Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

"Humans, humans who wield the Holy Light."

In the time that followed, the words "Holy Light" and "humanity" were mentioned repeatedly, and the frequency continued to increase. Humans were portrayed as warlike creatures, and what reached the children's ears was their expansion of their territory. To us, this seemed normal; the law of the jungle, the survival of the fittest, was the rule of the world.

Until that day, a piercing scream swept across the sky like a raging storm. The sky was stained red with blood, and the tragic wails shook every race that existed in the world.

Even I, who don't care about worldly affairs, know that the world has changed and the dragon has fallen.

The world has changed; it has become bright and warm. As a price, the darkness is receding, including that of our species, who were struggling to survive in it. I joined a hunting party because food was scarce, and we had to compete with other magical beasts from neighboring territories for prey. With our superior strength, we eliminated them.

I never played in the stone pillar forest again, and each time I left in a hurry. I needed to train, I needed to rest, otherwise my people would go hungry. The black pillars were my support, the driving force behind my struggle to survive.

This kind of life continued day after day, and I became familiar with this rhythm, growing into an excellent hunter.

I arrived at that forest of pillars, and now my strength has made me a powerful member of my people. I gazed at those pillars with satisfaction, as if looking at my companions far away, seeking new territories. The upheavals of the changing times have ceased; humanity has led the way, and we have become the strong, surviving.

It should be like this.

Those stone pillars that had stood there since my childhood, those incredibly solid stones, suddenly began to tremble. Cracks appeared from beneath, crawling up the pillars like damned worms. My heart was hollowed out by fear, and I rushed forward, shadowy tendrils drawing power to fill the cracks. The black pillars, the foundation of our adulthood, had no effect on us in their posture, but our state could affect them. I knew perfectly well that my struggles were futile.

The black pillar shattered before me. Its fragments struck me, raining down a black downpour. A black catastrophe; overnight, my people were halved.

Ivan Ritter comforted me, who was still frightened, and we attended the elders' meeting together, the final one.

"Humanity has started a war. And we happen to be on their path of advance."

How ridiculous! Half of the Shadow Beasts perished simply because we were in their way.

Evan Ritter gritted his teeth. "Elder, what should we do?"

"Run, Evan Ritter, run away with Vera Liz."

“Alright, then we must organize the evacuation of our people immediately. I’ll go now, Elder.”

Two broken pillar stones were thrown in front of me.

"Senior citizens?"

"You, run! It's too late. The Holy Light has arrived. You are the most outstanding young beings. Live on with our will. We will buy you time."

Roar! All the moon beasts at the meeting revealed their true forms, their massive bodies tearing through tree branches, their churning shadows ripping apart the dark clouds. My people roared in the moonlight. They howled wildly, unleashing their savage fury.

A flash of sword light sliced ​​through the barrier of the shadowy realm. My people roared and charged toward that ray of light with their massive bodies.

With me screaming, Avenrett fled into the shadows in the opposite direction.

The Shadow Beasts, only the two of us are left.

I cursed Avenrett furiously, cursing that cowardly runaway. I didn't know what else I could do. The screams of my people under the light became a nightmare that haunted me day and night.

Our pillars lie not far away, just like the fallen Shadow Beasts.

"Coward! You just stand by and watch them die, for your own life!"

"The elders command you to live."

"We're safe now! Everything is as you wished!"

"Yes, you are safe now, Veraliz. Please live well."

Avenritter's words gave me a bad feeling. I grabbed him and apologized anxiously in his arms, sobbing.

“I didn’t mean to insult you, Evan Ritter. You’re not a coward. I know this was a painful decision for you too. I’m sorry my slip of the tongue bothered you, please don’t be angry. I’m so sorry.”

Avenrett was as cold and sinister as ever, but this eerie feeling that I used to hate now actually gave me a sense of peace.

“Veralis, our people cannot perish; it is our responsibility. But the vengeance of the elders and the vengeance of our people must be carried out; that too is our responsibility. I must return and make humanity pay the price. You must stay and fulfill your duty to ensure the continuation of our people.”

I was terrified; I knew what that meant.

“Let me go, Avenrett. I can take care of the revenge too!”

Those cold eyes looked at me as if I were a stranger.

“I am stronger than you, Veraliz. I will reclaim the crown of my people.”

