Cornflower Witch

Chapter 272 Feast Ceremony - Hellhound
Inside the mysterious valley, people were rushing about, preparing various things.

Most of the residents here are members of the Hundred-Eyed Sect. They are excited because this is an unprecedented grand ceremony. The Hundred-Eyed Sect's treasured resources accumulated over hundreds of years have been brought out and occupy the entire valley. A giant magic circle with a diameter of about five kilometers is being adjusted, and people in dark red robes are constantly adjusting it, making final preparations for tonight's ceremony.

Outside the valley, the Antirian army had also gathered. Their banners fluttered, and even before they arrived, their overwhelming momentum had already filled the entire plain.

The 'Castle' attribute is the cornerstone of order and also the exclusive 'attribute' of many national armies. When many soldiers with the 'Castle' attribute unite together, they are like the bricks that build a castle, constructing a magnificent curtain and a mobile wall that suppresses the power of other attributes.

The bugle sounded slowly, and the ranks of Antioch soldiers advanced steadily, like rolling boulders, slow but unstoppable.

Inside the valley, a high-ranking cultist reprimanded his subordinates.

"How is the unrest developing in those towns? Why is Kachis still ignoring it and unwilling to send troops to rescue them?"

"My lord, we have already instigated rebellions in 26 towns, and some have even been victorious. However, that Antian general has completely ignored the messengers who report intelligence and has forcefully taken control of the army to launch an attack."

"So many cities and territories in Regas, and he doesn't want them anymore? He's a madman!" he cursed through gritted teeth.

"How are those towns doing now? If they succeed, immediately have them send people over to support them."

"My lord, even if those cities succeed in launching an independence rebellion, they will suffer heavy casualties, and it will be difficult for them to spare any more resources..."

"These are not things for you to think about. You just need to know that if we don't get reinforcements, we're all going to die here."

"Go, go and harass them, hinder them, and delay their attack."

"Yes."

A group of Hundred-Eyed Cult members quietly emerged from a secluded slope on one side of the valley, preparing to set off. However, they had not gone far when screams echoed from the woods.

A cult member clutched his neck and slowly collapsed, dark red blood seeping from his fingertips.

Then, more cult members were killed in the woods. Some were unaware of their impending doom, while others, though aware, could not escape the attack.

Ten seconds later, the team that came out to interfere and harass was annihilated by an invisible blade.

Afterwards, figures dressed in short black cloaks appeared in the hazy light and shadow. They were masked and carried short, non-reflective blades, continuing forward along the hidden passage from which the cultists had emerged, heading into the valley.

Anti's army advanced slowly, filling the trees along the way with dark red flags, and clearing away the traps set by the Hundred-Eyed Cult.

On the hillside, the eleven dazed evil eyes activated their abilities, spreading an invisible force field. The soldiers who had invaded the foot of the valley suddenly lost their vision and could no longer see anything more than ten meters away. Even their own hands became blurry.

This visual oppression instilled panic in many soldiers, causing chaos in the advancing ranks.

Using the time of visual suppression, several deep purple rays pierced through the atmosphere and rushed straight to the rear of the army camp, where Kachis's command flag was displayed and high-ranking officers were observing on horseback.

After the light dissipated, about five officers dissolved and died in the rays, while the remaining officers hurriedly unfolded their curtains and merged with the army formation.

Layer upon layer of white curtains spread out, revealing that the core of the general's formation was isolated. To attack the figure within, one would probably have to penetrate seven layers of gray-white curtains, which weakened the attack layer by layer. The deep purple rays could not even penetrate a thin sheet of paper.

Unable to stop the army's advance, the believers in the valley were mobilized, and they took up bows, crossbows, and swords to attack the approaching Antioch soldiers at the foot of the mountain.

However, these actions were extremely weak in the face of the well-organized military formation and could not shake the iron wall of the army.

The Hundred-Eyed Cult's lines were gradually compressed, leaving behind corpses in dark red robes along the way.

Behind them, Kachis, mounted on his warhorse, observed everything through his binoculars.

"Indeed, the methods of you cultists are hard to guard against. Your manipulation of people's minds and your ambushes have caused us a lot of trouble."

"But so what? In the face of an invincible army, everything is nothing more than the struggle of insects." After saying this, he felt a long-lost sense of refreshment.

During this period, he was repeatedly questioned and held accountable by the Kingdom of Antioch for his failure to eliminate Prince Gabriel. If he could not resolve the issue within three months, the Kingdom of Antioch would send someone else to replace him.

