Wasteland Echoer.

Chapter 684 The Alienated Holy Sound

"The land where dragons first appeared, soaring high into the sky."

"The beginning of the old days, the end of the vain."

"The old have returned, and the new gods have descended."

"A dim light, a darkness of hope."

"Under the blazing sun, the end of the night is still unknown."

"The old order will be restored!"

The girls, dressed in white and wearing masks, began to utter long, almost beast-like cries from their throats, which had never moved before. Then, accompanied by the increasingly rousing "Erythia" series of songs, they began to chant hymns to the "Lord of the Night".

Indeed, these are hymns praising the Lord of Night. Dark recognized them instantly when he heard these human-like voices coming from the throats of these human-like creatures.

"Ode to the Dark Night, interesting. 'Eternal Light,' your Dark Night Investigation Team recites dark chapters with such a sacred ritual, it's not just to create this ridiculous contrast, is it?" Dark sneered to himself.

“Light and darkness are never completely opposite,” “Eternal Light” replied in a deep voice.

At the same time, the skin of the girls who had just been reciting poems began to dry up rapidly, and with a faint wisp of smoke, their heads vanished instantly, turning into a pool of crimson mist.

Immediately afterwards, countless intense and bright sparks flew out from the fracture, like fireworks exploding or machinery performing welding work.

Soon, the "blooming" was over, and the girls' bodies completely merged with the mist that enveloped the entire city of Nebusk, leaving only eerily white Central Empire-style scarves and "masks" that were constantly melting and flowing all over the ground.

"Is this our welcoming ceremony?" Wright angrily drew the "Replica - Mad Bear" pistol from Dark's waist, steadily raised it with one hand, and pressed it against the back of "Eternal Light's" head.

"Eternal Light" also wisely raised his hands, making the same gesture that cowardly Federation soldiers used to survive when faced with the threat of death—raising his arms high, fingers spread, and head bowed, to show that he had no ability to resist.

"You mean these 'consumables'?" "Yongguang" sneered, a smirk playing on his lips, and replied in a calm tone:

"Their fate led them to their deaths; they were not entitled to take 'tranquil lozenges,' and of course, you do not need to take any medication to prevent the depletion of your mental strength."

"From the very beginning, there have been no equals among planets and the universe. The Creator is the ruler, and the gods are the executors. Weak and arrogant humans are destined to be blinded by the so-called 'wisdom' order core and fall into the form of 'demons' or 'slaves'. What these girls are chanting is indeed the content of 'Ode to the Dark Night,' but it is actually the 'Sacrifice Chapter.'"

"'Sacrifice Chapter'?"

“That’s right.” “Yongguang” nodded slightly, his back to the two of them.

"This is the final step of 'The End of Ashes,' sacrificing the purest souls in exchange for the joint protection of the 'Lord of the Night' and the 'Goddess of Light,' to create a prison called 'Death' for Athos and his servants."

“Activating this cage requires a chilling key, and that key is ‘blood.’ Hahaha, ‘blood,’ the blood of these young girls will be gathered into crimson chains by the ‘condensation device.’ Afterward, the ‘antenna’ suspended atop the ‘magnificent building’ will receive ‘dark energy’ from the universe…” As he spoke, “Eternal Light’s” eyes began to fill with bloodshot veins, then instantly turned scarlet, like a beast about to devour a human body.

Immediately afterward, countless crimson hairs sprouted from his neck, piling up to completely cover it, resembling a pure, unpolluted scarf. "I smell the scent of dragons, 'Eternal Light,' where is Adaloni? Are you using him?" The red magical energy within Wright began to stir restlessly, and the eight signature "Dark Touches" suddenly shot out from his back, tearing through the sturdy military cotton coat and instantly wrapping around "Eternal Light's" neck.

The newly grown fur, resembling that of a wild beast, offered no defensive capabilities whatsoever!

"We... will not use Adaloni. He is merely an untamed, self-aware... abandoned... abandoned dragon. What 'The End of Ashes' needs is a dragon truly obedient to the 'Dark Night Investigation Team,' obedient to Lord Nebrius's will." "Eternal Light" barely managed to break free from Dark's restraints, but took a few steps forward to the strangely dark door of the "Room of Truth," speaking in a bizarre and insane tone:
"Dragons are the Creator's most beloved pets, while humans are merely tools He uses to spy on Him. Humans can experience countless cycles of existence, prosperity, and destruction, while dragons can only slumber and revive endlessly. Hahaha... Ice and snow will eventually cover the entire Crusader, and afterwards, all things will revive, and spring will always come."

