Man on the ark, forced to become king

They have no time to waste here. The real ritual to resurrect the Witch King has probably already begun somewhere. They can't let these baits cause them to miss out on what's truly important.

Thinking of this, Lin Lu roughly estimated the distance, and the Moonlight Greatsword in her hand gleamed with a deep blue light. With one strike, she made a vertical slash!

Regardless of the cause, it's probably affected by energy-based attacks. If there really were a technology that could ignore attacks and emit energy even when it's invisible to the eye, wouldn't Letania have already ascended to the heavens? Why would it be in this pathetic state now?

Lin Lu, in any case, didn't believe it.

A crescent-shaped, deep blue sword aura swept across the center of the ancient darkness, carrying along the residual energy it had attracted as the black hole disappeared, and precisely bombarded the empty space in its path.

"Hoshiguma, raise your shield!"

"Hey, hey, hey, the way you're saying it makes me feel like I'm a summoned beast!"

Despite her complaints, Hoshiguma still positioned Hannya diagonally above the two of them. The next second, a dazzling light shone from above, and a terrifying storm erupted, instantly creating a large hole in the warehouse roof.

Although the pressure was somewhat dispersed by the hole overhead, the impact from above was still powerful. Debris of steel and debris, along with dust, came hurtling down with the gale and crashed against the shield.

Boom!

Hoshiguma held a shield in one hand, her knees slightly bent, and pulled Lin Lu, who was caught off guard, into her arms with the other hand. Layers of pale red light shone on the Prajna, like a buffer shield that completely absorbed the energy impact coming towards them.

In just a few breaths, the entire warehouse was almost torn to shreds by the storm. Several large holes were torn in the walls and ceiling, and the interior was a complete mess. Even a large section of the floor was broken. Only a small area where Hoshiguma stood was barely intact.

Seeing this, Lin Lu had to admit that this 'ordinary police officer' who usually only participated in street patrols was quite skilled in defense. He seemed to have no effort in blocking such an impact with one hand, and probably still had a lot of strength left.

Talented! Absolutely talented!

This pose... is a little awkward.

Lin Lu lifted his head uncomfortably from Hoshiguma's arms, feeling a sharp pain on his face. He wondered who designed this one-piece breastplate for the Guard Bureau, as being pressed against it gave him the illusion of rubbing his face against a steel plate—or perhaps it wasn't an illusion, as the thing might actually be a single piece of steel.

"Is this solved?"

The shield landed, kicking up a cloud of dust. Hoshiguma released Lin Lu from his arms, looked up, and even reached out to feel the ground. It was indeed calm and the warehouse had returned to normal. Apart from the severely damaged buildings, there was nothing unusual.

"if not?"

Lin Lu rubbed her face, put the Dark Moon Greatsword back behind her, and rolled her eyes.

"If the method is correct, how much effort does it take to destroy an inanimate object? Let's go, if it's bait, there should be more than just this one place."

"That's right."

Hoshiguma felt something was off, but couldn't quite put her finger on it, so she gave up and waved her hand magnanimously, saying, "Let's go!"

Unfortunately, there was no one else around, so no one paid any attention to her. However, Hoshiguma didn't care at all. She tidied her slightly disheveled hair, lightly picked up her shield, and walked out, making Lin Lu's eyes twitch.

That triangular shield, roughly estimated to weigh at least 200 pounds, felt like paper in her hands, with no weight at all. How could someone like that waste her time as a lowly patrolman in the Guard Bureau?

The Golden Tree is the place she should be!

Thinking of this, Lin Lu quickly followed, intending to explain the matter briefly first.

Neither he nor Hoshiguma noticed that a line of text had been quietly imprinted on the surface of the sturdy shield. Although it was very faint and blurry, it was engraved directly on the specially made alloy.

-------------------------------------

"That's it...that's it! Wake up! Wake up!"

In the open square, Karlov stood at the very center of the crimson magic circle, dressed in a magnificent tailcoat, his arms outstretched in a frenzy, as if to embrace the sky.

Not far in front of him, a boy, bound in chains, knelt numbly on the ground, surrounded by several Caprinis with equally fanatical expressions, holding various musical instruments in their hands.

The warm sunlight fell from the sky, but was blocked by the hazy crimson just before it reached the square. The open space, which was directly exposed to the sky, gave people a cold feeling as if they were deep in the dark underground.

Dense array of magical runes were outlined in the deep red liquid and imprinted on the ground of the square, emitting a faint glow.

The piercing sirens of police cars continued to sound in the distance, but no one expected that the culprit that caused the chaos in Lungmen was actually conducting a ceremony in the square not far from the headquarters of the Royal Guard.

Due to the recent large-scale crackdown, coupled with the energy burst incident, almost all the officers of the Guard Bureau have been dispersed, so the places closest to the Guard Bureau are the least noticed.

Karlov had been preparing this ceremony venue for a long time; it was the culmination of all his efforts since arriving in Lungmen. Even though it was exposed to the Royal Guard, no one had ever noticed anything unusual. All of this was for these short ten minutes!

As all the magical runes in the square lit up, the Caprinis surrounding the boy began to play their instruments in perfect unison. Ancient melodies from Letania echoed in the air, gradually drowning out all other noises.

The boy kneeling on the ground had increasingly empty, numb eyes. He stiffly stretched out his arm, picked up the violin from the case, and assumed the most standard playing posture with a strange yet fluid movement.

"Awaken, great king!"

Karlov shouted wildly, and under his control, the magical runes on the square flickered in rhythm with the music, creating a magnificent melody.

Faintly, it seemed as if another piece of music was rising from the boy's body, trying to blend himself into the melody of the outside world.

