Chapter 477 The Silent Cry (End)
Naturally, Basil didn't possess the power to subjugate the Qilin. He was powerful but still would have to sacrifice his life to take down the Qilin. The reason why he could easily subjugate the Qilin was his Dragon Slayer Intent coupled with his Dragon Intent. They suppressed the Qilin's power enough to make it powerless before him. Of course, it wasn't that easy taking it down as one would have to possess a certain expertise to land a hit on it, no matter how much it was weakened.
"He told you that we would pick you up, didn't he? To where exactly?" Yang Tian Long asked hesitantly.
"He said that something interesting would happen by the time you picked me up. Just bring me to wherever this interesting thing is," the Qilin replied nonchalantly.
Yang Tian Long and Yan Xueyi sighed in amazement. Basil was indeed prepared. He had expected the war to occur and secured such a dangerous weapon. The Qilin would greatly help his side in the upcoming war. They would like to think it was overkill but remembered the nature of every living Mage. They were full of deceit, so they might have something to counter the Qilin.
Moreover, they still didn't know who else would join the fray. The East was fairly apathetic about the entire ruckus, but there was no guarantee they wouldn't participate. Given how free the Daoists were, they would find them on both sides. What made them worry, however, was whom they would find on each side. If the old folks in the Nirvana Tribulation Realm decided to meddle in the matter, the Qilin's help would mean nothing for Basil's side.
"We will bring you to that place, but we have to relocate the Star Vein first," Yang Tian Long said to the Qilin.
"Ah, sure. I can help you expand your Alternate Dimension if you want," the Qilin offered.
"That will be appreciated."
Immediately, Tian Long and Xueyi got to work. They set up the Array to secure the raw Qi that the Star Vein was exuding. In the meantime, Danzel and the girls were curiously interacting with the Qilin. The Qilin couldn't help but wonder why Basil's sisters were so unlike him. It took some time for the girls to tell him that they weren't related by blood and that Basil was abnormal. The Qilin accepted the explanation and didn't mention how weak they were ever again.
After some time, the Array was ready and the Star Vein was immediately secured. Tian Long and Xueyi soon utilized their Space Dao, enveloping the area with a profound energy. The two could only manage to cover as much as 60 square kilometres. The Qilin aided them, making the size of the covered land expand to 150 square kilometres. Tian Long took out an Artefact and put it above the Star Vein. In the next moment, the land within 150 square kilometres disappeared.
The land that Basil requested had been obtained. It was time to deliver it to him and bring the Qilin with them.
"I believe travelling with you in that form will attract unnecessary attention. Do you want to get into the Alternate Dimension?" Tian Long said respectfully to the Qilin.
"Oh, don't worry, human. I can control my power well," the Qilin replied proudly.
The Qilin's body shrunk until it was the size of a puppy. The girls immediately lost control and swept the Qilin up much to the horror of the two Daoists. Fortunately, the Qilin didn't mind. He even looked quite pleased with how the girls treated him. With the Star Vein gone, the Qi in the air thinned. Tian Long looked up and even found the mist covering the sky slowly dissipating. It was their cue to leave.
Tian Long took out his flying ship and told everyone to board. The disappearance of a Star Vein would surely notify many people even though they didn't know there was one. After all, a Star Vein's disappearance would cause the Qi in the air to shift. It would be subtle, but every powerful person in the world would be able to sense it. They couldn't afford to face these people, so they had to leave the vicinity.
The flying ship rose into the sky and disappeared. They left no trace of their Mana or Qi but a crater that spanned for kilometres. Their destination was the Great Forest of Yitoupheo. They would be waiting for Basil and help his forces when they needed it.
In another part of the world, people were growing fearful each day. The Church had finally bared its fangs, mercilessly punishing everyone here and there even if they didn't do anything. Priests who were once respected and trusted became feared. Civilians shied away from them whereas Mages and Knights avoided them at all costs. While most of the Priests didn't care about the way the people viewed them, some relished the fear they could instil.
