Wasteland Echoer.

Chapter 517: The Rising “Chain”

"What is this smell? Why does it make me feel so impulsive?" Sophia took several deep breaths, trying to adjust her breath.

"It's the smell of 'chain' and magic power. I was infected by the power of God at dusk." Igor explained:
“Although this smell can make people very agitated and impulsive, it is different from the hunger and instinctive impulses brought by the ‘heartless’ virus. This is a ‘kind impulse’, an impulse of humans to fight under the inspiration of divine power.

"This is a good thing. It proves that the energy particles currently gathering outside are beneficial. As long as we start the ritual in time, the probability of the 'wind wall' being broken will be greatly increased."

"I heard that the entire twilight moment will not last more than fifteen minutes. Let's go to Point γ to talk. Igor, can the group of 'Experimental-level Lost' personnel arrive within five minutes?" Yaroslav asked.

"It won't take five minutes. We have just issued an order through the intercom. This group of 'experimental-level lost personnel' is already in the middle of the three points. It will only take them one minute to reach point γ. Now, they have probably picked up the chanting words they have prepared long ago and started the ceremony under the guidance of the new Patriarch of St. Ivan's Cathedral, Constantine Novayasnov."

……

At the fifth minute of dusk, at point γ, the junction of the forest, the river and the abandoned bridge.

When Yaroslav personally drove Sofia, Igor and Ross to the γ point, the ceremony scene had already been set up.

At the point closest to the forest, there is a white candle as tall as a person, with the word "ashes" written on it in Crusaders.

At the point closest to the abandoned bridge project, there is a red candle slightly taller than a person, engraved with the exclusive emblem of the old imperial army.

At the point closest to the forest, there is a blue candle that is slightly shorter than a person, with a simple sketch of Cruz's blue cat carved on its surface.

With the help of the golden glow of the sun at dusk, a triangular golden light network was formed between the three candles, resembling three walls made of spider webs.

In the middle was a metal floor made from melted ores rich in magical power, forming a perfect circle that did not match the triangle formed by the candles.

In addition, snipers and rapid-fire machine guns were deployed on the sentry towers built during the old empire to observe the progress of bridge construction in order to deal with unexpected situations. At the same time, rows of brand-new "Hyacinth" artillery were deployed on a flat ground not far away, slightly lower than the river surface.

The Federation's [Warriors] were loading shells into the cannons that had been mixed with a small amount of the "Heavenly Punishment Fire" element.

"It's time to begin, Lost Ones. You need to send out your heartfelt praises to the sun, and you need to call upon the 'abandoned chain of old times' to the Lord. You are stained by sin, but you indulge in sin. Only by sincerely devoting yourself and praying to the Lord for forgiveness, will you be qualified to repent and be reborn as a human being." Constantine said, slowly stepping back a few steps.

He walked onto a round metal platform covered in mottled rust. Soon, the giant mechanical arm behind him started to work, quickly taking him to a distance of about ten meters from the ground.

Immediately afterwards, Constantine stretched out four fingers on both hands and drew lines along his forehead, heart and chest. Under the influence of magic power, a golden cross made of pure light in the style of a unique bishop was formed.

The "experimental-level Lost Personnel" on the ground took off their worn military cotton coats, which either fit them or didn't, and threw them in the center of the standard circle, revealing the white robes they were wearing underneath.

In mid-air, Constantine chanted the ancient Crusad language required for the formation of spirits, and began to gather the extremely rich metal magic power in his body:
"I pray for the blessing of the Creator."

"I long for the Dark Ages to end."

"Metals give humans the power to seek wisdom."

“Metals have given humans the ability to exploit nature.”

“Metals bring humanity a brand new era that it had never imagined.”

“Metal gives us the power to look up at the stars.”

"Almighty Lord, blessed be God."

"Please grant us the ability to find the 'chain' under the sun's light."

“Please, the Creator, raise up the golden light of justice, light and love.”

"Dispel the haze that has lasted for a hundred years."

"Give this era dominated by the long night a touch of golden warmth."

After the recitation, Constantine's brown eyes were quickly replaced by gold, and he seemed to blend into the surrounding environment that was neither day nor night.

The whites of his eyes also turned into a slightly dim golden color, and a circle of shining golden wheels surrounded his arms and ankles.

This is the unique ability of the new patriarch, "Golden Fan Eternal Glory". As a [Sacrifice], the multi-year-old patriarch Constantine Novayasnov is very fortunate that he can survive to such an incredible age in a world shrouded in darkness.

He understood that as [Sacrificers], most would meet their own destiny between the ages of 20 and 30, which would inevitably be death, or perhaps glory.

This is the destiny outline that the Creator has written in advance for every life He created, and it is also the result of the collective consciousness of the Cruzde nation.

