Heh-gakka's Grand Scheme

Suddenly, all eyes fell on Du Chen. Bairu, ignoring his injuries, shakily rose from his wheelchair, his gaze filled with disappointment and shock. Though Ferdinand remained seated, his purple eyebrows twitched. He thought, ‘Is Francis to be my master Bonis’s next adversary?! I must dispatch a letter to the Purple Blood Federation at once!’

The Purple Blood Federation, a nation established after Bonis occupied a third of the Azure Heaven Continent, conveyed its nature through its very name: it had no king; all prerogative rested with the Supreme Council.

Mas eyed Du Chen suspiciously. “Boss, good relations notwithstanding, you can’t just spout nonsense about this… You claim to be the New Divine Emperor? Where’s the proof!?”

Du Chen flipped his wrist, and the Precious Lotus Scripture manifested, revealing the Amethyst-grade Relics the Divine Emperor had given him before the encirclement of the nine Venerables of the Scarlet Army. “Boss Mas, these Amethyst-grade Relics were personally handed to me by His Majesty Sama before the siege on the nine Venerables of the Scarlet Army, though His Majesty didn't explicitly state their significance!”

Mas meticulously examined them, then abruptly cast aside his great axe and fell to his knees with a thud. “Boss, from now on, Mas is with you! The Papal Curia’s hundreds of millions of believers, millions of soldiers, and nearly ten thousand Battle Gods… all of them are with you!”

Du Chen’s mind reeled from this succession of ‘windfalls.’ To be honest, he had never imagined becoming the New Divine Emperor, nor had he ever conceived that Sama would designate him as his successor on his deathbed.

‘Why did Sama do this?’ Du Chen couldn’t fathom it. Frankly, while he and Sama had never truly fallen out and had enjoyed a pleasant working relationship, ultimately, they were merely collaborators, each using the other. Sama had indeed been childless, with no blood heirs, but he had myriad choices for a successor. ‘Why pick me, Francis!?’

Sama was dead. Perhaps Du Chen would never realize that this monumental event stemmed from his own casual remark: ‘Should His Majesty perish, all of humanity will pay the price!’

Liana suddenly appeared beside Du Chen, winking and secretly making a playful face before solemnly declaring, “Hillmerya, Queen of Miki Duchy, pays her respects to His Imperial Majesty, Supreme Divine Emperor Francis. On behalf of Bog Island and its one hundred seventy-three affiliated islands, representing six million nine hundred thousand souls, I pledge allegiance to Your Majesty!” After speaking, Liana cast a meaningful glance at Annie.

Annie smiled faintly, rising with grace and elegance to bow. “Annie of the Batuoke family, heir to Emerald City, authorized by the Five Families of Fallen Gods, hereby pays homage to His Imperial Majesty, Supreme Divine Emperor Francis, and pledges to follow Your Majesty in resisting the Fiendkind invasion and defending human dignity!”

With the Five Families of Fallen Gods having declared their stance, several other monarchs immediately knelt. “The Lunar Empire pays respects to His Imperial Majesty, the Supreme Divine Emperor!”

“The Cheshek Federation pledges allegiance to the Supreme One!”

“The Nano Empire…”

Bargnar watched the situation unfold to a degree he could never have imagined, gritting his teeth. After a fierce glare from Mas, he reluctantly knelt. “Lanning Bargnar pledges loyalty to Your Majesty and vows to help Your Majesty defeat Bonis of the Fiendkind, even unto death!”

Du Chen slowly rubbed the tip of his nose, his gaze sweeping over the various monarchs, then shrugged. ‘Sama, you’ve truly left me a colossal mess!’

In September of Fallen Gods Era 1282, Francis, the Supreme Divine Emperor of the Holy Alliance, ascended the throne at Hot Spring Mountain on Battle God Isle. Under the Holy Church’s Durun Law, he took the imperial surname of Supreme, becoming Saint Du I.

This news spread across the Three Continents in an instant.

…

Einz McAllen Prairie.

