Night Journey

Chapter 25 The Return of the Omen of Death
The firelight from the Cursed Sword shone on Nunn's face, but his expression remained unchanged. However, he gripped the sword even tighter, his knuckles turning white.

“I can smell the chaotic aura on you. I never expected that a sworn oath-breaker would dare to appear before me.”

When Nunn spoke of the oathbreakers, his voice was hoarse, almost as if it were being squeezed out from between his teeth.

"Haha, I only dare to appear in front of you because I have some advantages."

The Deathbird spoke with great respect, “You are much older than I imagined, and not as…sharp as the rumors say.”

"I thought you would attack us without warning the moment you discovered us."

The Deathbird began to describe his imagined Nunn.

“I guess you’ll kill Gene and Toren first. They’re Oathbreakers like me, and you’ll never let them go.”

Gene and Toren were also torchbearers, people who broke their oaths.

The Deathbird continued, "Killing them will only take you a few seconds at most; it's not a difficult task."

Gene and Toren instinctively held their breath, as if they had already died once in the description of the Deathbird.

"Then there's Tania. You should have noticed that she's a stargazer, which often works wonders in the Gray Zone."

The Deathbird's gaze swept across each face before finally speaking of itself.

"After all the unstable factors are resolved, it will be my turn."

The Deathbird took a step forward and stood at the edge of the fire line.

"But instead of launching a decisive attack, you're standing here with me peacefully, even though you hate the oathbreakers so much... You've become dull, Nunn. Is someone forcing you to suppress your anger like this?"
The Deathbird shifted its feet to one side, its gaze passing over Nuen's shoulder and landing on White Cliff Town.

"Oh, is it them? The people from Baiya Town?"

Before he could finish speaking, a fatal slash came crashing down, the flames condensing and coalescing into one.

The Deathbird managed to block the attack with its sword, but the immense force from the blade still sent it staggering back several steps.

"Haha, don't be too nervous, Nuen. We don't need to draw our swords against each other. I just want to talk to you."

The Deathbird steadied itself and laughed loudly, completely unconcerned whether Nunn would press his advantage.

Nunn said coldly, "I have nothing to talk about with the Chaos followers."

"Then what are you waiting for? Why don't you just draw your sword and kill us?" The Deathbird saw through Nuen. "Or are you just stalling for time, waiting for the people of White Cliff Town to make preparations?"

"How foolish! Have you gone mad from living in seclusion for so long? You know perfectly well that even if they try their best, they can't change anything."

The Deathbird took a deep breath and continued, "Perfect timing. While they're preparing, why don't they listen to what I have to say?"

Nunn remained silent, holding his sword and guarding the front line.

"Don't you think this world is losing hope little by little? Let's not even talk about other supernatural forces, just take the Torchbearers as an example."

The torchbearers were created to drive away the long night, but what about now?

The Deathbird ruthlessly revealed the truth of this era.

"The remaining forces fought their own battles, while the Fire-Guarding Cult remained stagnant and closed off from its path."

"not to mention……"

"The Explorers have disappeared without a trace, the Philosopher of Secrets is drowning in the Sea of ​​Origin, and the Iron Father of the Heavenly Craftsman is hiding in the Red Fortress, where only the sound of hammering can be heard day and night."

The Deathbird proclaimed, "This is not only an era of isolation, but also an era of stagnation, and stagnation means annihilation."

"so what?"

In the past, Nunn would not have been so patient with oathbreakers, but he is old.

Old age is a curse that no one can escape, except for the giants.

Moreover, Nuen faces more than just old age. To ensure the survival of White Cliff Town, he has been extracting excessive amounts of soul essence from his body, and is always in a state of near weakness, as he is now.

"so……"

After a long silence, the Deathbird finally spoke, "Join us, Nunn."

"Break your oath and join Chaos?" Nunn chuckled. "Are you kidding me?"

“No, I’m very serious, Nunn,” the Deathbird said solemnly. “And we are not the same as the Chaos forces you understand. In fact, our goals are the same.”

"Unanimous?"

Nuen was bewildered; he didn't know if he had misheard or if the Deathbird had gone mad.

"Yes, you may not believe it, but I still want to say that our goal is to save this dying world."

Upon mentioning his purpose, the Deathbird's expression became feverish.

"Salvation! Save this closed and isolated world!"

To demonstrate its sincerity, the Deathbird lowered the Cursed Sword, its crooked tip embedded in the ground.

Nunn ignored the Deathbird's fervor and said in a low voice, "I am old and worthless. Did you all come all this way just for someone like me?"

“How could that be, Nunn? You are worthless, but what you brought out of the dark world is of great significance.”

The Deathbird took a few steps forward, then returned to the front lines, looking playful.

"That is your hope for rebuilding the Yangkui clan." Nuen was stunned for a moment, and surging source energy surged within his body, causing his capillaries to glow, like glowing spider webs covering his body.

