Chapter 374: The Ultimate Form of Necessary Evil (3)

The wooden ceiling of the dim, confined basement shook repeatedly as dust rained down. There were no exits to be seen in the dark room.

"Sounds like chaos out there," Varos muttered, brushing off the dust as he turned his gaze inward.

Sickly dark-red vines crept along the ceiling and walls, pulsating as they spread. Symbols painted in blood flickered ominously while flashing repeatedly. A deep chill flowed outward with the dark mist. In the center of that chilling scene sat a young man with black hair, cross-legged and eyes closed.

"Flow, sink, illuminate me..." The young man moved his hands delicately with a murmur, controlling the darkness.

Thin strands of shadow streamed from his fingertips, slipping ceaselessly into the cracks of the basement, turning into venom as they burrowed into the earth and scattered in all directions.

Varos carefully spoke to the young man, Karnak, who was immersed in his ritual. "Is it going to take much longer, young master?"

There was no reply. Normally, Karnak would at least snap at him to wait.

Feeling awkward, Varos turned his head away. "Guess it'll take a while."

He wasn't engaged in the battle against the cultists like the others. He was to guard Karnak while he performed the ritual, so he remained close, protecting the basement with a gaze like a hawk.

Under Varos's vigilant protection, Karnak continued to peer into every corner of Thea Krahan. "Illuminate me..."

Through the vision of countless corpse flies, he observed the battlefield while biding his time. He saw it, the imperial forces fighting desperately at each stronghold. He saw it, the endless tide of the Black God's army pushing forward.

The time was not yet ripe. Most of the priests of the church were still safe. This was not what their enemies had wanted. As expected, more and more forces spilled out of the grand cathedral, including elven priests and dragons.

They weren't the disposable undead like usual, but the true elites serving under Giyen Ren. It was ready. Finally, they had revealed all their cards.

"Good." The corners of Karnak's lips split into a wide grin. "It's my turn now."

***

A massive zombie bared its teeth and lunged forward. With a short shout, Leven swung his aura blade.

Purple aura curved like a whip and smashed the zombie's skull to pieces. The creature collapsed, returning to a lifeless corpse as it fell to the ground. Had it only been its skull shattering, it would not have fallen immediately, for it was still an undead.

But Leven always made sure to leave behind residual aura in the undead to seep deep inside, to tear it apart from the inside. It was a tactic that had become second nature to Karnak's companions, who fought the undead so frequently.

More undead poured in, and he kept swinging his aura blade, cutting them down.

Delphiad Swordsmanship, Storm King's Barrage!

Brilliant purple aura blossomed like flowers of light as Leven desperately defended the stronghold. Thanks to his efforts, the seventh regiment of the imperial army had not yet suffered heavy losses. But this could not last forever.

How long do we have to keep this up?

Before the battle, Karnak had given a private message to his companions.

—Today, we do not retreat.

—Are you telling us to guard the stronghold until we die?

—That's not what I mean.

Karnak's orders were a bit different.

—Persevere and wait. Wait for the signal.

—What kind of signal?

—You'll know when you see it.

Perhaps wary of necromantic surveillance, Karnak had said nothing more. And so, Leven could only fight on with questions swirling in his mind.

How are we supposed to just know?

It was then that something caught at the edge of Leven's aura perception. Something vast and horrifying was crawling along the earth, coiling beneath his feet. The problem was that this horrific presence oddly filled him with calm and relief.

Leven had experienced this sensation before. Lord Karnak?

Suddenly, the ground twisted, and an earthquake struck. The earth heaved upward. The building they were using as a stronghold rose along with the surrounding land, forming a pillar that pierced the sky.

Echoes of wraiths and specters howled from every direction, while the pillar continued to rise and expanded its domain. Blood from both enemies and allies flooded together, flowing toward a single point. Bodies of friend and foe tangled together, merging at the center.

In no time, a monstrous effigy of nightmare rose upon the land of the capital. It was a towering, blackish-red pillar, tens of meters high, composed of blood, flesh, malice, and corruption.

The imperial soldiers recoiled in horror at the sudden appearance of that hideous form.

"Those vile monsters!"

"What kind of abomination is this?!"

Of course, they thought it was the work of the cultists. In contrast, Leven wore a look of incredulity. "So that's what he meant by 'you'll know when you see it'?"

This was the signal they had been waiting so patient for, but Leven could not bring himself to feel glad. Is this really okay?

***

The grotesque pillar of corpses had risen not only in the southwest of the capital, where Leven and the seventh regiment of the imperial army were stationed.

Lapicel was wildly swinging her aura blade when a massive shadow fell across her back. "What is this...?"

Another pillar appeared before Dios, who had been unleashing a barrage of spells. "By the gods...!"

Towering pillars, dozens of meters high, continued to rise across the capital, in the southwest, southeast, south, northwest, northeast, and due north of the capital. Six pillars made of corpses, flesh, and blood revealed their horrific forms throughout the capital.

The sight was clear to see from anywhere in the city. Milia, fighting in her angel form, muttered under her breath in disbelief. "So this is what you've been doing all this time..."

