DD Black White [291-292] (Patreon)

Chapter 291: Hoolay and Jing Yuan

"If I insist on giving it a try?" Kong Deming's gaze turned razor-sharp, his soul power pushed to the limit.

He knew this was the only chance—Xu Tianran's Servant was not in the palace at the moment. If he missed it, perhaps no one would be able to stop this madman again.

"Elder Kong, you're forcing my hand."

Xu Tianran's expression went completely cold. The gentle luster in his eyes was instantly replaced by a bizarre molten-gold hue.

Molten-gold lines crawled up his cheeks like living things. Space behind him began to twist as the spectral image of a massive purple dragon slowly emerged.

The dragon looked very much like the Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon, yet was entirely different—its scales were covered with molten-gold tracery, destructive flames burned in its eyes, and the aura it exuded made the entire Silvermoon Divine Shield tremble faintly.

"This is… the Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon?" Kong Deming's pupils constricted, disbelief written across his face.

He too possessed imperial blood, and was intimately familiar with the Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon martial soul. Though it also bore a destruction attribute and a tyrannical draconic might, the dragon before him radiated a heart-palpitating aura of annihilation—stronger even than the Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon.

"This is no ordinary Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon, Elder Kong."

Xu Tianran's voice turned hoarse and icy. His molten-gold eyes locked onto Kong Deming. "This is… the power that will let me become a god!"

Within the Silvermoon Divine Shield, two terrifying auras collided and intertwined.

…

Meanwhile, out on the streets of Mingdu, the antimatter legion's slaughter continued. No one knew of the silent contest deep within the imperial palace.

"Dai Huabin! We'll start the reckoning with you!"

Night wind laden with the stench of blood swept past the street corner. Huo Yuhao stood motionless atop a shattered wall, short black hair lifted by the airflow, revealing a face sheathed in frost.

His eyes suddenly flared, twin blood-red beams lancing into the sky. The once bright silver moon was replaced in an instant by an eerie blood moon.

The blood moon cast a strange crimson glow, dyeing half the sky scarlet. Even the air seemed viscous and scorching.

"Awooo—!"

Piercing howls rose one after another, as if to tear eardrums apart.

Hundreds of massive Borisin werewolves burst from the shadows, their bodies covered in dark gray manes, blood-red currents burning across their hides like flames. Their razor fangs and claws glinted coldly as drool dripped from their jaws. Wherever they passed, deep claw prints were gouged into the ground.

Their eyes were scarlet, burning with frenzied killing intent as they charged straight at the Shrek Academy.

"Careful! What are those things?"

Xiao Xiao and the other Masters were shielded behind by the Servants and Xuan Zi. Faces pale at the tide of werewolves, they huddled closer.

Shrek's group was escorting a group of civilians toward the outskirts of Mingdu. Xuan Zi, Elder Song, and other Titled Douluo opened a path in front, while the Servants formed a defensive formation to guard the flanks.

With their strength, they could force a breach even against Voidranger: Tramplers-class foes. But the antimatter legion came like an endless tide, and the need to aid civilians along the way slowed their breakout far more than expected.

Bei Bei blasted a lunging Reaver away with a Lightning Dragon Claw. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a civilian slashed by a voidsoldier's claws and immediately pulled back to rescue them.

Though they did not know that these civilians' souls had been drawn by Lu Jingming and entrusted to the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's dreamspace for safekeeping, to them, every fallen figure was a living life.

As Shrek students, they could not look away.

Shrek Academy had its problems, but at least its teachings to students were upright.

And they truly had the ability to save a group of people—even if those people were citizens of the Sun–Moon Empire.

"My Lord above!"

At the center of the formation, Jeanne raised her holy standard blazing with sacred radiance. Golden light spread out like a warm tide, enveloping the hundreds of civilians behind.

That light seemed gentle, yet held unyielding strength—the Voidranger: Reavers' claws left only shallow white marks upon the barrier.