With each breath, sparks danced between Nunn's teeth, as if his throat led straight to a lava hell.

"Back then, you fled the Holy City of the Day with it, and you traveled all the way. Whether it was the Fire Guardians or the Chaos Believers, they all relentlessly pursued you. Even we once thought you had died in the wilderness one night."

“The Yangkui clan has no hope of being rebuilt,” the Deathbird said bluntly. “Rather than taking it to the grave, you might as well give it to me.”

Nunn did not respond; the sword burned, its crimson color dazzling.

Facing the raging flames, the Deathbird maintained its haughty and aloof demeanor.

“I learned about the plight of White Cliff Town before I came here. I can save everyone. I can not only take them to live in Hel City, but I can even send them to the inner ring of Flame Core, or even let them live in the Holy Domain.”

The Deathbird stretched out its hand, "If only you would give it to me."

"Did the news leak out again?" Nunn said expressionlessly. "I clearly remember killing everyone who knew about it."

“You did kill everyone who knew, and even the investigation into you by the Fire Guardians ended many years ago.” The Deathbird’s tone shifted, becoming mocking. “But you seem not to understand the true power of that thing.”

"The moment it leaves its container and returns to the world, all existence will feel that lingering heat."

He countered, "Can you hide the rising of a blazing sun?"

Nunn smiled with relief and raised his cross-shaped longsword high.

"Then let's kill everyone who knows the truth once again."

Nunn's spine bulged out like a melted steel beam, and his skin was carbonized into scales in the raging flames of his soul marrow, with magma-like blood churning beneath each crack.

With the stench of burning sulfur, Nunn slowly swung his sword, the bricks beneath his feet melting into glass, the air twisted into a spiral of wailing by the intense heat, like thousands of scorched souls coiling around the blade.

At this moment, the long-dormant blade was finally drawn from its sheath, displaying its full power.

"The information says that when you last appeared in people's sight, you were only at the fourth rank."

The Deathbird laughed loudly, "As expected of the last Yangkui Clan, you have actually made a further progress and reached the fifth rank, becoming a Jinshen War Lord!"

At the same time, darkness fell completely, two moons appeared, gray mist filled the earth, and countless demons materialized out of thin air.

Nunn unleashed a fiery tornado, shattering his hideous figure and sweeping up swathes of ashes.

A deadly blizzard swept over them, but the Deathbird remained standing firmly in front of them, while Gene and Torren's skin was instantly scalded with blisters, and the corners of their clothes began to burn.

"The three wise men tried to unite everyone with good ideas, but they failed. Perhaps we should try another path."

The dead bird preached amidst the flames.

"It's time to abandon that naive illusion; virtue and honor cannot unite anyone!"
Only by ruling the world with swords and absolute power can everyone be saved!

He stretched out his hand to block the oncoming scorching wind.

The scorching heat destroyed the Deathbird's gloves, and from the broken ashes, the tattoo on the back of his hand was revealed.

A black crow with outstretched wings.

"No...that's impossible."

Nunn stared at the tattoo in disbelief, as if struck by a heavy hammer, almost shattering his mental defenses.

"The siege a hundred years ago..."

Nunn silently questioned in his heart, "What exactly happened at the end of that siege?"

“Nothing is impossible.” The Deathbird proudly displayed the tattoo. “The Sunflower Clan’s century-long journey failed, but we, the Death Omen Clan, survived.”

Upon hearing the name of the Death Clan, Nunn's mind went blank.

“The feud between the clans is a thing of the past, Nuen. I don’t want to kill the Yangkui clan. If possible, let’s work together!”

"For the sake of this world!"

The response to the Deathbird was a frantically escalating source energy reaction and a completely burning soul essence.

Nunn crossed the line of fire, his roar like thunder.

"What a pity..."

The Deathbird used a dagger to cut open its own chest, and a crimson, curved bud slowly emerged.

Its stem is twisted into a spiral shape, like tentacles cast from lava, covered with tiny, sharp scales that shimmer with a dark phosphorescence.

Growing and blooming wildly, they transform into the blazing sun!
What a distorted, crimson sun it was, its outline blurred, its edges as if kneaded by an invisible hand, sometimes expanding, sometimes contracting.

The surface of the sun was covered with wild patterns like sunflower petals, like lines freely splashed on a canvas, full of unease and restlessness.

The light was no longer a gentle caress, but transformed into sharp, blade-like crimson rays that wantonly sliced ​​through space, shrouding everything on earth in a bloody hue.

The gray space was churning and boiling, with enough energy to crush reality pouring out. The real world was in grave danger, and parts of it were collapsing toward the spirit world.

This was an unparalleled and sublime power; before it, Nun and the Boiling Sword in his hand appeared so frail.

Nunn murmured, gazing at the crimson sun that could blind anyone.

"Evil..."

(End of this chapter)