Fortunately, his spies finally discovered the location of the rats, and now the mobilized army will gradually flatten these annoying creatures. Everything is so wonderful.

"Sir, a messenger has arrived from Rift Axe City." A messenger hurriedly came to his side.

"What is it?" Kachis frowned.

"He said that Riftax City urgently needs reinforcements, that there has been a rebellion there, and that Regas's armed men are everywhere in the streets."

"I left nearly 1000 people in Riftax City, and they can't even solve this little problem?" Upon hearing this news, Kachis felt as uncomfortable as if he had swallowed a fly.

He knew perfectly well what these cultists were up to, constantly instigating rebellions and disturbances to force him to divide his forces and prevent him from concentrating his strength to deal with them. If he followed their lead and sent soldiers to rescue each one one by one, he would be like someone who was constantly putting out fires, never having a moment's rest.

Moreover, His Majesty has lost patience with him. Even if we manage to save Liefu City by sending troops back now, what good will it do?

"Tell them to figure out their own solution. Hold out for three days, and I will personally lead the army back to clear out those insects," Kachis ordered.

"Yes." Knowing the general's determination, the messenger had no choice but to return and inform the envoy from Rift Axe City.

Inside the valley, Jobs watched as countless people busied themselves at the massive magic circle, his remaining loyal guards following him. "With the army pressing in from outside, breaching the defenses is a possibility at any moment. Are you sure tonight's ritual can change the situation?" he asked the Hundred-Eyed Cult member beside him.

At this point, Prince Jobs had begun to doubt the effectiveness of the ritual. If it were truly that powerful, why didn't the other countries on the continent adopt it, instead of continuing to train and cultivate their armies?

“Your Highness, please believe me, we are also betting everything we have and everyone’s lives. We would not play such a joke on you.” The believer’s words temporarily dispelled Prince Jobs’ doubts.

After giving a cold snort, Prince Jobs led his men away to the higher part of the valley to continue observing the battle.

As darkness fell, the forest at the foot of the valley became dim due to the lack of light. The complex environment slowed the Antirians' advance, allowing the Hundred-Eyed Cult to breathe a sigh of relief, thinking they could postpone their advance until tomorrow.

However, Kachis had anticipated this. Under his orders, a large amount of supplies were transported to the front lines of the army, and torches were lit under the night sky. The burning flames, like a sky full of stars, illuminated the valley and its surroundings.

Moreover, in order to disrupt the magic array and rituals within the valley, volleys of flaming arrows were launched, falling into the valley and igniting a raging inferno. Many believers cried out as they were consumed by the sea of ​​fire.

The situation was now extremely dire. Prince Jobs, his face grim as he looked at the firelight below, turned and ordered the knight beside him to search for Princess Musa.

"Get ready to take my sister and me away; we can't stay here any longer."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Inside the chaotic valley, the sect leader led a group of black-robed figures forward at a rapid pace. They stepped directly into the sea of ​​fire, and an invisible current of energy extinguished the surrounding flames.

At this moment, beams of extremely thin light shot out from the rock walls around the valley, piercing through the boxes placed in the lower magic array and revealing the items stored inside.

It includes a precisely graduated balance, an hourglass that determines the time period, and silver particles that represent weight.

Among them are amber containing insects and moths, fresh flowers and plants sealed in glass bottles, and fossils of ancient fish.

It contains congealed crimson blood, the teeth of ancient behemoths, and precious, incomplete dragon scales.

Among them were golden burning flames, ice frozen for thousands of years, and the dust of corpses from the Sixth Era.

Among them are tranquil, silvery lakes, eerie black water lilies, and membranes of strange beasts that flicker like phantoms.

After that, the eye demons on these mountain walls focused their rays on the center of the magic circle, and a strange meteorite, concentrated by numerous deep purple rays, slowly rose up.

It slowly transformed from pitch black to transparent, overflowing with energy, until it finally blossomed completely, its dazzling light spreading across the square.

An eerie and unfamiliar aura swept through the valley. When it touched the military formation outside the valley, the layers of gray-white curtains deformed and melted, as if they were dissolved.

Without the protection of the veil, the Hundred-Eyed Cult's eye demons locked onto the high-ranking officer in the center of the army formation. Rays of deep purple light pierced through the night, melting him, throwing the advancing army into chaos. Many flames were also ignited and spread through the forest.