The Voidranger: Eliminators' dark-matter blasts struck it and merely rippled its surface.

Even the Voidranger: Distorters, capable of spatial transfers, could not pass this sacred shield.

A Voidranger: Tramplers noticed the anomaly and drew its bow, loosing a wind-arrow filled with violent wind element.

The arrow shrieked through the air, but the instant it struck the barrier, golden light held it fast and slowly erased it.

The civilians, unharmed, were stunned for a moment, then broke into excited cries: "It's the Saint! The Saint is protecting us!"

They clustered behind Jeanne. The panic on their faces eased as they followed the direction of the holy banner, advancing steadily.

Xuan Zi looked at the charging Borisin werewolves and snorted coldly. His soul rings blazed to life.

A terrifying yellow gravity field enveloped a hundred meters around. The foremost werewolves were slammed down as if by invisible giant hands. They crashed to the ground with dull booms, punching deep man-shaped pits in the stone streets. The sounds of shattering bones were clear as day.

"That's more like it…"

Xu Sanshi had just relaxed when several blood-stained wolf claws reached out from the pits. The werewolves whose bones and organs should have been crushed actually crawled out slowly.

Their wounds closed at a speed visible to the naked eye; broken bones clicked and twisted back into place. In just moments, they were once again roaring and pouncing.

"This regeneration… is insane!"

Bei Bei drew a sharp breath. Lightning Dragon Claws gathered in his hands; he pierced one werewolf's heart—only to see the wound writhe shut instantly. The werewolf counter-swiped, nearly batting him away.

Elder Lin flashed like lightning. A condensed wind blade howled forth, precisely severing a werewolf's arm.

Horrifyingly, the werewolf only glanced at the severed limb, then stooped to pick it up and pressed it back into the stump like a toy part.

Flesh fused in an instant, bone reconnected; in the space of a breath, the arm was restored. It even flexed its claws, as if the injury had never existed.

Elder Lin's eyes tightened. His wind blade flew again, this time at the werewolf's head.

As the head tumbled, the body staggered a few steps, even tried to bend down to pick it up. Only when the neck wound failed to heal did it crash to the ground, truly dead.

"They're Borisin! Abominations of Abundance!"

Qingque's voice held disbelief. She recognized the werewolves' origin and unconsciously shrank sideways, trying to shield her friend Songque at her side.

At almost the same instant, Songque did the same, each trying to put the other behind them.

Their eyes met; an awkward air hung between them. Then, tacitly, both edged closer toward Jeanne—the Saint's shield was impressively strong and tangibly safer.

Jing Yuan's gaze had long since locked onto the Borisin werewolves, eyes grave.

He lifted his formation blade slightly; violent golden lightning gathered at once, surging forth like charging dragons. Wherever it passed, hundreds of Borisin werewolves were charred to ash, a burnt stench filling the air.

"These aren't native Borisin. They've been forcibly converted."

Jing Yuan spoke in a low voice, seeing through at a glance. "Someone is manipulating them using the Abundance's benediction."

That blood moon hanging in the sky was too conspicuous, barely disguised—laid out like a playing card face-up.

Coupling that with the traits of the converted Borisin, he instantly guessed the culprit—the Borisin warhead defeated by the former Luofu Sword Champion and imprisoned aboard the Xianzhou Luofu: Hoolay.

"Follower of Lan. The General of the Hunt. So this is what fate has in store?"

A deep roar rolled from the distance, making nearby buildings shudder.

Atop a towering building not far away, the massive silhouette of a werewolf slowly took shape.

He was huge, his body covered in pale-blue fur. Scarlet auras rose from him like wolf-smoke, and the pressure he exuded made even Xuan Zi and Elder Song tense involuntarily.

"Hoolay."

Jing Yuan's voice was calm, but his hand tightened slightly on the formation blade.

Sensing the powerful evil aura, Jeanne pulled Qingque and Songque tighter beneath her guard. The light on the holy standard shone even brighter.