Old Man Yonker tossed the letter detailing the Divine Emperor’s ascension onto the table before everyone in the commander’s tent. “Family Heads, our ancestors’ prophecy of a savior was correct. Francis has ascended, and Annie has already declared our support for the New Divine Emperor!”

The Old Matriarch of the Saint Dak family chuckled. “Our investment was sound, wasn’t it? My granddaughter, Frinda, as the Chief Minister of State Affairs for Du City, has already entered the Upper House of the Alliance. All the elite descendants you sent to assist Francis have also risen through the ranks, entering the core echelons of the Alliance. The Five Families of Fallen Gods remain the most powerful and influential alliance in the world!”

Galas’s father, the Family Head of Starry Sky Battle God, however, looked crestfallen. “But why is there no news of Galas’s promotion? What exactly is that brash boy doing!? I had hoped that with Francis’s ascension, he would join the Alliance Staff Headquarters… but who would have thought the Chief of Staff would turn out to be Liana!” He let out a displeased snort.

“A new monarch means new officials. It’s perfectly justifiable for Francis to promote his trusted confidantes. The fact that he’s elevated over a dozen descendants from our families to high positions is already a friendly gesture!” Yonker chuckled. “However, Francis’s extensive promotion of his trusted people will undoubtedly displease the existing high-ranking monarchs of various nations. We still owe him a favor and must help him silence those monarchs!”

The Saint Dak Old Matriarch continued to chuckle. “Silencing them is easy, but what worries this old woman is that the Saint Baton Family, having first been fractured by Susanna and then subjected to a three-day massacre by the Lionheart King, now exists in name only. We must find a way to ensure the balanced structure of the Five Families Alliance! Eldest Brother Yonker, you are the oldest among us; tell us what to do!?”

Yonker counted on his fingers, pondering. “The core strength of the Saint Baton Family was taken to Skylands by Susanna and then utterly annihilated by the Old Lion. Now, only an empty shell of the Macallan Empire remains… Didn’t Francis say that Du Chen, the Divine, and Orbach were brothers? Then let’s simply find a collateral descendant of the Saint Baton Clan from the vast prairie and rebuild the family. But we’ll ask Supreme Divine Emperor Francis to serve as the ‘Family Guardian’ and oversee the Macallan Empire’s state affairs!”

The Old Matriarch let out a ‘hehe’ laugh. “What a ‘collateral descendant,’ what a ‘Family Guardian,’ Eldest Brother! You’re practically gifting hundreds of thousands of beastmen soldiers from the Macallan Empire to Francis!”

Yonker squinted at the Old Matriarch. “Francis’s ascension as Divine Emperor has already proven his capital and luck as a savior! Our five families’ support for him should not be limited to just a few elite talents.”

…

Azure Heaven Continent, Purple Blood Federation, Supreme Council Grand Council Hall!

Bonis’s gaze swept over the Violet-Blood Councilors, then he slowly lowered the list in his hand and lightly tapped the table. “From today forward, our greatest adversary will be Francis! This is the newly delivered list of officials for the Holy Alliance; everyone, please pass it around.”

As they read, Bonis slowly continued, “Francis has accomplished three major tasks since his ascension. The first is personnel changes – he promoted Queen Liana of Miki to Chief of Staff for the Alliance, while Du City’s original staff members have all entered the high echelons of the Alliance. Dud, Du City’s military commander, has taken over Francis’s vacant Grand Marshal position and has been bestowed the distinguished title of Chief Grand Marshal of the Holy Alliance, taking command of all human military movements!”

At this point, Bonis smiled meaningfully. “Concurrently, high-ranking officials from various departments of the Holy Alliance have jointly petitioned Francis to establish his eldest son, Alex, as Crown Prince, and his eldest daughter, Belmonde, as the second in line of succession, to ensure the stability of the Holy Alliance’s governance!”

The news evoked no particular reaction from the assembly. Given Sama’s sudden demise as a precedent, it was only natural for a new emperor to immediately establish his successor. However, only a very few high-ranking Fiendkind knew that Francis’s two children were not human. As for what they truly were, perhaps Fire Phoenix should be more concerned, though Bonis would certainly not share the investigation results with Fire Phoenix.

