Mystery: The Undead Don't Die from Linking the Fire

Chapter 169 Dedicate Yourself to Your King

Sodrac Palace, Queens.

Wearing a crown, with a resolute face and a small mustache, George III sat on his throne, motionless like a statue.

He simply gazed calmly ahead, his eyes seemingly piercing through the palace walls to see the entire Backlund beneath his feet—even in the eastern district, the New Year was approaching, and the poorest beggars in the eastern district wore expressions of happiness and joy.

This is his country, and his people.

But why is it that these people, whom he rules and protects, are unwilling to die?

They have survived to this day because of their own kindness, so why are they unwilling to sacrifice themselves for their king?

"Look, an angel! It's an angel!"

"My God, is this a blessing from You?"

Suddenly, a commotion broke out among the crowds celebrating the New Year on the main street outside the palace walls. The once spacious and clean street was now completely filled with devout believers kneeling on the ground.

Amidst the crowd's excited and devout prayers, several enormous figures, enveloped in dazzling golden light and sprouting holy golden wings, appeared in their sight. No one had ever seen a real angel, but in mythology, angels were always depicted with wings on their backs.

The angels, clad in scarlet armor and enveloped in holy light, soared into the sky and entered the magnificent palace within its walls.

Everyone believed that this was a blessing from the gods.

If the angels were not there to bless the king, but rather to punish him, they would only suspect that the royal family had blasphemed, not that the angels themselves were at fault.

"You truly are of royal blood."

In a corner of the Sodrak Palace, the witch Triss spoke with a hint of sarcasm.

By disguising the Forge Knights as angels to deceive the outer guards and the public, they were truly masters of manipulating people's hearts.

Edsack smiled dismissively: "I'm still far from being as good as my father."

They walked side by side through the magnificent palace, built of countless smooth marble blocks. Compared to the grand and imposing palace, they were so small, yet their steps were so firm as they traversed the steps, gates, archways, and squares, heading towards their goal—the main hall where George III resided.

"Enemy attack!"

Compared to the ignorant masses, the palace guards hesitated to sound the alarm or launch an immediate attack, for they could not bear the responsibility of attacking angels. It wasn't until the newly appointed captain of the palace guards shouted angrily in their ears that the palace guards awoke from their daze and finally realized that those were not angels.

But when they raised their guns and pointed them at the 'angels' in the sky, they were horrified to find that the angels had already spread their broad golden wings and were swooping down on them!

Bang bang bang bang!

Amidst the shouts and curses of the officers and soldiers, the guards finally pulled the triggers, and the sound of military high-pressure steam rifles instantly shattered the silence of the night. Dozens, even hundreds, of high-speed bullets fired from the barrel formed a dense storm of metal, attempting to stop the 'angels' swooping down from mid-air.

Most of them weren't even Beyonders; even the royal family couldn't train their entire royal guard to be Beyonders—they couldn't afford such a drain. But they felt no fear, for they believed in the power of their high-pressure steam rifles—even the strongest, most defensively advanced warriors, even a Sequence 6 Dawn Knight, couldn't withstand such a volley!

Even powerful extraordinary beings would die by their guns; they firmly believed this!

Ding ding ding ding!

The dense storm of metal finally crashed into the Forge Knight's body, but only produced a loud but crisp sound upon impact with the crimson armor before being quickly deflected without leaving even a crack!

The guards certainly didn't have the exceptional eyesight to notice these details, but they could intuitively sense them—

Even as they faced the metal storm head-on, the Furnace Knights with wings on their backs continued to swoop down at them at full speed, and they no longer had time to launch a second volley.

Boom!

The Furnace Knight's massive body, devoid of any skill, slammed into the ground like a meteorite, producing a terrifying, earth-shattering crash! In an instant, a miniature mushroom cloud bloomed on the ground!

At the same time, a visible and violent shockwave rapidly spread in all directions!

That pure yet terrifying power made the earth tremble slightly. Palaces within a thousand meters collapsed and shattered in an instant. Large swathes of building debris were swept into the sky by the shockwave. Destructive power raged and rampaged through the most magnificent palace in the Kingdom of Rune!

