and supplies, yet they remain indifferent, or even selectively blind.

This is the real world!

In just over six months, the nations of Earth suddenly went from a vibrant, sci-fi era of vying to explore the moon to a sinister, clandestine era of researching zombies behind closed doors.

Except for the Eastern Xia.

The strategic command center of the Cihang Engineering Department in the "Star Shield" New City.

The giant screen displayed more than a dozen images: satellite heat maps of various cities in the Four-Clawed Sea Serpent region, high-definition video footage of undead gathering areas, the trajectory of the bald eagle's evacuation of troops, the "undead" events reported by neighboring countries, and quarantine data from various domestic ports...

Over the past few days, Dongxia has intercepted dozens of batches of undead pollutants attempting to enter the country through various channels.

"The situation is already quite clear."

Chief of the General Staff Gu Liyang pointed at the screen, "The bald eagle wants to kill Aishazhou, or at least leave it half-dead, so it can have a delicious meal and extend the Empire's life for several more decades!"

"The Four-Clawed Sea Serpent Government wants to drag the entire planet down with them. They have not only given up resistance, but are also consciously expanding and condoning the infection, deliberately creating a global spread of undead creatures."

"Currently, there are cases of infection in many surrounding countries. Because we have implemented the strictest entry and exit inspection system and have the equipment for detecting the dead sent back by our compatriots, we are barely maintaining a zero infection rate. However, if this continues, there will inevitably be times when we make mistakes!"

in particular……

Gu Liyang's expression was somewhat solemn, but it didn't seem to be sad. He showed a document to the commanders and advisors of [Cihang] present.

"A large-scale infection has broken out in the Pearl Land..."

"You all know how weak their army is; they'd struggle even to deal with the gangsters on the island."

After a brief discussion among the commanders and advisors, the commander-in-chief finally asked, "Does headquarters have a clear plan in mind regarding which version to implement?"

"The third plan!"

Gu Liyang answered very decisively.

"Specifically, regarding the spread of infection in other parts of Asia and even other parts of the world, as long as it does not directly threaten our mainland or key trade routes, in principle we will continue to maintain a state of 'high attention' and 'active humanitarian material assistance,' but will not intervene."

"Military intervention in the Four-Clawed Sea Serpent region!"

"According to the model deduced by the Misty Moon Divine Court and the necromancers provided by [Wanderer], the ruins have now reached a balance point in terms of growth and benefits. If left to develop unchecked, the trouble of dealing with it may be much greater, while the output will not change qualitatively."

That's very clear.

The ruins of the Four-Clawed Sea Serpent Summoning Ghost Temple, after constantly devouring life and absorbing negative energy, have grown to a critical point of becoming a large-scale ruin.

In the past, the long-term benefits that the growth of relics might bring outweighed the risks of that growth, so Dongxia respected the choices of other countries.

But now, that line has been crossed. In the words of the foreign affairs department, "We firmly condemn the self-destructive behavior of certain countries!"

"Now, the disaster caused by the four-clawed sea serpent is overflowing and is about to become a huge threat to all mankind. At the same time, the sea serpent government's deliberate spread of the source of infection has seriously violated international order and public order and good morals, and is attempting to drag all countries of the blue planet into hell!"

"The people will never agree, and justice will never stand idly by!"

"We have the obligation, the right, the determination, and the confidence to safeguard the prosperity and stability of human civilization!"

As for the infection situation in other places, well, all I can say is that we will continue to respect that.

That very night, following the release of this statement, a massive formation of bombers flew over the territory of the Four-Clawed Sea Serpent.

The bombing was scheduled for 4 a.m.

At this hour, aside from the restless spirits, probably no one would be out practicing basketball shooting.

This once industrial city is now a paradise for the dead. The streets are filled with countless figures that move aimlessly. Occasionally, they will stop in unison and "look" in a certain direction with their eye sockets that are now just holes, as if they have received instructions that humans cannot perceive.

A continuous stream of eerie noises emanated from the building: the chilling creaking of fingernails scraping against metal doors, the muffled thuds of flesh striking concrete, and a low, indistinct roar emanating from rotting vocal cords. These were the unconscious attacks launched by the undead trapped inside against the building.

The city's central square, once a gathering place, has now been transformed into a giant "canteen".

A five-meter-tall fleshy giant is "feeding," and it has no clearly defined head, or rather, it has many heads.

A gaping maw, filled with crisscrossing bone spikes and rotting flesh, opened and closed repeatedly from the front of the flesh giant's torso. The haphazardly pieced-together "lower limbs" moved slowly, and wherever they passed, they would use their twitching fingers to grab the mutilated, still-crawling zombies from the ground and stuff them into the giant mouth in its chest, just like humans picking up potato chips.

The sound of chewing carried far in the silent night air.

Suddenly, the flesh giant stopped, and many of its heads rose at the same time, looking up at the sky.

A sharp, piercing screech echoed through the air.

Dongxia broadcast the bombing time to the bombing area in advance, and specially installed air-driven "whistles" on the bombs so that they would emit a piercing whistle when they fell rapidly.

Hopefully, the survivors can find a safe place.

The first bomb landed in the city's central square. It wasn't an ordinary high-explosive bomb, but a jet-type heavy incendiary bomb. For these undead creatures, the shrapnel wouldn't cause much damage, but it would burn them to ashes, thus eliminating these mutated undead to the greatest extent possible.

A rain of fire covered several nearby blocks.

The flame was not a typical orange-red, but an incandescent color with dazzling blue and yellow hues.

As the flames spread, everything that touched the passageway—the cracked asphalt pavement, the wrecked car wrecks, the staggering spirits of the dead, the wooden signs of shops—burned violently the moment they came into contact with it!

The zombies staggered through the inferno, quickly turning into charred ashes. The flesh giant tried to resist, but could only wave its burning arms in vain at the sky.

Then came the second one, the third one...

From the air, the entire city was being set ablaze, flames forming a sea that engulfed everything in their path.

But the dead feel no fear.

The deafening explosion and towering flames seemed to have a special attraction for them, drawing the spirits from other parts of the city like a tidal wave to this steaming area.

They trampled over the still-burning remains of their companions, ignoring the intense heat that could melt any living creature instantly, and charged headlong into the inferno, becoming new fuel that made the flames burn even more fiercely.

This is exactly the effect the Eastern Xia military wanted: a concentrated cleanup.

From thousands of meters above, this vast, lifeless city is being set ablaze.

Flames erupted from several central points, spreading rapidly and connecting to form a raging sea of ​​fire. The inferno engulfed everything that could move, as well as anything that couldn't move but could burn, turning the undead and everything around them to ashes.

Thick smoke billowed up, forming black columns that shot straight into the sky in the deepest darkness before dawn, black at the top and red at the bottom, their base illuminated by the firelight on the ground.

The earth is bleeding, and the sky is burning.

The aircraft began their return journey, drawing silver-gray trails in the pre-dawn night sky, while the reddened half of the sky behind them resembled an early sunrise.

Sea serpents love the sunrise the most!
Such sunrises are happening simultaneously in dozens of cities across the Four-Clawed Sea Serpent.

The flames of purification have been ignited.

The rulers of the four-clawed sea serpents attempted to open the gates to hell with their own hands, unleashing the madness and death within upon the entire world.

Now, Dongxia is using the most direct and violent method to kick this door shut!
(End of this chapter)