The boy, who had never played the violin before, stood up from the ground. The chains binding him seemed to be eroded by some invisible force, breaking off one by one.

Above his body, the air was hazy and distorted, and crimson colors converged from all directions. The ethereal musical notes appeared out of thin air under the influence of the spell, forming a swirling vortex.

The Legacy of the Witch King: Sounds of the Mortal World!

The melody carrying the Witch King's will awakened under external stimulation, resonated with the instrument the Witch King once used, and came back to life!

A phantom several meters tall suddenly appeared from the dazzling array of colors, its magnificent robes billowing in the wind, almost enveloping the entire square.

Its arms were outstretched, its head bowed, and its oppressive aura poured down like a tidal wave, like an emperor who rules the world.

The mere sight of a past illusion is enough to instill an uncontrollable sense of dread.

The Caprinis playing on the ground trembled all over, almost kneeling on the ground. Karlov also trembled under the enormous power of the Witch King's phantom, his loud chanting abruptly stopped, followed by fervor.

Power, what power this is!

Even a phantom hidden among the fragments possesses such power; even gods are no match for it!

This is their Witch King! The greatest sorcerer and king in the history of Letania! His power is enough to make even the gods tremble!

And this power will soon belong to him!

The phantom of the Witch King was over ten meters tall, visible to anyone who wasn't blind. This display of power far exceeded expectations. Karlov knew he had committed a grave offense by causing such a disturbance in the heart of Lungmen, and he feared he would face a thunderous rebuke from the entire city.

But so what?

Once we seize the power of the Witch King, Dragon Gate is nothing but a place we can leave whenever we want.

The sky is high and the road is long here, even the emperor of Yan Kingdom cannot reach him, and no one can stop him!

Karlov felt a surge of desire and couldn't help but move forward, his stiff steps trembling as he tried to touch a corner of the phantom robe.

Close, closer!

He trembled as he moved forward, the magical runes scattered across the plaza flickering, a hazy red light gathering into the shape of chains, attempting to imprison the illusory image of the Witch King within.

'I've prepared for this day for so many years, I won't fail, I have no reason to fail!'

His parched lips could barely utter a word. Karlov roared inwardly, shaking his stiff body as he frantically lunged at the corner of that overwhelming shadow.

However, to everyone's horrified gaze, the Witch King's former phantom actually raised its arm—it had actually begun to act on its own!

All the magical chains that tried to approach vanished the moment those wide sleeves swept across the ground, and the magical runes that covered the earth almost went out on the spot!

"Hmm... an interesting bug."

The faces of the past illusions are blurred, but everyone below can feel the gaze descending from the sky, like a god surveying the earth. The melodies swirling in the air float around it like ribbons, carrying the music from this place to a farther place.

The Originium energy floating in the air instantly boiled over, turning the entire plaza and surrounding area into a pure chaotic wasteland. The violent magical turbulence tore apart everything visible to the naked eye. The Caprinis, who had stopped playing and were staring blankly at the sky, were pulverized into a cloud of blood mist before they could even scream. The blood mist swirled upward with the storm and merged into the body of the former illusion.

Karlov performed slightly better. After all, he was a mage qualified to build towers. The moment he sensed something was wrong, he erected a magical shield and cast a defensive spell on himself. This decisiveness saved him from being torn apart on the spot.

"Desire and fear, a good look."

The phantom of the Witch King, which was over ten meters tall, gradually shrank in the storm, shrinking to about three meters in size, making it look more like a real object. This change made Karlov, who had escaped the disaster, even more terrified.

No, that's not right! That's not his plan!

The so-called sounds of the mortal world are merely musical fragments containing the Witch King's understanding of magic; how could they possibly possess a complete consciousness?

It is not impossible to resurrect the Witch King with the help of the Earthly Voice, but a mere fragment of the Earthly Voice is definitely not enough!

If he had known that the Witch King's will would be awakened by this, he wouldn't have dared to continue this plan even if he had a thousand lives!

But look at it now... it can even talk! Isn't that practically alive?!

The sudden change in plans and the old fear of the Witch King almost overwhelmed Karlov's reason on the spot. He subconsciously wanted to kneel down, but the resentment and desire in his heart took over in his extremely chaotic state of mind, pulling his mind back from the brink of collapse.

Spells coalesced in his hand as Karlov gripped the staff that had been with him for many years, his eyes gleaming as he stared at the shrunken shadow of the Witch King in the distance.

Fragments... Yeah, so what if he comes back to life? So what if he has self-awareness?

Fragments are just fragments; how much power can they possibly have?

History has proven to everyone that the Witch King was neither invincible nor an eternal god!

He was just like any other mortal; he was a mortal!

After all, Karlov was once a highly respected sorcerer among the nobility, a great sorcerer qualified to independently build a magic tower. How could he not be able to defeat a fragment born from a past illusion?

As long as we defeat him, devour him, and possess him, the objective of this plan can still be achieved!

"I sensed your greed."

The phantom of the Witch King landed on the unconscious boy on the ground. A high-pitched melody exploded, and jet-black Originium crystals spread from the boy's body, shaping him into a monster like a demon from mythology. A magnificent robe materialized and draped over his body, and pale bone extended from his palms to form a pale staff.

Boom!

The staff tip touched the ground, calming the raging storm. The violent magical energy spread out from the Witch King, tearing large cracks into the ground of the plaza.

"Come... please me to my heart's content. As a reward for bringing me back to the earth, I will bestow upon you a magnificent funeral!"

The Witch King's voice sounded as if dozens of people were overlapping, carrying a captivating magic. He simply stood there and became the center of the storm, the surging magical energy almost becoming tangible, changing the color of the air.