Inauguration of the Commemoration

“One against a hundred thousand?” Mas’s eyes widened as he stared at Du Chen. “Brother, this is no time for jokes!”

Du Chen chuckled, “There won’t be that many, not a full hundred thousand. As I mentioned earlier, my divine self has already made arrangements. Philip’s Undead legion will descend into chaos tomorrow, so the actual number of foes my divine self will face is far less than a hundred thousand.”

“Even if only thirty or fifty thousand remain, they’re still lethal!” Mas exclaimed, agitated. “Old One, you know Bonis is right beneath us, yet you’re so confident in accepting this challenge! The Papal Curia’s secret scriptures record that even the mightiest Divine Emperor Prince suffered wounds on the battlefield back then—no one is invincible before a massive army!”

Du Chen no longer bothered with Mas. He smiled, gazing at the Pontiff, awaiting his final decision.

The Pontiff’s eyes were slightly closed, his expression serene. He mused, *If Du Chen, the Divine, had proactively requested to confront a hundred thousand troops of other races, I would certainly suspect his intentions. But against The Undead… On Silvermoon Island, Du Chen, the Divine’s holy aura is still fresh in memory; that is precisely the bane of The Undead! I can indeed let him try!*

However, the power to purify a hundred thousand Undead in one go—to what extent must that be sacred!? Throughout history, only Margaret’s Water's Embrace Holy Radiance was known to achieve such a feat. Very well, this time, I shall witness precisely how formidable Du Chen, the Divine, truly is!

With that thought, the Pontiff declared, “It is settled then. I shall lead the Papal Curia’s Masters against the Fiendkind, while The Undead will be entrusted to Du Chen, the Divine! Once battle commences, and there's no longer a need for surprise, I will reveal my identity and rally the beastmen to defend Orbach’s corpse—the beastmen will fight to the death! As for McAllen’s two hundred thousand Royal Guards, they shall serve as our reserves. Should Du Chen, the Divine, encounter any issues while combating The Undead, Francis, you may summon the beastmen to aid him with sacred artifacts of war, using my authority.”

Pausing, he added, “It is not that I doubt Du Chen, the Divine’s abilities, but confronting the Fiendkind is a matter of paramount importance, and I must make thorough preparations! In this battle, our objective is to at least secure Bonis’s head; he must not be allowed to escape back to the Fiendkind lair! Afterward, we shall follow the Fiendkind’s tracks to explore the Labyrinth of Life, locate their lair, and annihilate the Fiendkind in one fell swoop!”

With the assignments complete, the Pontiff and Du Chen exchanged a knowing smile!

The two already shared a deep understanding when it came to such dealings. Du Chen’s proactive decision to avoid confronting Bonis might sound like cowardice to Mas, but in the Pontiff’s ears, it was interpreted as Du Chen, the Divine, deliberately abstaining from the primary duel for the greatest merit post-Godslayer War. He was ceding all glory to the Pontiff, thereby solidifying the Pontiff’s untarnished reputation for eternity!

Many centuries from now, perhaps a millennium hence, when people offer worship to the myriad gods, they will ask: ‘Who was the greatest hero after the Godslayer War?’ And the answer, of course, will be Sama IX, who utterly vanquished Bonis!

However, Du Chen still harbored a sliver of doubt. Bonis, after all, was the paramount Fiendkind powerhouse during the Godslayer era. According to legend, he was even said to be no less formidable than Divine Emperor Prince. While the forces the Pontiff brought seemed terrifying on paper, could they truly contend with Bonis? From where did the Pontiff derive such profound confidence?

The Pontiff swiftly provided Du Chen with an answer to this unspoken question. “Francis, the people I’ve brought still need to remain concealed within the airlift cabins. However, there is one matter that must be attended to immediately. I shall ask Grand Pontiff Brook to undertake this task!”

“Your Holiness’s command is my utmost priority!”

“I’ve brought a little something as a contingency. This ‘little something’ is quite troublesome to set up, so I request Grand Pontiff Brook’s assistance in its deployment!” As he spoke, a hint of relief flickered in the Pontiff’s eyes. “Fortunately, this little contraption was hidden away on the Aethelgard Continent, and the intelligence you provided about Bonis arrived most opportunely, granting me ample time to retrieve it. It shall serve as our ultimate weapon against Bonis!”

Mas exclaimed in surprise, “Old One, could it be that you’ve brought the Raging Fire Scorcher Cannon!?”

The Pontiff merely smiled, offering no direct answer. The Raging Fire Scorcher Cannon—the Holy Alliance’s ultimate strategic sacred artifact from the Godslayer era—once sank Lance Island, annihilating five million Fiendkind elites, including Bonis himself. It was a peerless, deadly weapon of the mortal realm!

Du Chen’s eyes suddenly cleared with understanding. Thirteen Raging Fire Scorcher Cannons had once obliterated Lance Island. Afterward, the whereabouts of only one of these thirteen colossal cannons were definitively known—it became a guardian sacred artifact of Battle God Isle. Among the remaining twelve, several must have fallen into the Papal Curia’s hands—after all, the Papal Curia was the successor to the Holy Alliance!

At the same time, Du Chen inwardly cursed, *This Old Bastard of a Pontiff even brought a Raging Fire Scorcher Cannon! It seems his original intention was to blast Bonis into oblivion all by himself, with absolutely no intention of giving Du Chen, the Divine, a chance to steal his glory!*

...