Jing Yuan surveyed the chaotic battlefield, frowning with a slight click of the tongue.

As the strategist of the Xianzhou Alliance, he was used to winning by planning. Yet, in this totally unfamiliar otherworld, he had repeatedly been forced onto the back foot.

The rules here differed entirely from the cosmos he knew. Most crucially, there was no Divination Commission to provide detailed intel, no eyes across the stars relaying messages. Even with sky-piercing wisdom, he was like a clever cook with no rice—hard-pressed to make accurate predictions and timely responses.

One Hoolay and these forcibly converted Borisin werewolves were not enough to shake Shrek Academy's lineup.

What truly worried Jing Yuan were the endlessly arriving antimatter troops.

These pitch-black killing machines seemed to have received some directive. Faced with Hoolay and the Borisin, they were utterly indifferent.

They continued along their set trajectories, cold eyes fixed only on destruction, not sparing even a glance for the Borisin beside them.

"A temporary alliance, then…"

Jing Yuan muttered, his gaze growing more solemn.

The antimatter legion joining with the Borisin undoubtedly made an already dire situation worse.

At that moment, Hoolay moved atop the high-rise.

The massive war blade in his hand gleamed with a crimson chill, the aura twining around the blade roiling and roaring like a living thing.

With an ear-splitting roar, Hoolay's massive body leapt from the building. His heavy frame drew an afterimage as it fell, bringing down a force like ten thousand pounds, cleaving straight toward Jing Yuan below.

Before the blade even landed, the rending wind split the ground in spiderweb cracks. Where the crimson aura passed, even light seemed devoured.

"Scatter!"

Jing Yuan's eyes focused as he barked out.

Before the words finished, his formation blade thrummed upward, golden lightning coiling around it like a living dragon.

Clang—!

A crash like shattering eardrums exploded.

The formation blade wrapped in golden thunder met the war blade shrouded in crimson aura head-on. At the point of contact, blinding light burst forth as if a miniature sun had been born.

Wild energy spread outward from the collision point. Space creaked under the strain, laced with fine cracks as if about to collapse the next second.

A massive mushroom cloud rose over the city center, and a dark-red shockwave swept out like a tsunami.

Where it passed, skyscrapers flattened like paper; stone streets peeled up, exposing bare earth beneath.

The antimatter troops locked in combat bore the brunt. Dozens of Voidranger: Reavers were torn apart by the shockwave, scattering into drifting black particles.

Voidranger: Tramplerss in the distance were flung away, crashing into the ruins with heavy booms.

Hoolay's Borisin werewolves fared no better. Hundreds flew back like cut kites, slamming into shattered walls, bones cracking in a chorus of snaps.

Shrek's people were also caught in the blast. Xuan Zi hastily channeled soul power, forming a massive ochre shield, yet was still driven back step after step as cracks spidered across it.

Jeanne's holy shield flickered violently. Though it barely protected the civilians and Qingque's group behind, it still skidded back dozens of meters, gouging twin furrows in the ground beneath her feet.

The others all bore Jeanne's protection as well, but were flung apart by the shockwave. Shrek Academy's formation was scattered, each party separated.

Amid roiling dust, Jing Yuan and Hoolay faced one another across the distance.

Jing Yuan was unscathed, golden lightning coursing over him, formation blade braced against Hoolay's war blade without yielding a step.

Hoolay's massive body swayed slightly, but there was no surprise in his scarlet eyes. If the Xianzhou's general were weak, he would not deserve the title.

After a heartbeat of silence, an even fiercer clash began anew on the ravaged streets of Mingdu.

"Master, are you all right?"

Karna's voice was low and steady, hiding a trace of concern.

He had not moved, only extended an arm to catch the stumbling He Caitou.

Golden armor reflected a cold luster in the moonlight, perfectly matching his composed bearing.

"I'm fine."

He Caitou shook his still-heavy head. Sweat dampened his brow; his face was pale.