Bonis continued, “The second major event is that Francis, as Pontiff, has significantly elevated the status of Du Chen, the Divine, based on the existing Papal Curia. Now, Brook, the Grand Pontiff of Du Chen’s Divine Cult, has been enshrined in the Enshrinement Temple, participating in Papal Curia state affairs as one of the gods and spreading Du Chen’s divine doctrines!”

Someone asked, perplexed, “Marshal, this matter… isn’t that significant, is it?”

Bonis shook his head. “The Red-Bloods have been ruled by Divine Authority for a thousand years, turning them into devout, ignorant masses who believe in the gods. Therefore, we must never underestimate the influence of doctrine on the Red-Bloods! Councilors, from today onward, the Supreme Council will establish a Du Chen’s Divine Cult Research Institute, dedicated to studying Du Chen’s divine doctrines and their influence on the Red-Bloods, especially on Francis’s behavior!”

Pausing, Bonis added, “Third, Francis accepted Chief of Staff Liana’s suggestion, abandoning the Papal Curia’s historical animosity towards the two great powers of the Azure Heaven Continent, and has begun aiding the Old Lion at our doorstep!”

The Grand Council Hall fell silent instantly. This was a matter of vital importance to the Violet-Bloods’ personal safety, and everyone awaited Bonis’s final decision.

Bonis spoke sternly, “The Red-Bloods have launched an offensive against us. We Violet-Bloods absolutely cannot sit idly by and await death! Grand Speaker Philip, your ‘The Undead Cataclysm’ plan… I approve it!”

The Undead Cataclysm…

Even Violet-Bloods who stood with Philip couldn’t help but blanch and break into cold sweats upon hearing the codename of this plan! Only Philip, with excitement, opened the massive eye on his right shoulder, rose, and responded, “Marshal, the Cataclysm ancient castle has been constructed, and my Tendon-Severing and Corpse Dissolution units are already primed with ‘Heaven’s Tears,’ ready to deploy! If the Marshal would further approve the recall of Brockman, then my Undead Cataclysm can begin!”

Bonis, however, waved a hand. “Susanna’s remaining ragtag forces still have some use. Brockman… should remain by Susanna’s side for now!”

Mocking laughter rippled through the hall, many low chuckles merging until they grew loud and echoing.

Poor Brockman!

…

Though all intricate ceremonies were simplified, Du Chen’s enthronement still lasted half a month!

With the halo of a Divine Emperor now adorning his head, though many monarchs secretly harbored dissatisfaction with Du Chen, the Five Families of Fallen Gods took responsibility for suppressing them, freeing Du Chen from worry. Though the Holy Alliance’s state affairs were numerous, with daily official documents enough to fill several giant bookshelves, Du Chen handed them off to Liana, becoming a hands-off manager. Though integrating the military and taking over the vast beastmen army provided by the Five Families of Fallen Gods was incredibly complex, Dud handled it with perfect order.

Adding Deboning, Bairu, Shadow, and Mas to oversee the Papal Curia’s state affairs for Du Chen, Du Chen felt that being Divine Emperor was no different from before. He still wore a white robe, outwardly refined and gentle, yet secretly a carefree rogue. The only changes were Du City transforming into Saint Durkus, and a Divine Emperor’s crown resting upon his head.

At the Battle God Isle dock, Du Chen gazed at Zigurd’s aging back, waved, and sighed with a touch of melancholy. “Master… have a safe journey!”

After using his prestige to smooth over relations between the nations for Du Chen – essentially telling his students, “Whoever opposes Francis opposes your Master” – Zigurd insisted on resigning from his position as Grand Speaker of the Alliance, merely stating that he was weary and wished to find a quiet place to live out his remaining years. He left Battle God Isle alone.

Watching the small boat drift away, Zigurd’s stooped figure gradually disappeared. Du Chen felt a hollowness in his heart. The old man had lived a life of glory, yet in his twilight years, he refused companionship, departing alone and lonely.

Sha, who had accompanied Du Chen in his capacity as a vassal, came to his side, chuckling softly and offering solace. “Your Majesty, Dean Zigurd is weary at heart. Perhaps a peaceful old age is what he truly desires most.”