"The mission of the dragon race is to maintain 'order,' to use every means to maintain the final 'order.' These girls have already been sacrificed, transformed into energy to power 'The End of Ashes,' and the dragon who will soon be sacrificed for this great cause... is me."

“I guessed it, ‘Eternal Light.’ From the moment we met outside that abandoned church, I deduced your dragon identity from the fluctuations in energy.” Dark took two steps forward unhurriedly, maintaining a distance of exactly 13 meters from “Eternal Light.”

“Although you are subordinate to the so-called leaders of the ‘Dark Night Investigation Team’ in terms of status, merely a… an ‘executor,’ your inherent arrogance cannot be concealed. Those behaviors etched into your genes will not change with any education, just like the mission of the dragon race.” Dark felt a sense of goodwill and respect for “Eternal Light,” which was emitting a faint dark red glow before him.

After a pause, Dark slowly began to speak:

"The Dark Night Investigation Team sent you to lead us to the 'Between of Truth,' and I think the most important reason is to let us watch your 'performance.' You want to convey to us the idea that 'if dragons can sacrifice themselves for Crusad, then the 'Orderers' and 'Disruptors' who hold the reins of destiny can also sacrifice everything for Crusad,' right?"

“Not only the Nabsk Provisional Coordination Committee, but also Vasily’s remnants, Shaneva’s remaining forces, and even Kuka, who is stationed in Choigler, do not want Wright and me to leave Krusd, right?”

“As expected of Commander Dark Tiris, the most outstanding and promising young officer Lord Vasily has ever seen.” As “Eternal Light” spoke, his body suddenly swelled up a bit, stretching his entire black Khitan Lis Flame Suit to its limit, making him look like an evil cultivator who had taken an unusual drug to gain supernatural power.

Soon, dragon-like whiskers began to grow from the corners of "Eternal Light's" mouth, like an infinitely extending vine, rapidly spreading outwards and curling inwards, enveloping the entire head that was emitting a strange, sinister grin.

Strangely, even though those ugly, blood-smelling downy hairs completely covered "Eternal Light's" mouth, he could still make clear human sounds.

“You… are destined to become rulers, so why not choose to remain in Crusd? Years ago, I returned to Khitanris, the ancestral land I so longed for, but I did not find a place of hope, a land flowing with milk and honey, but rather a treacherous place filled with intrigue, evil, and conspiracy.” “Eternal Light’s” voice grew increasingly low, gradually incorporating a hint of a beastly growl.
"There is not necessarily hope there. Beneath the blazing light lies a cold twilight, and within the so-called 'order' lies only the cries of the dead and the wails of ghosts. Lord Atlanca, Lord Kazama Reiji, and Lord Hoshino Shota, they hope to use 'The End of Ashes' to demonstrate the Crusaders' indomitable spirit. And I will show you the Crusaders' courage."

"Courage is the most beautiful hymn to mankind; perseverance is the only way for mankind to fight against the Creator!"

As soon as "Yongguang" finished speaking, the downy hair that had been covering his head began to fall off one by one.

No, rather than falling off, it was more accurate to say that the head, which had swelled to a size beyond that of a human head, broke free from this brief and sole constraint.

A pair of dragon horns, remarkably similar to those in ancient legends, were now atop that head, with crimson blood gushing outwards. However, upon touching the faint, ethereal mist, the blood turned into a pool of blood-red particles that dissipated into the air.

A lizard-like face, crimson eyes, a mouth that spews out smoke and thin flames, and fangs so white they look like they've been painted with white paint—these elements combine to create the face that is unique to the dragon race.

Immediately afterwards, the pitch-black flame robe began to completely shatter and fall in all directions, turning into worthless strips of cloth. The robust and abnormally proliferating muscles completely broke through the "Eternal Light's" original human body structure.

The reconstruction of the skeleton filled the underground floor of the "magnificent building" with chilling "crackling" sounds. Thick, black blood gushed down, flowing endlessly, and actually turned into a shallow "lake" at the feet of Dark and Wright.

"Roar!" A deep groan, accompanied by heavy panting, came from the body of the "dragon" in front of them. At this moment, Dark and Wright realized that the flesh-colored muscle tissue had completely disappeared, replaced by a layer of exceptionally hard crimson scales.

And a robust and proud body that belongs exclusively to the dragon race!