When the golden mist brought by "Golden Fan Yonghui" enveloped his whole body, allowing his mind to briefly reach the level of confusion and clarity of Sequence 1, he realized that the "Fate Curtain Call" exclusive to the [Sacrifice] had been activated. Constantine understood that the "Fate Curtain Call" was the final contribution made by the [Sacrifice] to this world and human civilization. He could use magic power that was 10 times or more of his own level, and he could also gain the ability to briefly communicate with gods such as the Creator, but in the end he would need to completely consume and sacrifice his few gods for the sake of mankind.

At this moment, under the pressure of a huge "Wheel of Fortune", many green, gold and blue firefly-like elves appeared around Constantine. These elves were messengers of the Creator or gods in many religious books, and they were also messengers waiting to take him away from this world.

Taking a deep breath, Constantine floated upwards a little. The perspective he gained through "Fate's End" allowed him to see countless "chain" elements intertwined in a stable state hidden dozens of meters underground, about to burst out.

"It seems that the old general chosen by Mr. Vasily is a respectable and strong man. He has sharp judgment, firm will, and his loyalty has never wavered. He is capable of assisting Mr. Vasily in rebuilding the civilization and order of the entire human race." Constantine said, with a satisfied and happy smile on his face.

Then, he gave orders to several "experimental-level lost personnel" under his feet in mid-air:

"Begin to recite the contents of the 'Mechanical Chapter' in the 'Holy Voice of the True Bishop'. If the dusk glow has not faded and the 'Red Wave' and the 'Wind Wall' rise together, you will be qualified to wash away your sins and follow the True Lord. Otherwise, your life will be annihilated along with your weak soul."

Facing Constantine's godlike patriarch costume and the overwhelming deterrent power of the "Golden Wheel of Fortune", the "experimental-level Lost Personnel" under his feet hesitated for a moment, then knelt barefoot, raised their hands at a 45-degree angle to make the gesture of "embracing the Creator" and "praising the sun", and chanted:
"The golden glow of dusk has given us the opportunity to cleanse our sins."

“The dark steam machinery gives mankind the power to move into the future.”

"The sad nightmare of ignorance breaks the 'reason' established by the Creator God."

"The perpetual meanness of this species has led to its ill-fated fate."

"I am bathed in a golden glow."

"I look up to the orange sun."

“I tread on the land of metal.”

"I wait for the burning candle."

"We are willing to sacrifice our bodies to atone for our sins."

“I long for the Lord to open the light of dawn in the long dark night.”

Buzz, buzz, buzz!
As soon as the "Experimental-level Lost" personnel finished chanting, huge energy fluctuations immediately spread outward from their location three times in succession, emitting a buzzing sound that almost shattered the eardrums.

The three white candles burned rapidly, and the patterns originally carved on them disappeared in an instant, replaced by flames of red, white and blue.

The entire sky began to rapidly change from gold to completely red. In the eyes of Yaroslav, Sophia, Igor and Ross, red enveloped all material existences within their field of vision, even spiritual existences.

Soon, after the gold completely faded, red and black became the mainstream colors in the remaining dusk.

At the same moment that white energy particles rose from under Constantine's feet, the sky began to switch violently between red and black, and some federal [warriors] with weak willpower began to vomit yellow bile and black gastric juice.

Some [warriors] even became dazed by the drastic scene changes and ended up thrusting their guns into their own throats.

This is the "Red Wave", which has now fully evolved into a flash of intense red sky that can be seen directly by any living creature.

These red energies may come from the deepest part of the universe, from gods, or from the creator who is still sleeping high above, but not from humans who can create everything.

When the "Red Swing" was nearing its end, Igor discovered that the "experimental-level Lost Personnel" who had been squirming and performing ritual movements just now had now turned into a pile of helpless bodies without any breath of life.

The faces of these bodies were all blue-black, and the facial features were all blurred, except for a pair of wide-open eyes and the corners of their mouths slightly raised, expressing happiness.

The white robes they were wearing had long been burned into a pool of worthless black ash by the golden light. Huge twisted black blood vessels grew on their skin, as well as huge lumps that began to swell but eventually burst into nothingness.

Patriarch Constantine Novayasnov, who had just been suspended in the air to guide the ceremony, was now surrounded by white "chain" elements. Finally, after the energy was exhausted, he turned into a pool of golden powder in front of several people and spilled on the metal floor.

"Commander-in-Chief Yaroslav, there is only one minute left before the end of the dusk hour of 'neither day nor night'. We admire your keen judgment. According to the report of the miniature 'chain element detector', a high concentration of 'abandoned chains of old times' has appeared here. Now, please give the order and let the artillery start bombarding the weak areas of the 'wind wall'." Igor suggested.

"Okay." Yaroslav took the intercom from Sofia, cleared his throat, pressed the switch, and said:

"I am Yaroslav. Please use the artillery to bombard the 'wind wall'!"
-
　In the next chapter, the protagonist of Volume 1, Light Sugra, will appear.

　　Thank you readers for your recommendation votes.

(End of this chapter)