That wild shockwave had nearly displaced his organs. If not for Jeanne's holy shield blocking most of the force in time, he might already be a mangled corpse.

Even so, being flung into the air had sent him spinning end over end. He'd hit a broken stone pillar on landing. Now the world reeled and a high ringing filled his ears.

He steadied himself and looked around—only to realize the blast had carried him into an unfamiliar alley.

The companions who had been close by were gone. Only Karna remained, guarding his side like a shadow.

Chapter 292: Enemies Meet

"We've… been separated."

He Caitou spoke in a low, grave tone.

Just then, the clatter of bones grated from the alley mouth. Two Voidranger: Reavers and Voidranger: Eliminator crept forward.

Their black eyes fixed on the pair in the alley. Inhuman screeches rasped from their throats—they had clearly found new prey.

Twin lances of searing fire shot from Karna's eyes, like two red-hot spears, spanning a hundred meters in an instant.

Where the fire passed, the air itself warped. The Voidranger: Reavers' heads burst apart into drifting black particles.

The Voidranger: Eliminator, attempting to charge a dark-matter cannon, disintegrated in the blaze.

It was all clean and swift—too quick for a full scream.

"Master, do you need me to find the others, or support the front?"

Karna drew back his gaze, looking to He Caitou. The flames in his eyes slowly receded.

He could clearly sense intense energy clashes in the distance. The main battle was still raging.

He Caitou fell silent for a moment, fingers unconsciously clenching his coat hem until his knuckles went white.

From outside came the civilians' cries interwoven with the voidsoldiers' screeches. Sounds that should have made him anxious now pricked at an old, scarred wound.

"No."

He suddenly lifted his head. The confusion in his eyes vanished in an instant, replaced by a near-obsessive resolve.

His gaze bored past layered rooftops, locking on the brightly lit heart of Mingdu—the direction of the imperial palace.

"We're going to the palace."

As he spoke, a bone-deep chill spread from him—the hatred suppressed for more than ten years iced over the air like ten-thousand-year frost.

Karna did not hesitate. He simply inclined his head and stood quietly at He Caitou's side, the most faithful guardian.

Whatever his Master decided, he would obey unconditionally. That was the fate of a Servant—and the promise of their pact.

He Caitou drew a deep breath and pressed a hand to the soul tool storage pouch at his waist.

Clicks and whirs sounded in succession. One by one, intricate soul tools flew from the pouch, auto-assembling onto him. Dark iron armor covered him, runes glowing a dim blue. A cannon on his left shoulder lifted; blade-fins snapped from the right gauntlet. The booster on his back vented a faint white plume.

In just a few breaths, he was armed to the teeth—like a war engine primed to unleash.

Alone, even as a Soul Emperor and seventh-rank soul engineer, he would never dare set foot in the palace—the pinnacle of Sun–Moon imperial power.

But now, Karna—the son of the Sun God—stood at his side. This absolute strength gave his long-banked fires of vengeance an outlet at last.

Memories buried deep burst forth like a breached flood.

In a damp, airless chamber, the air was so thin it suffocated.

His mother had hidden him in a secret room. He watched, eyes open wide, as his mother and sisters were slain, executed one by one.

Even to death, neither his mother nor his sisters betrayed him. They shielded him with their lives.

Those images were branded on his soul. Every recollection flayed his heart.

He Caitou trembled—not in fear, but from extremities of rage and hatred.

He clenched his teeth until the mouth filled with blood, barely suppressing a choke in his throat.

Outside, Mingdu's streets had become a living hell.

Civilians' wails and pleas rose in waves as they were trampled by the antimatter legion.

A cold curve tugged at He Caitou's lips. A dark, unspeakable pleasure surged within—retribution, perhaps. The Sun–Moon Empire's blood debt repaid in the most brutal way.

As for the civilians struggling through the calamity… there was no pity in his eyes, only frozen indifference.