Du Chen was taken aback; it was surprising to hear such tender words from the King of Assassins. He sighed, “But Master is too stubborn. He wouldn’t even say where he was going…”

Sha smiled without answering, looking up at the sky, which was like a washed-out blue to the south. He thought, ‘Martial Uncle Zigurd has gone to the Purple Thorns Federation, to spend the rest of his life beside Master Sena’s tombstone… but this truth will forever remain hidden in Avril’s heart. Forgive me, Francis, I cannot tell you the truth. Let Martial Uncle Zigurd forever be the Father of Battle Gods, revered by all, in your heart!’

As Du Chen was musing, Mas, who had also come to see them off, rushed over boisterously. “Boss, all the messy affairs are over! You need to quickly find out Boss Sama’s cause of death and avenge him!”

Du Chen nodded. “I have some leads on His Majesty Sama’s cause of death. Come, let’s go to His Majesty’s Memorial Hall!”

Sama IX had died inexplicably; at least on the surface, no man-made injuries could be found. But Du Chen absolutely refused to believe Sama had died of natural causes! No injuries on the body, huh? Then let Beibei investigate with her Spiritual Power!

When everyone arrived at the Memorial Hall, Beibei was squatting beside Sama’s body, which had not yet been interred and was as pristine as ever, pouting and muttering, “Not this one, not this one either… Oh dear, which one is it?” As she muttered, she tossed Sama’s miscellaneous relics all over the place, just as she usually threw her toys.

Mas grew displeased at once, huffing with suppressed anger. “Little Princess, these are all the Boss’s relics from before he died! You can’t just throw them around!”

Beibei blinked her big eyes. “If I don’t throw them around, how can Beibei investigate?”

Du Chen patted Mas’s shoulder. “Boss Mas, Beibei truly is investigating His Majesty’s cause of death. Look, His Majesty’s body bears not a single trace of injury. That leaves only one possibility: he was assassinated by Spiritual Power! But the monarchs present at the time testified that His Majesty never came into contact with anyone except the Battle God of War’s corpse…”

Beibei interjected, “Yes, yes! If he didn’t touch anyone, then it must have been an object! That’s why Beibei is examining these relics, to find the one tampered with by a Spiritual Power Master!”

Mas gave an embarrassed smile. “Heh, well, keep looking, keep looking!”

Beibei proudly glared at Mas and buried her head back in her task of rummaging through things. Just then, several guards’ respectful greetings were heard from outside, “Greetings to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!”

Our Master, Alex, walked into the Memorial Hall with a swagger, glancing left and right at the guards who were six or seven times taller than him, and wiggled a finger. “Crown Prince? No, call me The Master!” Coming to Du Chen’s side, the little fellow crooked a finger. “Dad, they caught a few prisoners outside. They say they’re your old friends and are crying to see you!”

His old friends, crying? Du Chen frowned, instructed Mas to continue the investigation with Beibei, and went to the coast. He saw a circle of Sea Clan guards surrounding several large cages. Before he could even clearly see what was inside, Du Chen heard a string of curses.

“Heh, you’re so heh-gakka! I’m your leader’s friend, you can’t lock us in cages!”

“Heh-gakka humans!”

“Listen, I’m going to have Francis turn you into heh-gakka meat paste…”

‘Heh-gakka, could it be…’ Du Chen waved his hand, dismissing the soldiers. Inside the cages were seventeen or eighteen white-furred Aberrant Beasts, each only half a person’s height, with only heads and no bodies. Their big heads were plump and round, their two short legs under their chins were remarkably thick, and a short, stubby tail grew from the back of their heads – ‘Are these Huhuhu Beasts!?’ But how had they transformed like this? Du Chen would never forget that the Huhuhu Beast’s tail was crucial for their asexual reproduction, with a small head at the end. Yet, these dozen or so Huhuhu Beasts clearly had no small heads!

The Huhuhu Beasts saw Du Chen, and the largest one cried out, “Look, that man is wearing a crown. He must be the heh-gakka Francis…”

“Silence! How dare you insult the Divine Emperor!?” The guards drew their crossbows, aiming fiercely at the Huhuhu Beasts!