Near the center of the capital, the six grotesque pillars intersected in the dark basement of a building. Within that darkness, Karnak sat cross-legged, a triumphant grin spreading across his face. "It worked."

Even while shut away in that underground chamber, he could gaze down upon the capital as much as he pleased by sharing the vision of the swarms of corpse flies. Every pillar had risen precisely into place. Half of the ritual had been completed.

Varos clicked his tongue. "Is this really okay?"

"The emperor did say he would permit anything."

"There's no way he expected it to go this far."

Why had Karnak gone to such lengths to seize every stronghold? And why had he ordered such relentless withdrawals? Strategy? Tactics? Those were mere deceptions. What he truly needed was something else.

Thanks to the countless battles, blood of the countless—imperial, cultist, citizen—had spilled at every stronghold. All the unclean emotions, vile desires, the longing for life, and curses against the enemy had layered themselves thickly around those six sites, rotting to perfection, becoming the finest foundation for hell itself. Now, only the final half of the ritual remained.

"Awaken." Karnak spoke the words with power. "Open your mouths." From the deepest abyss, the language of the void manifested within the world. "Spill forth your lament."

The six pillars began to quake violently. Countless human faces embedded in the pillars opened their mouths and let out heartrending groans and screams.

The pillars linked with each other, cutting great lines across Thea Krahan. The screams and wails formed vast circles and lines, which intertwined and intersected before becoming a single sigil. It was a hexagram.

The greatest city on the continent, the capital of the thousand-year empire, Thea Krahan, had been wholly transformed into a necromantic domain. "Let wrath, pain, hatred, and resentment descend upon this land..."

The enormous domain, spanning dozens of kilometers, unleashed power fitting its dreadful scale. A black aurora appeared above the capital, shimmering brilliantly as it wavered and rippled. As a veil of darkness descended upon every head, Karnak gave the final command. "Arise, you who were born of death!"

***

Ever since the capital had fallen to the Cult of the Black God, it had transformed into a living hell. The citizens of Thea Krahan had spent every day trembling in fear.

But now, the citizens had a revelation. What they had suffered until now was not true hell. Hundreds, thousands, no, tens of thousands corpses began to rise. It wasn't only the humans either.

Undead who had already been moving in death, dead elves, dead dwarves, even dead dragons reopened their eyes. Those who rose again with the screams of the dead began a solemn march toward the forces of the Black God. Death became a tidal wave, sweeping over the city.

Battle broke out across the capital. Corpses that had been enemies only moments before joined hands with other corpses and swung swords and spears against corpses that still remained enemies. The imperial army was thrown into chaos.

They could not tell whether they should flee or advance. Even the hells described in the sacred texts were not this terrible. A black aurora danced in the sky, the earth rotted, and the dead fought amongst themselves, vomiting poison and darkness.

Suddenly, a radiant silver light pierced the darkness.

"If the world is to turn just, then someone must willingly descend into hell!" A silver-haired knight stood before the dead, shouting boldly. "The blessing of Serakal has descended upon this land!"

The imperial knights were shocked by the sight. "Desteran?!"

And he was not alone. All across the capital, the followers of the Twilight Order revealed themselves.

"If not me, then who will descend into hell?!"

"I shall commit evil to save the righteous!"

"Let there be no hesitation in committing necessary evil!"

Villains who had committed every crime imaginable shouted such absurdities as they charged at the forces of the Black God. For any victims who might have seen it, it was the sort of sight that would have made their blood pressure spike to the point of collapse.

Yet thanks to it, everyone arrived at an answer.

Ah! So this was the work of the Twilight Order.

The Twilight Order was already like a familiar neighbor to the citizens of the capital. If both cults were monsters that raised undead, the side that handed out an extra loaf felt a little friendlier. Of course, the imperial knights and priests were trembling with disgust.

"Even necessary evil has its limits..."

"How could they go this far?"

"Truly, they are an unforgivable cult!"

No matter how they dressed it up, the truth that those who toyed with corpses were evil did not change. Even so, it was a relief for now.

In any case, it means those horrifying things are on our side, right?

It was still a hellish scene, but at least it was no longer confusing. The imperial army, having come to its senses, began to push back the forces of the Black God alongside the army of corpses. Thanks to that, the tide of the battle, which had been turning against them, flipped in an instant.

The imperial knights shouted in succession, rallying morale.

"We will hold this position!"

"Do not retreat!"

"The goddesses are watching over us!"

Well, the thoughts of the soldiers receiving those orders were a bit different.

Hold our position?

Anyone can see that's an evil thing.

Is the goddess really watching us right now?

Well, it wasn't entirely wrong. An goddess incarnate of sorts was indeed watching the situation unfold.

"Ah, honestly, this man..." Looking down upon Thea Krahan, now turned into a hell on earth, Serati clicked her tongue. "No matter how much of a necessary evil this is, how does he plan to deal with the aftermath?"

Regardless, this was the signal they had all been waiting for. She immediately kicked off the ground and leapt forward. It was time to execute the next phase of the plan.