Alma que parte en la noche oscura

Capítulo 19

"It seems the war between gods and demons really did take place here..." he said thoughtfully, as if the past was still vivid in his mind. "Sugliwa was indeed seriously injured here, and his mission at the time was to find this fragment. Rama was just his guard, but later Sugriwa's injuries became too severe, so the task of finding the fragment was taken over by Rama. He dutifully guarded his seriously injured commander, and then news about him stopped. Legend has it that he transformed into the clear spring watering the Bodhi tree. It turns out he had already found the legendary fragment... But how did you know that?"

Seeing that the people still did not understand what had happened, Antony and Nagant exchanged smiles. Antony then proceeded to tell them about the murals and the reincarnation of Rama.

Upon hearing this, everyone suddenly realized what was going on and turned their respectful gazes toward Anthony and Nagant, who were, of course, the new Rama.

"The problem is not yet solved, my friends!" Rama said loudly to the crowd. "There is still a score to be settled, an old score."

People certainly know who that debt belongs to.

Huizhi—without a doubt, he was responsible for all the crimes. The thought of this culprit rekindled their fighting spirit.

"Assemble! Soldiers!" James shouted to his knights, whose armor was tattered and wounded, and who were tormented by fatigue and hunger. But as soon as they heard the battle horn, they immediately assembled with renewed vigor.

"Forward! Warriors, there's still one more battle to fight!" The knight commander raised his greatsword, and the remaining knights, swords in hand, followed closely behind him, followed by the elite palace guards. The thought of avenging their fallen commander filled them with fervor.

The remaining people in the temple followed suit. Some of them were soldiers from the city's defense force, but most were just unarmed ordinary civilians. However, they all longed for the opportunity to find the person who had caused them so much suffering and hoped to punish him with their own hands.

This was the army, ragged and exhausted, that marched out of the Jade Buddha Temple and headed towards the palace. But as soon as they left the Jade Buddha Temple, they stopped.

An entire legion of the kingdom's army was surrounding the Jade Buddha Temple with menacing eyes, and standing behind the leading general was none other than Huizhi.

"If I'd known it would turn out like this..." Richard cursed under his breath, and was about to prepare for battle when Rama immediately stopped him.

"They're just carrying out a mission. Without the fragments, Wisdom can no longer cast spells," Rama said with a smile, as if he already knew the ending of the story.

"At least I am still the Imperial Advisor!" Huizhi shouted to the crowd from a distance. Immediately afterwards, he gestured to the general beside him, who then led a troop of cavalry toward the crowd.

Antony gripped his sword tightly, knowing that if a battle had to be fought, he would fight to the very end. But when he saw the confident smile on Rama's face beside him, hope returned. Perhaps things wouldn't be so bad; after all, they had already passed the worst.

+: The Corpse King, the Feudal King

- Mystery Tribe

Section 54, Purple Lightning

The general and his entourage rode all the way, and as they neared their destination, the general left his entourage behind and approached James alone. The burly soldier before him greatly intrigued him, not only by his unusual appearance and armor, but also by his imposing military bearing and resolute, proud expression.

"Who goes there?" the general asked in a military tone.

"Sir James Williams, at your service, may honor be with you forever." For some reason, the general before him also aroused the knight commander's favor, so he returned the greeting in the manner of his hometown.

Clearly, the general was not yet accustomed to such a greeting, but he distinctly sensed the goodwill of the person before him, so he bowed on horseback and said:

"This humble general's name is Yang Yucheng. I apologize for any offense I may have caused. The Imperial Preceptor has ordered us to capture the traitor who has entered the palace to plot a rebellion. I hope that you will lay down your weapons and come with us to investigate, so as to avoid fighting and damaging our harmony."

In truth, General Yang didn't quite believe these strangers were traitors, especially since the crowd included elite palace guards known for their loyalty and bravery. However, since it was the Grand Preceptor's order, he was unwilling to disobey.

"Sir, our honor does not allow us to be called 'traitors,' and we will not lay down our weapons. If we are to die, we will fight to the death." The knight commander did not quite understand the general's words, but it was absolutely impossible for him to lay down his weapons.

"If you and your companions are not traitors or rebels, why are you disturbing our peace and disrupting our social order?" General Yang, clearly a patriotic leader, spoke with righteous indignation.

"If you are truly a loyal subject of the emperor, then please answer my questions: Where is your emperor now? How long has it been since you last saw him?"

"This..." General Yang was speechless. Yes, the enemy's words perfectly expressed his inner confusion: Where is our Emperor? Since when did the order-giver stop being the Emperor, and instead become this Grand Preceptor? How could this be? I am loyal to the Emperor, how did I gradually become working for the Grand Preceptor?