While Deboning went to assist, Du Chen produced the map he had acquired from the Green Gourd Beast. “Your Holiness, the distribution of the Fiendkind and The Undead is as follows…”

Across the boundless great plains, a grand canyon ran parallel to and echoed a sprawling mountain range to the north. Between these two natural behemoths lay the Earth Burial Sacred Tomb, where the beastmen interred their fallen warriors. Beneath the Earth Burial Sacred Tomb, dozens of tunnels stretched interminably, burrowing through soil and subterranean rock strata, plunging into dozens of murky cave entrances.

Passing through these entrances, one would find the vast open ground of the Labyrinth of Life. Currently, platoons of Fiendkind soldiers were transporting corpses from the Earth Burial graveyard one by one through these tunnels to the open ground. Here, countless Undead, with their ghoulish, incomplete blood-stained mouths agape, would savagely bite into any corpse they encountered.

Before long, the bitten corpses would rise, though their pupils remained vacant. Then, Brockman ordered a black-green liquid to be sprayed upon them. Immediately afterward, a sinister ferocity glinted within the corpses’ pupils. At this point, someone would instruct them, “You! Soldier of the First Assault Company, attached to the Third Legion of the Nineteenth Army Corps! All orders come from Marshal Bonis! Long live Lord Philip!”

The corpse mumbled, “All orders come from Marshal Bonis! Long live Lord Philip!” before shuffling into the still-disorderly ranks.

“Third Regiment assembled. Awaiting your command, my lord!”

“Proceed to Orbach Base for training!”

Thump, thump. The newly formed Undead soldiers marched with uneven steps into the depths of the Labyrinth of Life. Following their trajectory, a massive military base appeared. Here, a hundred thousand Undead were undergoing training, preparing to learn discipline before collectively traversing the perilous Tunnel of Life to enter the Fiendkind’s lair—the Subterranean Abyss!

And directly above this labyrinthine military base, on the ceiling of the Labyrinth of Life, a White Jade Wall emanated a soft glow. This was a vital nexus, a critical passageway; ascending from here would lead directly to the core of the Auerbach Grand Canyon, the Orbach Sacred Tomb!

During the last Battle of Auerbach Grand Canyon, Philip’s sudden appearance within Orbach’s Mausoleum was made possible precisely by this tunnel, which had already fallen into Fiendkind hands!

Presently, countless Fiendkind soldiers were “clanging and banging,” installing something near this vital nexus. Bonis and Philip observed the working soldiers. Bonis suddenly chuckled, “Orbach, my old friend, my old rival! A millennium since we last met, and I’ve installed a few ‘little somethings’ beneath your corpse. Consider them parting gifts… Heh, in five days, these ‘little somethings’ will undergo Detonation simultaneously during your Commemoration Ceremony, returning your corpse to me as a reciprocal gift! Grand Speaker Philip, don’t you find this most amusing?”

Philip’s smile was chilling. “Indeed, most amusing! Marshal, today is already the tenth. Sonora just delivered a message, stating that the beastmen have recovered those sixty thousand corpses, and Rebadon intends to personally oversee their burial this morning. The Earth Burial Grand Ceremony will kick off the ten-day Orbach Commemoration Ritual…”

“This morning, then? Proceed with haste. You must complete the transformation of these sixty thousand soldiers before the fifteenth. The moment you are done, I shall immediately commence the plan to seize Orbach’s corpse!”

Bonis’s profound gaze was fixed on the ‘little gifts’ adorning the walls.

While ‘little gifts’ were being set up on one side, on the other, Deboning had already assisted the Holy Church in deploying the Raging Fire Scorcher Cannon. This long-range artillery didn’t need to be positioned too close; concealed within Du Chen’s encampment, it would be sufficient to target the beastmen’s Earth Burial Sacred Tomb front line!

At dawn, Du Chen, clad in the flowing robes of a cleric, departed the encampment with Deboning and the two Grand Matriarchs. Compared to their arrival, the procession was missing two children—whom Du Chen had hidden within the Precious Lotus Scripture—but had gained over twenty attendants disguised in priestly vestments.

Mounted on horseback, Du Chen smiled at the cleric behind him. “My apologies for the inconvenience, Your Holiness!”

“What minor inconvenience is it, if it ensures the most sudden strike against the Fiendkind?” The Pontiff’s smile, hidden beneath his wide-brimmed hat, was one of contented satisfaction.

Mas, disguised as an attendant, seethed with indignation! “Blast it all, this is truly infuriating!”

Du Chen chuckled, “Mas, the Battle God, there’s no helping it. Since the Fiendkind could have a spy like Sonora, who knows how many other eyes and ears they possess in McAllen? Come now, let us proceed. As per our discussed plan, we must reach the Sacred Tomb before the Earth Burial Ceremony commences…”

“Don’t worry, I remember everything!” Mas gestured back towards the airlift cabins in Dud’s encampment. “After the corpses are interred, we wait for Philip’s side to mess up, then strike suddenly, calling the beastmen to attack from the front! Our brothers here, still in the dark, will then covertly infiltrate the Labyrinth of Life from Blade of Heaven Peak, cutting off the Fiendkind’s retreat. Then, the moment Bonis appears… I’ll signal for the Raging Fire Cannon to blast him to oblivion!”

Du Chen smiled, a chill in his eyes. The Fiendkind’s desire to return to the mortal realm and claim The Prerogative to live under the sun was not inherently unreasonable. Alas, their methods were far too insidious! Digging up ancestral graves, desecrating burial grounds, transforming warriors who died for their nation into The Undead… And all their myriad past deeds—every single one met the standard of true villainy!

Perhaps the greatest righteous cause he had ever championed was patiently awaiting its moment beneath the very graveyard!

Of course, most importantly… Uncle Orbach, Francis and I, Du Chen, are prepared to avenge you!