The Ancient Matrons

As the ethereal voice resonated, a maiden gracefully descended from the portrait, like a celestial immortal alighting before Du Chen's bed. Her appearance was precisely that of the one who had vanished from the painting last night.

Du Chen dismounted his bed and stood facing the spectral maiden, sparing a glance at Porter, who was sound asleep on the sofa. "Oh? You've decided to pay a visit to this ancient castle's master so soon? I can accompany you, but..."

He did not shift an inch!

The maiden followed Du Chen's gaze and declared, "We swear upon our honor as soldiers that we bear you no ill will, nor any enmity. Your companions shall remain unharmed!"

A soldier's honor? My dear lady, you are The Undead! I don't even know what your current occupation entails; only a fool would believe in your so-called 'honor'!

Just then, Deboning materialized silently in the bedroom, its cold gaze fixed upon the maiden. Its chilling Deboning Steel Hook was already clutched in its grasp. "Young Master, she is mine to handle!"

"Hold on a moment! My beautiful lady, might you first grace me with your name?" Du Chen asked, a picture of gentlemanly politeness.

He summoned a lotus blossom, letting it hover in his palm, seemingly toying with it nonchalantly. Yet, the faint golden glow emanating from the lotus caused the maiden's expression to drastically shift, making her unconsciously retreat to the corner. "You are a descendant of Sigurd, the Lieutenant-General of the Cavalry Command. Then, surely you must have heard of the 'Red Phoenix Battle Formation' under Lieutenant-General Julie's command?!"

The Red Phoenix Battle Formation? And Sigurd… Lieutenant-General of the Cavalry Command!?

Surprisingly enough, Du Chen, who knew next to nothing about this continent, happened to be familiar with these three titles!

Today, across the Three Continents, Sigurd's name is reverently referred to by his granted title—'Holy Radiance' Sigurd, the Titled Battle God!

However, Lieutenant-General of the Cavalry Command… his 'Big Brother' (referring to Steve) had vaguely mentioned this military rank. Their ancestor, Sigurd's, full military title during the Godslayer War was: Lieutenant-General Sigurd of the Third Star, Commander-in-Chief of the McAllen Cavalry in the Einz War Zone of the Holy Alliance, and a God-Granted First-Class Duke!

After a millennium, few could recall such a lengthy title!

Heavens, could it be that these spectral maidens were part of the legendary Lieutenant-General Julie's personal guard from the Fallen Gods Era?!

Du Chen's scalp tingled, and his heart involuntarily quickened its pace. Good heavens, what kind of jest was this?! Only yesterday, someone had spoken of his ancestor Sigurd's ambiguous relationship with Julie, and today, Julie's personal guard had materialized! If this spectral maiden wasn't lying, then her seniority…

Counting back from Sigurd, it seemed it wouldn't be an exaggeration for him to address her as 'Grand Ancestress'!

The 'maiden,' who was an ancient ancestress, declared, "If you still disbelieve me, and if you are not afraid of startling your companions, I can demonstrate the Secret Technique of the 'Red Phoenix Battle Formation' right here and now, a technique surely mentioned in your family history—that is, if you truly are a descendant of Lieutenant-General Sigurd of the Cavalry Command!"

On second thought, he had never even glanced at his family history. Or rather, His Grace, Grand Duke Arges, had never shown any interest in letting him see it! Still, this spectral maiden couldn't be faking it now – if she was an acquaintance of his ancestor, she certainly wasn't an enemy!

Du Chen reined in his audacious demeanor, nodding. "Very well. Brook, you stay here and guard everyone. I shall accompany this lady… this Elder… for a while!"

The spectral ancestress led Du Chen to a subterranean chamber within the ancient castle—a cellar that didn't appear on any of the castle's architectural blueprints.

The chamber was shrouded in gloom, illuminated only by a few emerald-green candlelight points. Within, there were two more spectral maidens, both young and strikingly beautiful. They, too, were dressed as maids, with long, light-red hair, spirited phoenix eyes, and cherry-red lips lightly pursed. Despite their seemingly early-twenties appearance, they possessed a beauty that could captivate all living beings, and astonishingly, they were identical twins!

Twin Ancestresses?!

Du Chen felt a touch of awkwardness as he regarded them, taking a seat on the only black leather chair in the subterranean chamber – indeed, the sole piece of furniture. "Ladies… Elders, how may I address you?"

"Lucy, Adjutant of Lieutenant-General Julie's Guard!"

"Lily, Captain of Lieutenant-General Julie's Guard!"

Both spoke in unison. Though their voices were hauntingly eerie and chillingly cold, they articulated with such clarity that Du Chen understood every word perfectly.

Lucy shook her head with a hint of sorrow. "You may still address us as 'Miss.' We are merely The Undead, scorned by all! Francis, what generation descendant are you of Brother Sigurd?"

Du Chen inwardly rolled his eyes. Why did that sound so peculiar? 'Brother Sigurd'? If you call my ancestor 'Brother,' what am I supposed to call you then?

Though Du Chen possessed the power to dispatch them with a mere flick of his wrist, he was currently Francis. And regardless, they were still his ancestor's acquaintances. It wouldn't do to adopt the arrogant attitude he'd shown Helen and intimidate them, would it?

Du Chen sidestepped the issue of seniority. "Let's set that aside for now. If you were truly the personal guard of Battle God Julie, why have you become The Undead, and why are you here?"