Taking the opportunity, the knight commander whispered to General Yang, "If you want to see your emperor and rescue him, you'd better look in that Buddhist shrine in the inner courtyard of the palace. Your Grand Master has him under house arrest there."

General Yang's eyes widened: "What did you say? That's utter nonsense!"

"You don't have to believe me. In your eyes, I'm a traitor, and what I say must be false. But if you can indulge your curiosity a little, I suggest you go and see for yourself. Even if I deceive you, I'm sure you won't lose anything."

The general seemed swayed by the enemy's words. He lowered his head and thought for a moment. After giving a few instructions to his attendants, he returned to his ranks.

"Shoot them to death!" the Grand Preceptor roared viciously.

"Prepare for battle!" James seemed grateful for the opportunity given to him, and he immediately ordered his men to line up. The knights gripped their swords, nervously awaiting the final moment.

Anthony and his friends realized the gravity of the situation. If General Yang's army were to defeat these warriors—which was practically a certainty—all their previous efforts would be in vain.

There was only one way now. Richard raised a purple mist ball—with a purple lightning bolt forming within it—and aimed at Huizhi once more, hoping he could hit him this time…

"Don't be nervous, my friend," Rama stopped him again, his smile growing even brighter. "As long as people's hearts are good, everything will turn out differently."

As if to verify his words, at that moment, a cavalryman who had left earlier rode a white horse and galloped into General Yang's army from a distance, delivering an urgent order to General Yang.

The sound of a golden bell rang out on the battlefield. Upon hearing the bell, the soldiers who were about to engage the knights immediately stopped in their tracks and turned to retreat back to their camp.

"What's going on?!" Huizhi screamed hysterically.

"Seize this sorcerer!" General Yang shouted to his subordinates. Two burly generals stepped forward from the ranks, grabbed Huizhi from his horse, and pinned him to the ground.

"Have you rebelled?" Huizhi shouted angrily.

"You think you can keep the Emperor a secret by imprisoning him? You're wrong! I've already sent men to rescue him! Now the Emperor has ordered your arrest and return to the palace. Do as ordered immediately!" The general ignored Huizhi's roar, simply giving the order to his subordinates. He then rode back to the crowd, dismounted, and said with utmost respect:

"You have all been frightened! The Emperor has ordered that you be summoned to the palace to jointly punish the sorcerer Huizhi."

Seeing the bloodstains on the general, one can imagine the risks he took when he ran into the inner courtyard alone to rescue the emperor who was under house arrest.

The knight commander turned to look at his companions, and only then did a knowing smile appear on their faces.

All the disasters are finally over.

Clary lay comfortably in the golden armchair, letting the afternoon sun gently warm her healthy skin. After several days of rain, such a cool, sunny day was truly something for her to enjoy.

She closed her eyes, picked up a grape from the crystal bowl, squeezed it into her mouth, and savored the cool, sweet taste. Then, she spread the grape skin and gently applied it to her face. According to the royal physicians, this was one of the best beauty methods. Of course, she had already tried all the precious medicinal herbs the physicians possessed beforehand. Only after Richard reluctantly confirmed that she was indeed more beautiful than before did she let the poor physicians go.

The world inside the palace was so perfect. Under the sun, she once again beautifully recalled her experience at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha.

Everything should be fine now. They've defeated Huizhi, and although the Dark Messenger escaped, the outcome is generally satisfactory. Richard has finished his ritual, so he can go shopping with me now. General Yang has agreed to help the knights guard the Bodhi Tree; I wonder if there will be another ball tonight. By the way, how are things going between Li Shang and Anthony? That silly girl, she's really not good at presenting herself…

As she pondered this, she picked up another grape. Suddenly, she felt something moving at the tip of her nose. She hoped it was Richard's finger; he had finally noticed the change in her nose—it must be more defined than before.

She closed her eyes, waiting for the thing to slowly move between them, then suddenly opened them, hoping to see Richard's intoxicating eyes.

She did see eyes, but there were eight of them, and eight legs, staring at her in surprise, as if she had startled them by suddenly opening their eyes.

"Oh my god! A spider!" The beautiful woman's scream nearly terrified everyone in the palace.

"Keep your voice down, you're scaring people." Orlando carefully picked up the spider, placed it on the nearest leaf, and watched it trot away with a gentlemanly gait.

"Orlando! It's you again!" Clary was almost red with anger.

"Watch out, the grape skins are falling off your face..." Orlando said with a smirk. But Clari didn't care about the grape skins anymore; she grabbed a slipper and threw it at Orlando.

However, the slipper stopped halfway through the air because she saw the group behind Orlando: Anthony, Li Shang, Kruson, Cage, and of course Richard.

At that moment, she wished there was a crack in the ground she could disappear into. Several grape skins were smeared on her face, one slipper was on her foot, the other was held in her hand, her hair was disheveled, and her face was flushed…

Orlando was already laughing hysterically on the ground, and the blank look on Clari's face was something none of them could bear. A burst of wild laughter erupted soon after; they hadn't laughed like that in a long time, and the laughter even infected Clari.