In his view, they had enjoyed prosperity plundered by the current imperial house, turned a blind eye to the massacre back then, even clapped in approval. They were unworthy of salvation.

If not for Shrek Academy's righteous reputation and the need to maintain surface harmony, he would not have bothered with even feigned kindness.

"Let's go, Karna."

His voice was ice-cold. The thrusters blasted a fiery jet, carrying him and Karna like a black lightning bolt toward the palace—that symbol of all his pain and hatred.

Wind at the alley mouth lifted bloody grime from the ground, leaving two resolute silhouettes. They merged with the distant glow of the main battlefield, heralding a coming storm—one belonging to a man of vengeance.

…

"Master, look out!"

Siegfried's voice cracked like a blade wind. He flashed forward, the magic sword Balmung sweeping in a cross-cut.

The blade, bearing both holy sword and demonic sword attributes, now shone with sacred silver light—fully in holy sword mode.

Its edge met a Reaver's claw, a shrill metal scream ringing out as the claw capable of rending steel was shattered to powder.

"Huabin, we're surrounded!"

Zhu Lu's voice trembled with panic. She swung her twin claws, barely forcing back two voidsoldiers, while her eye caught a Voidranger: Tramplers over ten meters tall slowly turning. Its cold gaze locked onto them.

If not for Siegfried's overwhelming combat power taking most of the pressure, she and Dai Huabin might already have fallen.

Zhu Lu wasn't a Master—just a Shrek tournament participant tagging along.

She'd thought this trip to Mingdu would be a heated event, not a plunge into a nightmare slaughter.

The antimatter legion's raid came without warning; Mingdu became a battlefield in an instant.

Dai Huabin clenched his fist, veins bulging at his temple. He knew full well how perilous things were.

Xu Tianran was vicious beyond measure. This seemingly out-of-control massacre was a carefully planned hunt.

The tournament was bait to gather the continent's elites. If the younger generation of the three nations and the mainstays of various factions died here, the Sun–Moon Empire's path to unifying the continent would be clear.

Like Nan Shuishui of the Earth Dragon Sect, Du Busi of the Body Sect, and Shrek's Xuan Zi—if they all perished in Mingdu, none would remain to check the Empire's iron hoof in the future.

But Xu Tianran's madness defied imagination. He would bury over ten million Mingdu civilians with them—perhaps even the entire city. That resolve sent chills down spines.

Tap… tap… tap…

Measured footsteps sounded behind them, unnaturally distinct amid the chaos.

A figure slowly stepped from the shadows and blocked Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu's path.

"Long time no see, Dai Huabin."

Huo Yuhao's voice was lazy, yet carried a biting chill.

His blood-colored pupils fixed on Dai Huabin. A crooked, wicked smile tugged at his lips, as if relishing a trapped prey's fear.

"Huo Yuhao?!"

Dai Huabin's pupils shrank. He reflexively stepped back half a pace.

Enemies meeting was always explosive—more so at the edge of life and death.

The Huo Yuhao before him was a stranger to the quiet boy in his memory—blood-red eyes roiling with murderous frenzy, an aura cold and uncanny, like a Asura returned from hell.

"So you're a Master too."

Huo Yuhao's eyes flicked over Siegfried, his tone openly derisive. "But trash like you… deserves a Servant?"

Memories of humiliation at the White Tiger Duke's estate surged up like a tide.

Dai Huabin's fists and kicks, servants' mocking jeers, and his mother coughing blood in his arms—each scene was a red-hot brand seared into his soul.

The blood in Huo Yuhao's eyes deepened. His face twisted with suppressed hatred; even his breathing grew rough.

"Master, his hostility is extreme."

Siegfried stepped in front of Dai Huabin, holy sword light flaring brighter.

He didn't know the details of their grudge, but the near-tangible killing intent put him instantly on guard.

"Kill him! Siegfried!" Dai Huabin barked, a vicious glint in his eye.

He had long wanted Huo Yuhao dead. His hired killers had failed, and he'd been punished by the Academy for it. Resentment had simmered ever since.