Beneath the Forge Knight's feet, hundreds of palace guards, along with all the buildings within a hundred-meter radius, had long since been reduced to dust! Only a terrifying crater, a hundred meters wide, remained, shrouded in a mushroom cloud of countless dust particles!

"Bang! Bang!"

The Forge Knight walked step by step into the deep pit, out of the shroud of smoke and dust, and then stopped.

Because in front of him, a phantom gate suddenly tore open in mid-air, covered with intricate and elaborate runes.

The door opened silently, and a handsome man in a sharp suit walked out, his golden eyes fixed on the Forge Knight below.

"Trespassing on the royal palace is a crime, and those who commit this crime shall be executed!"

He clenched his right fist and swung it down sharply.

The Forge Knight simply raised his forge horn shield with its massive, pointed top in silence.

-

Similar scenes were unfolding throughout the royal palace. Faced with simultaneous attacks from four demigod-level powerhouses, the Rune royal family had to deploy four extraordinary individuals of demigod or higher to counter them. However, the royal family simply couldn't muster that many demigods!

However, there are only three demigods currently existing in the palace!

In order to avoid revealing any flaws, the only option now is to fight a quick battle and finish the job!

In a daze, a few slightly deep lights appeared from nowhere, slowly gathering in mid-air into a dazzling beam of light. They then formed a figure, which was Delink Augustus, the former Duke of Nanville of the Kingdom of Rune, a Sequence 2 'Balancer'.

This is a true angel, a living angel!

He stood atop the palace, his gaze coldly fixed on the Forge Knights below, who were striding toward the main hall, and raised his hand.

But the next moment his expression changed slightly, and his figure transformed into a burst of golden light and vanished in an instant.

The instant he vanished, countless meteorites shimmering with an eerie purple light roared out of the void and crashed into the spot where he had been standing!

Rumble—!

Countless purple meteorites passed through the golden light spots and finally crashed to the ground with a thud.

The magnificent palace, the beautiful buildings and the square on the ground were completely destroyed, creating huge, bottomless craters!

The specks of golden light converged in the distance, forming the silhouette of Delink Augustus.

Opposite him, a terrifyingly tall and slender figure slowly emerged from the void.

The first thing that catches the eye is a gigantic human skull, with two enormous and terrifying horns sprouting from its cheeks, and even another horn-shaped mouthpart in its mouth. It exudes an ominous, decaying aura, carrying the malice and pollution of the cosmos; a single glance is enough to cause even a low-ranking Extraordinary to lose control on the spot!

Its "body" is composed of countless colorful and dazzling "stars." However, when these stars, which are individually vibrant and dazzling, are combined together, they only give people a sense of madness and terror.

Not to mention that on its 'slender' body, there are six withered and terrifying gray-black arms like the limbs of an arthropod, and four wings as thin as cicada wings, gradually changing from dark purple to transparent.

Individually, none of its parts are particularly terrifying; in fact, its four wings are quite beautiful. However, when the parts are combined, they create a horrifying and grotesque sight, causing severe mental pollution to anyone who sees it!

Even Delink Augustus, an angel, became extremely solemn the moment he saw it.

He recognized this thing; it was the celestial creation that had once disguised itself as a meteorite to descend upon this world, bringing endless pollution and destruction—the Dark Star!

In the ballroom, the nobles officially began the New Year's Eve party under the Queen's guidance.

No matter how fierce the battle outside, or how heavy the casualties, it seemed unable to affect these nobles—because it truly couldn't. From the moment the attack arrived, the ballroom where the nobles were located, including the entire harem, had already been separated from George III and the forecourt where the battlefield was situated by the power of the law.

Although both are a unified entity belonging to the Sodrak Palace, they are divided into independent units under the power of order. Nothing that happens in the front palace can affect the back palace; no matter how chaotic or turbulent the front palace becomes, it cannot disrupt the peaceful and prosperous life of the back palace. This is 'order'!

Ember remained in the ballroom, with Audrey beside him, who wore a sweet smile, and they were whispering to another charming noblewoman.

Count and Countess Hall had also arrived at the venue and were having a pleasant conversation with Prime Minister Agushid.