However, the thought that Richard was laughing at her made her unable to laugh anymore.

“We’ll depart today,” Antony said after everyone had calmed down. “I have already bid farewell to the Emperor.”

"Leaving now? But they're not ready yet! Let's stay a few more days..." Clary was surprised that they would be setting off again so soon.

“We’ll be going then,” Orlando said, pulling Richard’s hand. “I heard there are a lot of beautiful women there. I’ll introduce you to a few…” The last few words, though whispered, were still overheard by Clary. She immediately wiped the grape skins from her face, grabbed her backpack from the foot of the deck chair, and ran a few steps. Suddenly remembering something, she quickly turned back, grabbed a handful of beauty herbs from the table, and stuffed them into her bag.

"Wait for me!" she shouted as she ran after him. Anthony dodged the sword, his right hand unleashing two powerful moves, "Unpredictable Trembling" and "Demon God's Way," which were delivered in quick succession. Although Yu Ke had turned to the downhill path, he couldn't escape. He parried the two moves with his sword, let out a shout, and with his left hand, threw two flying knives at Anthony's left and right. He thought that Yu Ke's dual-sword skills were so refined that the flying knives wouldn't hurt him. He could either block with his sword or leap back to dodge. As long as he had time to catch his breath, he could escape no matter how dangerous the attack was, thus getting rid of this man and charging downhill, where no one could stop him. Anthony guessed his intention and actually used a risky move, lunging forward and thrusting his longsword straight at Yu Ke's right foot. This was a rare move in the Soul-Chasing and Life-Taking Sword Technique, called "Wraith Entangling the Foot," which specifically targets the enemy's lower body. Yu Ke was taken aback. He swiftly slashed with his blade, "Meteor Falls to the Ground," and stood upright to parry. Before the attack could fully land, Anthony braced himself with the tip of his sword on the ground. There was a soft rustling sound behind him as the flying knife fell to the ground. He leaped up, hovering above Yu Ke's head, and swung his longsword downwards with a "nine deaths, one life" stance. Yu Ke sidestepped with his right shoulder, using "Rainbow Across the Sky" to parry with his blade. Anthony had already sheathed his sword and landed, launching two swift attacks with "Judge Turns the Book" and "Hailer Approaches the Door." Now, he had the western position, forcing Yu Ke to the inner side. At this point, Yu Ke only wanted to block the enemy's sword and had no time to think about how to escape. He simply parried each move, waiting for an opportunity to strike back. In the blink of an eye, the two had exchanged thirty or forty blows. Seeing that Yu Ke, despite being injured, had still withstood dozens of his attacks, Anthony grew impatient. His sword flashed, and he took several risky moves. Yu Ke fought hard, but gradually found it difficult to keep up. After exchanging several more blows, Anthony shouted, "Withdraw your sword!" With a move called "King Yama Throws His Pen," amidst a long laugh, the sword struck Yu Ke's right wrist, clattering to the ground. He was momentarily stunned, then Anthony kicked him in the left groin, causing him to fall instantly. Anthony lunged forward to catch him, but Anthony blocked with his sword and stepped back. Yu Ke, caught up in the frenzy, unleashed a continuous barrage of sword strikes, the blade never leaving his opponent's side. Anthony stepped back, thrusting with his sword "Bright Camel's Galloping Feet," then dodging to the left to return the blow. They exchanged several more blows. Yu Ke shouted, "Good!" and unleashed three rapid strikes. Anthony, without retreating an inch, returned four strikes. They fought for dozens more rounds. Yu Ke used the most exquisite techniques of his swordsmanship, employing feints and real attacks, unpredictable and ever-changing. Anthony also displayed his skills, his seventy-two orthodox variations containing eighty-one unorthodox ones. Yu Ke unleashed a sword strike, "Ice River Breaks Freeze," aimed straight at Anthony's right arm. Anthony dodged to the left, and Yu Ke's longsword suddenly swung upwards, "Midnight Smoke," swift and unparalleled. Anthony countered with "Meng Po Pouring Soup," aiming straight for his enemy's throat. Yu Ke's attack missed its mark, and in a moment of shock, Anthony's sword tip was already at his throat. The incoming sword moved with lightning speed, and Yu Ke had no time to dodge. Seeking victory in defeat, he raised his sword and slashed horizontally, knowing that both sides would inevitably be injured. The crowd gasped in alarm, and amidst shouts, Anthony suddenly fell to the right, dodging Yu Ke's attack, and caught the incoming sword with his own. A clang resounded, the blade trembled, and a sound like a dragon's roar, a lingering buzzing that lasted for a long time.

(End of article)