The crown, a power bestowed by the rules of the world, a force unique to leaders, a symbol. When a race grows powerful enough, their leader receives the crown of power; it represents authority and inheritance. When a race's power is nearly exhausted, the crown once forged is enough to usher in a new era of glory for a lost race. As a mystical power, the crown can be inherited in two ways: by the previous leader, or by the birth of a new king. This means that Avenritter's strength must surpass that of the deceased elders. Though difficult, only by obtaining the crown can the race have any hope of survival.

I couldn't stop him.

"Avenrett, you must come back. Otherwise, I will be very angry."

"Of course, I will become the king of the Shadow Beasts."

Avenrett left, and I could only huddle in a shadowy corner with my pillar and his.

I erected his pillar, and leaned against it day and night.

This is all I have left.

Before long, I was overjoyed to discover that Evan Red's pillar was growing stronger, and the shadows emanating from it were altering its surroundings. My heart was filled with elation; I knew he had succeeded. If his power increased further, we would establish a new Shadow Beast pack in this new territory—a new, more powerful race.

This beautiful vision came to an abrupt end with the sudden shattering of that day.

His shattering happened so suddenly, so suddenly that I couldn't even touch him one last time.

"Liar, damn rat."

I merged into the shadows, burying the remnants of the pillar within them. I shouldered my own stone and embarked on the path away from the deep forest. Above the towering mountains, the holy dawn rose slowly with the blazing sun. Just like the rage within my heart, it burned fiercely.

Veraliz gently tapped the ancient, eerie black stone pillar, its desolation adding new power to the shadowy altar. Brushing her disheveled hair aside, Veraliz swung her long legs, watching the boy, bound in the shadows, brought up by her cat witch.

"The Holy Light has erected its own pillar atop Locarrot. So I too shall erect my own pillar. Light and shadow, this time, one must be freed. You little brat, whoever you may be, unfortunately, you will be the first sacrifice."

Vera Liz's finger touched Lyle's mask, and shadows surged and rose into the sky.

"Holy Light, my destroyer, my vengeance begins now!"

Chapter 249 Friends

Shadows rolled across the altar, and black clouds connected with the pillars, like black rain pouring down from the sky.

Vera Liz looked at Lyle, who was mostly swallowed by the shadows, her beautiful eyebrows twitching slightly. Her sharp, beastly eyes stared at Lyle's mask, which was exposed outside the shadows, and her tone was filled with surprise.

"A Shadow chosen one, it seems. Shadows really like our offering; our luck is truly remarkable." The successful completion of the ritual improved Veraliz's mood considerably. She removed the shadow binding Lyle's mouth and nose, looking at his white mask. "Unfortunate boy, do you have any last words before you are devoured?"

Lyle looked at the woman in front of him, who seemed to be dressed in a black rubber suit. The cold light in her eyes and the malice at the corner of her mouth made him realize that there was no way to salvage the situation. She was determined to use him as a sacrifice.

"Could you loosen my restraints a little? Beautiful lady, my body is being squeezed so tightly I can hardly breathe. Please have mercy and let me move even a finger."

Lyle's bowing and fawning seemed to suit her just as well, and she let out a coquettish laugh.

“What a sweet-talking little boy. If it weren’t absolutely necessary, I wouldn’t even want to hurt you. It’s just something as small as untying you…” Vera Liz, who was still blinking her big eyes with a sympathetic expression, revealed a mocking smile, her black pupils cold and sinister. “Of course not.”

Lyle felt his body being squeezed tighter, and even breathing became difficult.

Veraliz moved closer to his face, her sharp-nailed fingers slowly scratching Lyle's mask. "I know what you're thinking, brat. I discovered your magical artifacts when you were consumed by the shadows. You wanted to call for help? The shadows will devour everything, including your cries. As for your feelings, my dear, I don't mind if you die a horrible death. You see, the reward for your sacrifice has come."

With a piercing scream from Veraliz, enormous four-legged beasts emerged from the shadows. They were pure black, resembling both tigers and wolves. Their bodies, as tall as a person, were long and slender, like elongated shadows. A tail, reaching their height, hovered in the air, its tip slicing through the wind like a venomous snake. These creatures quickly filled the entire altar area, merging with the witches who crouched nearby, becoming a shadowy monster. The merged half-cat beings roared with joy, feeling the power within them. The aura of the beast crushed any remaining wisdom they possessed as witches in the torrent of vengeance.