Yu Jin held a glass of champagne that exuded an enticing aroma in his hand, took a small sip, and gazed thoughtfully toward the front palace.

It seems that he is not the only one who wants to harm George III.

The palace is destined to be very 'lively' tonight.

Lady Caitlin gently embraced Audrey and praised her:

"Your beauty surpasses everyone tonight, my love, the Queen awaits you."

"Um."

Audrey exhaled slowly, revealing an elegant and bright smile, and handed her hand, clad in an elbow-length white gauze glove, to Ember.

"May I?"

Audrey blinked, seemingly with some anticipation.

"Extremely happy to."

With a smile on his face, amidst a chorus of admiring and envious glances, Yu Jin led the girl by the hand and slowly walked up to the platform.

The Queen was standing at the edge of the high platform, waiting for the two of them, and said with a smile:

"Leave the rest to me, Viscount Black."

-

St. Samuel Church, North of Backlund.

Archbishop St. Anthony stood by the bed, his brow furrowed as he gazed at the distant Sodrak Palace.

From the outside, Sodrak Palace still stands tall, its brightly lit scene immediately conjuring images of the nobles' revelry and decadence, as if everything were as usual.

But as a Sequence 3 Bishop of Fear, Saint Anthony can sense the terrifying battle raging within the palace!

Saint Anthony frowned and said, "Your Highness Ariana, are we just going to watch?"

"Yes."

A woman dressed in a simple robe emerged from the shadows and calmly said, "Just watch."

"I have no intention of getting involved in the internal power struggles of the royal family."

Saint Anthony said in a deep voice, "But if I may be so bold, Your Highness Ariana, that creation is filled with madness and corruption and must be dealt with as soon as possible, or it could very well lead to the destruction of the entire Backlund! I don't know who is behind Prince Edsac, but the very existence of such a creation is a desecration!"

Ariana walked to the window, bathed in the crimson moonlight, her fingers tracing the shape of the crimson moon on her chest, and whispered:

"Of course, the starry sky is the enemy. But it resides in the Sodrak Palace, not in Backlund, and it has nothing to do with us."

Saint Anthony frowned: "What if it suddenly leaves the palace? The royal angels might not be able to restrain it."

Ariana glanced at Saint Anthony, her expression as calm as ever, and whispered:

"If they really escape, I will take action."

"But for now, we just need to watch."

-

Inside the magnificent palace, George III sat high on his throne, gazing at the battlefield ahead.

The three demigods belonging to the royal family were each restrained by three Forge Knights. Although these Forge Knights lacked the corresponding extraordinary abilities and found it difficult to attack the royal demigods protected by order, their physiques were exceptionally strong. No matter how many attacks they suffered, they could recover completely. Even their armor seemed to possess a powerful life force, able to quickly regenerate even if shattered by the royal demigods, remaining inexhaustible.

The mutual helplessness of both sides has led to a stalemate in the battle, which cannot be broken in a short period of time.

Meanwhile, high in the sky, the royal angel, the former Duke of Southville, Drinck Augustus, was already embroiled in a fierce battle.

The dark stars, capable of freely traversing the void and summoning meteors and starbursts at will, posed an immense pressure and threat. Being creations from the dark cosmos, they were not bound by the laws of space and easily shattered the order and balance that Delink had painstakingly constructed, directly attacking his true form!

This means that even the slightest misstep in battle could see him, an angel, perish under the attack of the Dark Stars. Unlike the battles fought by royal demigods, which, while unavoidable, were still manageable, Delink's battle was incredibly difficult!

Under these circumstances, the two figures outside the palace walked quite easily, even leisurely, because no one could stop them.

The royal family is not without superfluous demigods, nor is it without superfluous angels.

However, these combat forces cannot be used or exposed at present.

The three major churches have not yet made a move; they are all watching this side. If the royal family were to act rashly, it would only expose their plans.

So even George III could only watch quietly as they drew closer to him.

The two figures eventually crossed the square, passed through the palace gates, and overcame numerous obstacles to arrive before George III.

Edsack stood at the palace gate, gazing at the crowned, noble middle-aged man on the throne, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"It's been a long time, my dear father."

(End of this chapter)