The Huhuhu Beast paused. “Insult? No, we’re complimenting Francis…”

“Shut up! Don’t think I don’t understand your language! I heard it just now; you used the syllable ‘heh-gakka’ to curse us, and now you’ve said ‘heh-gakka’ to His Imperial Majesty the Divine Emperor. If that’s not an insult, what is!? You’re seeking death!”

“I, I…” The Huhuhu Beast, feeling wronged, stomped its foot. “Humans are really heh-gakka! I’m heh-gakka to death!”

Du Chen burst into laughter. Huhuhu Beasts used ‘heh-gakka’ for both cursing and praising, and even now, he hadn't figured out what that syllable meant in Einzian. Du Chen’s expression then darkened, and he assumed the Divine Emperor’s authority. “What species are you, and why do you claim to be my friends!?” Huhuhu Beasts only knew Alex, not Francis, surely!

It was still the largest Huhuhu Beast; it widened its large, watery eyes. Uh, when they weren’t eating people, Huhuhu Beasts were quite cute little animals. “You are Francis, aren’t you? We are Alex’s friends, so doesn’t that make us your friends? Alex said that both he and you are Du Chen, the Divine’s most heh-gakka followers!”

Oh, so they didn’t know he was Alex; rather, they remembered the incident in the City of Penance and wanted to approach him through their connection with Alex! Du Chen nodded slightly. “That’s correct. Who are you?”

“I!” The largest Huhuhu Beast thumped its chest. “The heh-gakka Huhuhu Beast King, the heh-gakka Changxi!”

Du Chen’s heart skipped a beat. ‘This is Changxi, who inherited the Scarlet Army’s Battle Qi Inheritance? No, that’s not right. Changxi should be over ten meters tall, with iron-blooded fangs, immensely domineering. How did he become so… cute!?’

“So you are Huhuhu Beasts. Hmm, Alex mentioned you, but Alex said you weren’t like this!”

Upon hearing this, Changxi cried out, heh-gakka. “I, I really am Changxi, but no longer heh-gakka. I, no, we, the Huhuhu Beast race, have all been ‘castrated’ by the heh-gakka Philip!”

‘Castrated?’ Communicating with Huhuhu Beasts was indeed troublesome. It took Du Chen a long while to understand that without the small heads on their tails, from a reproductive standpoint… the Huhuhu Beasts had indeed been castrated.

Du Chen asked a series of questions and basically grasped the heh-gakka predicament of the Huhuhu Beasts.

Philip had developed two techniques, “Netherbeast Transformation” and “Heaven’s Tears Control,” and used them to slaughter the Huhuhu Beasts until only about a hundred thousand remained. And even these hundred thousand were kept alive because Bonis wanted to use Huhuhu Beasts and The Undead to produce Netherbeasts. Currently, Huhuhu Beasts were divided into two types: one type was uncastrated; they continued to reproduce asexually as before, their numbers ever increasing. However, the purpose of this type of Huhuhu Beast was to combine with The Undead and mutate into the strongest Netherbeasts!

The other type of Huhuhu Beast, like Changxi, had their tails ‘castrated’ by Philip using alchemy, losing their ability to reproduce asexually. Their power had also regressed to what it was before mutation. However, their ability to eat soil and dig holes remained. Bonis utilized this group of Huhuhu Beasts as slaves and sappers, maximizing their value.

A while ago, when the Fiendkind attacked the Azure Heaven Continent and began to immigrate, although Bonis was organized, many disturbances were still inevitable. Changxi, unable to endure the Violet-Bloods’ abuse, took advantage of the chaos to escape with a dozen of his brethren, thus arriving at Battle God Isle!

Du Chen listened and nodded. “So, why have you come to me? Changxi, Alex said you were a clever Huhuhu Beast!”

Changxi nodded repeatedly. “I’m here to make a deal with you! I know that the heh-gakka Philip has a grand scheme that could destroy all of humanity! You, the heh-gakka Francis, give me sanctuary, and I, the heh-gakka King Changxi, will help you save all of humanity!”