The black monsters seemed endless. They emerged from the shadows, merged with the witch, and gradually formed a horde of beasts, a horde powerful enough to destroy an army.

Wenli watched as the vengeful witch clan gradually transformed into monsters, and other witch clans began to accept these monsters as well. All witches were the same; what they lacked was not the will to retaliate, but the power to do so. Now they saw it—ambition was festering within them like a beast. Everyone was alike, even the witches of death; they too had once considered revenge against those high and mighty paladins, but ultimately, death had awakened them.

"Sersela, have you gone mad? You want to attack the Holy City? A Holy City defended by Crusaders!"

Wenli's screams, mingling with the howls of wild beasts, reached Ceresera's ears. Ceresera had shed her raven attire, becoming like Vera Liz. She smiled, gazing at the apocalyptic scene before her. "No, we will make the Holy Light pay a price, a terrible price."

"You have no idea what the Crusades mean! They are not the kind of easy prey you hunt, nor are they lone wolves that can be worn down by wolf pack tactics. You have no idea how powerful they are?"

Cecilia looked at Wenli with disdain. "Of course you're afraid, because you're already dead. You're a bunch of cowards who dare not face the powerful."

Wenli grabbed Cecil's arm. "We're already dead! Of course we're afraid! We're afraid you'll end up like us! Cecil, you're still alive! You have something wonderful that we don't have! My sister, I beg you, please stop this horrible behavior." Wenli tore at her clothes, revealing hideous and gruesome wounds on her body, which was covered in beautiful clothes, in front of her sister who was looking at her with contempt.

“Wenli…”

“I was once like you, Ceresera. When Cinderella was founded, I was arrogant and thought we were incredibly powerful, the masters of the world. It wasn't until everything I cherished turned into a sea of ​​fire, and all that remained in my sisters' eyes was despair, that I realized we were just frogs in a well. Ceresera, I don't want you to be like us.”

Cecilia stared at Wenli, watching her shadowy arms touch her skin; she remembered the feel of those hands.

“We’re different, Wenli.” Cecila shook off Wenli’s hand. “Revenge is what drives us to live.”

got rejected.

"Don't you feel anything at all? Your plan has failed! By fusing the witch and the shadow beast, you inherited the power of the witch and the beast race's dual crowns... neither of these crowns has appeared! Your plan has failed, Sersera."

Cecila did not turn around.

"There is still a chance. The start of the Shadow Ritual will gradually increase Veraliz's power, and she will eventually obtain the double crown. We just need to launch an attack during this ritual, turning the loss of Holy Light into our sustenance, and we will eventually win."

Sersella's voice was soft; it was unclear whether she was trying to persuade Wenli or herself.

Soon, the shadowy beasts surged down from the mountaintop like thunderbolts from the sky, crashing into the world of holy light.

The witch of death looked at her witch mother.

"Ms. Wenli, what should we do?"

"Catch them! Now we have no choice but to join the war, for the continuation of the witch race. To preserve more of the flame."

At the mountaintop, in the dark altar.

Vera Liz looked on with delight as she watched the black torrent she had unleashed, gazing at the radiant cross atop Locarrot.

"It's a real shame, I need to stay here to preside over the ceremony, I'm missing out on a lot of fun."

Veraliz's gaze shifted to the black stone pillar, looking at the shadows clinging to it like vines.

“It’s all worth it. As long as this ceremony is completed, this…”

"Shadow Sacrifice Ritual".

Ellie stood in a corner of the victims' quarters, after the deafening roar. The paladins who had been chatting and laughing just moments before were now all serious. They rallied into ranks at the command of their captains, beginning to dress and adjust their armor, donning their helmets, even though the grease inside hadn't been completely washed off.

Ellie, holding her companion's hand, stood by the roadside, making way for the respected guardian.

His good friend Evan had just uttered a term he'd never heard before. His gaze drifted into the distance, towards the dark, polluted sky.

"Evan, what were you saying just now?"

The tall, thin Evan turned to look at Ellie.

"It's nothing, Ellie. I'm leaving now, I'm getting out of here."

The little girl felt a pang of sadness at her friend's departure. "Is there anything you need to do, Evan?"