Lucy did not directly answer Du Chen's question. Instead, she asked, "Last night, you displayed a sacred artifact of extreme sanctity. Might I behold it once more?"

Du Chen produced the lotus blossom, letting it hover in his palm.

The faint golden radiance was so piercing that the two ancestresses hastily exclaimed, "Enough! That is sufficient!" Once Du Chen retracted the lotus blossom, Lily and Lucy suddenly saluted in unison. "Francis, we have a request for you! It is a responsibility you, as a descendant of Sigurd, cannot shirk!"

Du Chen rubbed his nose, a smile playing on his lips. "Speak away! I'm listening!"

"This ancient castle is, in truth, a Prison Magic Formation! It was jointly laid down by Julie, Sigurd, and several other generals!" Lucy's words were startling, and Du Chen's heart secretly tightened. One must know, those very generals were now enshrined in the Holy Church's temples, and the people of the Three Continents revered them as Titled Battle Gods! For them to jointly imprison someone…

Lucy continued, "Imprisoned within is a Marshal of the Fiendkind Alliance, named Kuban! Back then, Sigurd, Julie, and the other generals captured him and executed him with the Dark Sacred Punishment. But to their astonishment, after his death, Kuban transformed into The Undead, erupting in violence and claiming many lives…" She lowered her head, a hint of sorrow in her voice. "Our Red Phoenix Battle Formation was annihilated in that very battle!"

"Even with the combined might of the generals, it was a colossal effort. After finally subduing the Undead Kuban, they imprisoned him within this ancient castle. However, the Undead Kuban proved too formidable; Lieutenant-General Julie worried that a single Magic Formation wouldn't be enough to contain him. Thus, I and several sisters, grievously wounded but still alive, pleaded with the most powerful plant-elemental generals in the alliance at the time to transform us – who had already lost our combat ability and could no longer fight – into The Undead as well, to reinforce this Magic Formation and permanently confine Kuban!"

"Originally, Lieutenant-General Julie intended to temporarily imprison Kuban here, then request Marshal Margaret from the Firmament War Zone to come and purify Kuban with Water's Embrace Holy Radiance. This way, we sisters would also find our release! But no one could have foreseen how rapidly the tides of war would turn. With the McAllen Great Plains campaign intensifying, Sigurd, Julie, and the other generals were ordered to lead their forces north overnight. From that day, they never returned, nor did Marshal Margaret of the Firmament War Zone ever arrive!"

Du Chen gasped, "It's Fallen Gods Era 1278 now! How long ago was this? Have you been in this ancient castle all this time?"

Lucy nodded with a bitter smile. "We cannot leave! For once we depart, Kuban will break through the Magic Formation and return to the surface, and the consequences then would be unimaginable!"

"That Fiendkind Marshal Kuban is right beneath us?"

"Yes, he is still imprisoned within the Magic Formation beneath the ancient castle! Francis, your sacred artifact is even more divine than Water's Embrace Holy Radiance; it is the bane of the Undead Kuban. I hope you can uphold the dying wish of Brother Sigurd and purify Kuban! This is your inescapable duty as a descendant of Sigurd!"

Du Chen stroked his nose, his mind rapidly processing. His unhurried demeanor prompted Lucy to speak, "Francis, what are you hesitating for?"

"If I purify Kuban, what about you?" Du Chen asked, looking up.

"Us?" Lily and Lucy exchanged a startled glance. Lucy replied with a bleak smile, "We are already The Undead; our sole mission is to suppress Kuban. If Kuban is purified, our mission will conclude! At that point… hah!"

Lily sighed, "At that point, we too should be purified! For us, that would be a liberation!"

The Undead are not simply formed when any person dies. Explaining it through the theory of battle qi, only beings with higher anti-plant elemental talent have the potential to transform into The Undead after death, thereby existing in this unique life form. However, the cost of being Undead is also immense.

They are intolerable to normal human society, branded as heretics, targets for 'heroes'… In short, in the eyes of most intelligent races, The Undead are devils that should not exist.

To suppress Kuban, the entire Red Phoenix Battle Formation transformed into The Undead, and they have stood guard for endless ages! Du Chen's heart was filled with profound respect!

Du Chen suddenly recalled a question. "Your appearance…"

"When exposed to sunlight, we, too, would take on the appearance you imagine!" The beautiful Lucy chuckled.

Du Chen stood up solemnly from his chair. "You truly are Battle Gods! Lead me to this Kuban!"

Lucy opened a hidden door in the floor. Du Chen silently calculated their descent; they had likely followed the winding staircase some fifty meters underground when, suddenly, as a red glow appeared at the end of the tunnel before them, faint shrieks reached his ears.

"Francis, that is Kuban's voice!"

Du Chen leaned in, listening. The voice was savage, hoarse, and seemed to repeat a single syllable, yet Du Chen couldn't discern what it was.

Within those shrieks, a subtle, lingering resentment could be heard!

The red glow receded, and the scene before Du Chen shifted. He had reached the end of the tunnel, and abruptly, Kuban's shrieks ceased.

Within a colossal black cage, four iron chains bound Kuban's limbs, suspending him in mid-air. Kuban, observing Du Chen entering through the tunnel opening, suddenly tilted his head and smiled.

Golden long hair, sky-blue eyes… this person… aside from his power, he seemed to resemble Du Chen in every way!