Chapter 1432: Glory to the Pale Moon

Seraphina forced her dragon eyes wide open.

It was a continent.

A broad beach stretched along the coast.

"Wake up!"

Her voice rang out across her back.

"Everyone, wake up! We’re almost at land!"

The people sprawled all over her back jolted awake.

Land.

That word had never sounded so wonderful.

After staring at nothing but seawater for days, they had all sworn never to take another endless trip across the ocean.

Seraphina flew over the beach.

This time, no one waited for her to return to human form. They jumped from her back on their own.

Without hesitation, everyone plummeted straight down.

Andona reached the ground first. She spread her golden wings and raised both hands. Divine Power became a gentle radiance that caught her still-falling companions.

Their descent gradually slowed until they landed safely on the beach.

The moment their feet touched solid ground, everyone began acting strangely.

Some crouched down and ran their hands through the sand.

Some simply lay flat on the ground.

Others spread their arms, savoring the long-forgotten vastness and stability beneath their feet.

Finally.

It wasn’t water.

Only after a while did Ethan feel like looking around.

The endless ocean still lay before them, waves washing over the beach again and again. Behind them stood a green forest, its canopy stretching deep into the continent with no end in sight.

Solid ground. How he’d missed it.

"You’re all free to—"

By the time Ethan started speaking, everyone around him was already gone.

Some had run to the water to catch sea creatures.

Others rushed into the forest to see what was inside.

A few stayed on the beach and prepared to sunbathe.

Ethan lost his audience halfway through his sentence.

"This feels amazing."

Catheryn stretched out her arms and let the sunlight wash over her exhausted body.

A familiar energy appeared beside her.

An Umbral Servitor crawled out of the shadows and stood blankly on the sand.

Catheryn stared at it for several seconds before finally recognizing it.

This was the same Umbral Servitor she had sent away long ago, back when she was trapped inside the barrier.

It had reached this place ages ago.

Worse, it had never bothered to notify its master.

Everyone had spent all that time flying on Seraphina’s back for nothing.

Catheryn sighed softly and recalled the vacant Umbral Servitor into the darkness.

It was only a servant.

She needed to stay calm.

Everyone enjoyed a peaceful night by the sea.

They ate and drank their fill, and the ocean breeze brought no danger with it. Their fire burned on the beach until late into the night, finally growing quiet along with their breathing.

Not far behind the beach, a group of people had gathered inside a church.

"Cult Leader."

A young man stood below the platform, holding a long wooden staff. His face was filled with devotion and worship.

"Will the Pale Moon God really answer us?"

A hunched old man stood atop the platform.

The scepter flew from his hand and lightly struck the young man on the head.

"Teren."

The old man could barely contain his anger.

"You’ve asked that question many times."

Teren lowered his head.

"The Pale Moon God will answer us," the old man declared with absolute certainty as the scepter flew back into his hand.

Realizing he had said too much, Teren asked no more questions.

He closed his eyes, removed the necklace from his neck, and reverently placed it in his palm. Then he began reciting a strange prayer under his breath.

The old man descended from the platform with a satisfied expression.

Leaning on his scepter, he walked over to Teren and gently stroked the young man’s head.

"I promise you."

"The Pale Moon God will answer us."

The old man lowered his gaze to Teren’s closed eyes.

"I stake my entire life as Grand Cult Leader Malverin upon it."

A wisp of energy flowed from Malverin’s palm, entered through the top of Teren’s head, and spread into his body.

Teren’s prayers grew quieter.

Still chanting, he slipped into unconsciousness. Blood began to seep from the corners of his eyes, his nostrils, and his ears, but the contented smile never left his lips.

Malverin’s expression grew even gentler.

"And if He still refuses to answer..."

His fingers slowly lifted from Teren’s head.

"Then I will personally send all of you to meet the Pale Moon God."

"It will be your highest honor."

Malverin surveyed his surroundings with satisfaction. Then he closed his eyes and spread his arms.

A blue ceremonial robe appeared behind him and settled over his shoulders. A strange light shone from the scepter in his hand.

A hat with a long, narrow beak slowly descended from above.

Malverin caught it and placed the bird-beaked mask over his face.

Blue liquid began seeping from the base of his scepter.

It dripped down the platform, crept through the seams in the floor, and slowly spread throughout the church.

Malverin raised his scepter high.

"Glory to the Pale Moon!"

His booming voice rang through the surrounding area.

Outside the church, corpses lay everywhere.

Mutilated bodies were scattered across the dirt, soaking in rivers of blood. The stench of decay spread on the night wind.

Most of the bodies belonged to children.

The blue liquid flowed out of the church.

It wound between the corpses, absorbing the blood on the ground and even the fine droplets suspended in the air. Wherever it passed, the bloody remains of the massacre were gradually cleansed away, leaving only soil stained dark blue.

Several small villages stood nearby.

Not a single villager remained.

Only a few puppies barked between the houses, while chickens wandered through unattended yards.

The blue liquid seeped into the villages.

One by one, the sounds stopped.

In a single night, the blue liquid spread throughout the entire forest.

But when it reached the edge of the ocean, it stopped.

Not a single drop entered the water.

Dawn gradually arrived.

Everyone on the beach had eaten their fill and was preparing to go about their day when they discovered that the forest behind them had completely changed.

The ordinary brown soil had turned dark blue overnight.

Elira crouched at the boundary and reached out, wanting to find out what had happened to the dirt.

Before her fingers could touch it, an energy sphere shot past from behind.

It grazed the side of Elira’s hand and slammed into the dark blue soil. At the same moment, a white barrier rose around her and the others nearby.

The moment the dark blue dirt was attacked, it erupted from the ground.

Countless flecks of mud shot into the barrier like arrows, leaving dense blue marks across the white surface. Once their force was spent, they dropped back to the ground.