The instances where Priests taking advantage of the civilians were increasing. It had existed way before Basil's war declaration against the Empire but had become prevalent now. The Priests were getting bolder, but of course, they weren't so stupid to spark the ire of Mages or Knights. They were protected by the Church, but they wouldn't live long enough until the Church saved them from the brutal attacks of Mages and Knights.
Speaking about Mages and Knights, their number was decreasing rapidly. That was especially true in Braxtein's case. As the people who had the power, they silently escaped Braxtein. Some of them failed, getting captured and brainwashed, but their escape was mostly successful. The development weakened Braxtein significantly. It was left mind-controlled Mages and Knights who were not so competent to begin with.
The security of the Kingdom was still ensured as they allied with the Empire, but it lowered their worth before the Empire's eyes. Who would have thought the former strongest Kingdom would be reduced to such a state? Aldrich was not fond of how things were developing.
"Call Eldridge," the self-proclaimed King of Braxtein ordered one of his attendants.
The said attendant left the throne room and then returned with a letter. Aldrich quirked an eyebrow and received the letter silently. As he opened the envelope, his hands froze upon recognizing the writing inscribed on the letter. With his heart beating hard, he read the letter. A few seconds passed in silence before he snapped.
"Eldridge Wein! How dare you betray me!?"
In the next moment, all of the attendees lost their heads. Aldrich had killed them in a fit of rage. He was not that mad that Eldridge left him. He had half-expected it to happen. His rage was caused by the letter. Eldridge had expressed how much he was disappointed he was in Aldrich as a King. His people were suffering before his eyes, but he scolded them instead. His people silently cried because of him and he called that peace.
Eldridge was calling Aldrich incompetent. While it was a valid evaluation, the King who was formerly known as the Genius Prince couldn't accept that. He was still drowned in the former glory and unable to move on. He felt left out and alone. Maybe, it was what drove his tears. Shoulders trembling and surrounded by dead bodies, Aldrich Agonheart Braxtein silently cried.
That day, Braxtein let the Empire take over.
….
The First Obelisk, Obelisk of Bael.
Basil was hit by nostalgia as he traversed through the hall of the Obelisk. The last time he had gone there, he had been a Ninth Circle Mage. It had taken him a week to fully clear it. He was still not as strong as he was back then but confident that he would be able to clear it. He had many Artefacts and Relics to aid him in his endeavour, after all.
It had been close to two weeks since he got into the Obelisk. He had been sneaking around and safely climbing his way to the top of the Obelisk. Bael had long been gone when he had come to clear the Obelisk in his past life. Although Goliath was strong, he believed it was too unimpressive to guard the first Obelisk. Therefore, something must have happened to the Obelisk to let a Demon like Goliath become an Obelisk Master.
Of course, Basil didn't care about the reason. The weaker the Obelisk master was, the better it was for him. What made him curious was if Bael was still alive at this moment. The number of the Obelisk didn't necessarily represent the danger it posed and the strength of the Obelisk Master, but he had to be careful. Bael shouldn't be weak to have the courage to take the number one spot.
"Dantalion was too busy with her research, so she didn't know much about what the other Obelisk Masters were doing. She has also never fought Bael, so she doesn't know anything about him either. I have to blindly fight Bael," Basil muttered to himself sombrely.
The Guide could give him a lot of information, but anything about Demons was limited. He wasn't disappointed but still felt unfortunate that he couldn't utilize extra information. He quickly moved on and then focused on the way ahead of him. There was a clearing ahead and he could sense a couple of strong presence there. He activated [One With Nature], erasing his presence.
He entered the clearing and observed from the side as the group of Demons was talking among themselves. They were High-Class Demons, so taking them out all at once would be quite difficult. He was about to strike them when he was stopped by the mention of The Liberation. He listened more and figured out that Bael was planning to release his subordinates into the world.
It was not unexpected, so it didn't surprise him. The fact that the other Obelisks would be unsealed, however, managed to surprise him.
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