Behind him, Kachis watched this scene with a distorted expression on his face. His eyes darted around before he finally pulled a special black hunting dog statue from his pocket.

“With our ancestors above, I will uphold the honor of our family with this.” After saying this, he threw the statue away to the astonishment of the onlookers.

The black statue emitted a black glow in the air before landing and transforming into invisible black flames that spread across the ground.

"Now that you no longer have the protection of the 'castle,' I will let you know the prestige and glory of my Hellhound family."

He took out a dagger, cut open his wrist, and a large amount of blood flowed out, falling into the black flames below. The flames immediately seemed to come alive, forming a blurry outline of a hunting dog.

“Not only have you mastered the rituals, but I also possess the ritual secrets passed down through generations of my family,” Kachis said through gritted teeth.

He then ordered his men to drag the corpses from the battlefield and throw them into the fire.

The black flames seemed to receive nourishment and surged upwards immediately.

【Feast Ritual - Purgatory Black Dog】(Nightmare - Ashes of Death - Blood Law)
At the end of the Seventh Era, a protracted war with the aliens left the land littered with corpses and maggots. Many lives had nowhere to be buried, and the exposed skeletons were a horrifying sight. To restore life to the land and appease the world's creatures, the monarch who ruled over the "Death Ashes," at the behest of the celestial beings, summoned black hounds from the sea of ​​fire. These hounds, emitting sulfurous, charred flames, roamed the land, devouring flesh and corpses, preparing for the rebuilding of the world.
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Conditions: This ritual requires a large number of corpses (death embers) to create the conditions for the birth of the Infernal Black Hound, the aura of despair and fear (nightmare) to shape the Black Hound, and the bloodline (blood law) that has made an ancient pact with the Infernal Black Hound as the catalyst.
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Summary: Once the ritual is successfully initiated, the Infernal Black Hounds will emerge from the flames. Their strength depends on the corpses consumed by the flames and the pervasive negative emotions. Once they appear, these black hounds will continuously devour any corpses they see and transform them into new Infernal Black Hounds until the charred flames within their bodies are completely burned out. In addition, if the blood owner who acts as the catalyst in the ritual knows the history of the 'Burial Feast' in the Seventh Era, and the environment they set up is more similar to that time, the stronger the effect of the ritual will be, and they will be able to guide these black hounds with their own will to carry out their actions.
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Effect: Summons black hounds from the black flames of death, which will incinerate and devour any skeletons they see, erasing any trace of the 'alien'. (Highly resistant to aliens; the hounds' flames are effective against other 'ember' creatures.)
The flames hissed and twisted, and finally a ferocious black dog leaped out. It was about two meters tall, with a slender body and a long, narrow head, and its appearance was chilling.

When these black dogs radiating flames emerged, their blood-red eyes searched around before they rushed to the battlefield, devouring the corpses. The soldiers were horrified by these black dogs and scattered in all directions. Some were even engulfed by the flames, their entire bodies ablaze, howling as they ran on the ground.

As the initiator of the ritual, Kachis has some influence over these black dogs, but he cannot control them precisely. After all, his bloodline is also very thin, and we are now in the Ninth Age, which is too far removed from the legends of the Seventh Age.

More than a dozen black hounds from the Purgatory ran across the land. Their strength was 'Second Tier · Death Ash', but this was only the beginning.

Numerous corpses became food and nourishment for the black dogs, who ran across the battlefield as if holding a grand feast. Whether it was the corpses of cultists, the corpses of Antiochians, or even those figures that had been set ablaze by their flames but were not yet completely dead, they all became their food.

In just a few minutes, the ten Hellhounds transformed into fifty Hellhounds, and the number is still climbing.

Driven by Kachis's full power, the black dogs charged into the valley, nimbly leaping over obstacles and rocks as they ran. Even when struck by the Eye Demon's rays, they did not die immediately, but were merely weakened.

Many members of the Hundred-Eyed Cult were pounced on by these black dogs, their cries and howls mingling as they were enveloped and melted by flames, an atmosphere of despair and fear spreading through them, before they were transformed into new infernal black dogs.

Despite the constant firing of the Eye Demons from the mountainside, they were still unable to stop the spread of these Hellhounds, whose numbers had expanded from the initial ten to nearly a hundred.

Terrifying barks echoed through the valley, spreading charred flames wherever they went, annihilating everything in their path and turning everything into a feast for the hounds.

(End of this chapter)