Now Shrek had disowned Huo Yuhao. Amid this chaos, killing him would be like crushing an ant. No one would ask questions.

Dusk-colored sword-qi burst forth like a lightning bolt tearing the dark, slashing for Huo Yuhao's face.

Huo Yuhao twisted instinctively, but pain flared in his left arm. Blood sprayed—his entire left arm was severed at the shoulder, thudding to the ground in a splash of red.

Surprise flashed in Siegfried's eyes—Huo Yuhao's reaction had exceeded his expectations. But the next moment, dusk-light coiled the holy sword again—he would not hold back.

What happened next made Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu gasp.

Huo Yuhao glanced at the severed arm without pain on his face. He reached out with his right hand, picked up the arm, and pressed it to the wound.

An eerie scene unfolded—the instant flesh met flesh, faint red light shimmered. Blood and meat wriggled and fused like living things. In a few breaths, the arm was whole again without even a scar.

"How… how is that possible?" Zhu Lu cried, disbelief writ large.

Not even a Titled Douluo could heal like that. It was beyond human—eerily similar to the Borisin werewolves!

"Careful, Master. He's like those werewolves!"

Siegfried's eyes hardened. Even more immense dusk-light gathered on his blade—this time, he would show no mercy.

"How long do you plan on just watching?"

Huo Yuhao seemed unconcerned by Siegfried's strike. He simply called out lightly over his shoulder.

"My apologies."

With a cool female voice, a storm of cherry blossoms burst into bloom. Pink-white petals surged like a tide, their fragrance delightful, their hidden edge deadly.

A fox-eared, cherry-haired girl appeared from thin air, a cherry-hued katana in hand, stepping precisely between Huo Yuhao and the blow.

Clang—!

The spirit blade Sakura Fubuki met the holy sword Balmung head-on. Sword-qi and blade-lights braided into a raging storm, shredding the voidsoldiers nearby.

Shockwaves rippled out. The ground cracked in a spiderweb. Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu staggered back, nearly losing their footing.

Yae Sakura frowned slightly, full of helplessness.

She hadn't wanted to be involved, much less help someone like Huo Yuhao. But her pact with Tang Ya had bound their fates—if Huo Yuhao died here, Tang Ya would likely die as well, and she, as a Servant, would dissipate in turn.

She could not vanish yet.

She hadn't seen the Grail. She hadn't confirmed whether it could realize her wish. She wanted to see Kallen again—even once, even as a fleeting illusion—worth any price.

"A Servant?!"

Siegfried's eyes sharpened. Green lightning wrapped his body. His grip tightened; the holy sword blazed brighter, forcing Sakura Fubuki into a slight bend.

A red light flickered in Yae Sakura's eyes. Cherry aura wreathed her. Her blade thrummed and surged in strength.

Their weapons clashed in midair, each exchange erupting with violent energies. Space warped around them. Even the distant Voidranger: Tramplers paused under the pressure.

Huo Yuhao stood behind Yae Sakura, watching the fierce duel, a deeper, stranger smile on his lips.

He turned slowly, looking at a figure emerging in the shadows. The Command Seals on Tang Ya's hand glowed with a demonic red. That was his true trump card.

Otherwise, why would he show himself, knowing Dai Huabin had a Servant?

The answer was simple—Yae Sakura was already one of his pieces.

As long as Tang Ya remained firmly in the Holy Spirit Sect's grasp, Yae Sakura could not escape the contract's shackles. No matter how unwilling she was, even if she held back in spirit, she had to obey.

Leaving such a top-tier Servant's power idle would be truly foolish.

Like now—Hoolay had gone to trouble Jing Yuan, and Yae Sakura was the perfect piece to stall Siegfried.

Huo Yuhao's calculus was sharp. He never planned for Yae Sakura to crush the dragon-slayer. It was enough for her to delay him—long enough for Huo Yuhao to settle Dai Huabin.