by Feng Yue
It was as if she had been reborn as a nocturnal predator. Her long, slender fingers covered her face that was distorted by the darkness. The tyrant Queen looked up at everyone with scarlet eyes.
“Render that which is unclean unto the world, that it might be cleansed. This is the only way!” She raised her left hand, and the door to the throne room was suddenly thrown open as violent wind and rain swept in, drenching the terrified officials.
Amid the thunder and lightning, the darkness upon the ocean spread out like a living creature. In a flash, it had wriggled off into the distance.
Thunder roared and lightning flashed, but the ocean’s surface was frighteningly calm. Under the seemingly tranquil surface, numerous undercurrents surged. A line of darkness stretched out from Avalon. The snakelike gray line pulsed for thousands of miles, sweeping away towards Asgard in a flash.
Five seconds later, all of Asgard felt terrible tremors.
Numerous dykes and dams ruptured with a roar. Amid the surging water, a phantom wearing a scarlet robe and a crown of bones appeared above the surface of the sea, looked towards the Golden Palace and raised a finger. Then, the sea and the stars were reversed, washing away the world’s filth.
The vast tides rose up into the sky, and numerous varied sea monsters emerged from the depths. The sea beasts that had once ravaged the Anglo Kingdom climbed towards the Golden Palace. Countless giant cuttlefish and other sea monsters rushed through the water towards the World Tree.
Amid the trembling of the earth, currents rose up from the chaos under the ground at Leviathan’s command. The city’s defensive enchantment opened instantly, and the sound of hymns rang out one after another.
The on-duty musicians occupied towers all around the city. Numerous movements poured forth from them, quickly clearing away the demons in the sea.
Although the demons had died, the catastrophe’s transformation was not delayed in the least. It was as if the terrible power of Leviathan’s personal arrival ran through the sea, rolling towards the land. Everywhere it passed the earth and stone turned into flesh and blood, as if it had been infected by a parasite that was spreading around.
This was the most terrifying place.
The catastrophe’s presence itself was enough to cause irreversible changes to the entire world.
Whether they won or lost, the land that was covered by war would be uninhabitable. It was just like the Naica Nest of the Crystals, which hundreds of years later was still stuck in the hopeless situation of being crystallized.
And this was just the beginning.
The bloody queen above the waves once again raised her finger and prepared to launch another attack, but her figure suddenly flickered and became indistinct.
Her cold figure quickly vanished without a trace.
All that was left was the raging tide, and countless monsters and sea demons wandering beneath the Golden Palace.
“Who is it?” Mary opened her eyes from the throne and saw Ye Qingxuan before her.
His palm was placed against his forehead as he tried to soothe the uncontrollable fury.
Her blood red dress slowly faded, and the crown of bones disappeared.
The kingdom of death was gone.
The Queen of Avalon had returned, but her face was pale, and she was weak and exhausted.
“Didn’t you promise not to reveal this side of you ever again?” Ye Qingxuan sighed and let go. He waved his hand behind him, indicating that the ministers beneath the steps should leave.
“If I hadn’t got back just in time, would you be prepared to fight with Asgard? Although the power of the Kingdom of Heaven and Earth comes from Leviathan, it’s too easy to lose control. If you don’t pay attention, you’ll turn from Mary into a second Leviathan.”
“I’m sorry, I was angry.” Mary lowered her head and unconsciously avoided his gaze.
“Are you hurt?” Ye Qingxuan stared at her waist and saw that a blood red color was spreading through the silk.
“Mm.”
“Let me take a look.” Ye Qingxuan shook his head helplessly as he placed his hand gently on the bloodstained dress. On the white silk, numerous slender threads were thrust out in all directions, revealing the wound underneath. When the Homeland Defense Front was launched, it turned the Queen into her country. But if it was damaged, the scars would be reflected on her body.
Just like they were now.
“This is a little tricky…” Ye Qingxuan’s fingers fell upon what seemed like a spear wound. As he stroked the scorch marks left by lightning, her lower abdomen shivered, although he didn’t know if it was because his fingers were cold or because of the pain of the wound.
“Hold on.” Before he had finished speaking, Ye Qingxuan’s fingers suddenly pierced into the wound fiercely and cruelly, causing Mary’s to twitch as she gnashed her teeth and emitted a faint whine.
He quickly pulled a blazing thunderbolt out of the wound. It wrapped around his fingers like a living thing, constantly searching for gaps, but could not find anywhere to break through.
It was clearly only a glimpse of its full power, but it was still tricky to deal with as all different kinds of methods would be useless. In the end, it was sealed by the power of Genesis.
In just a few short seconds, Mary had grown sweaty and pale. But her vitality was much better, and her wound quickly closed up, until her skin was once again smooth and white.
“That must have been Odin’s divinity?” Ye Qingxuan looked at the little cubic seal in his fingertips. When he identified its nature, he couldn’t help but laugh. “You really can get a lot of work done with a big household. To turn catastrophes into consumables…”
No wonder Gungnir’s power was so terrible. It was composed of a trace of Odin’s divinity. Even though it was only a trace, it was still equivalent to a catastrophe exploding in the skies above Avalon. It could only be said that it was worthy of Asgard. This type of self-sacrificing, heroic behavior was both enviable and detestable.
Ye Qingxuan played with the trace of divinity, suddenly ignoring his Queen lying there weakly on the throne, sweaty and uncomfortable.
“Ye Qingxuan,” Mary looked up at him and sighed, “haven’t you forgotten something?”
Ye Qingxuan was stunned. He immediately smiled and bowed his head. “Your servant arrived too late to escort you, please forgive me.”
“Before I forgive you, help me up.” Mary reached out and grabbed Ye Qingxuan’s hand. She lifted herself up and staggered a bit, almost falling on the ground. Ye Qingxuan could hear her weak heartbeat and faint panting.
“Sorry,” Mary forced herself to smile and whispered softly, “I’m just a little tired.”
Ye Qingxuan sighed. “I’ll call someone.”
“No need, just wait a bit and it’ll be alright.” Mary lowered her head and held his hand as she struggled to breathe. “Don’t let them see me like this.”
Ye Qingxuan looked at her and could not help but shake his head. There was nothing he could do.
Seeing his helpless expression, Mary couldn’t help but smile softly.
“What’s is it?”
“Nothing.” She shook her head slightly and did not answer, but kept grinning.
For some reason, she was filled with happiness.
…
On top of the World Tree beneath the Golden Palace in Asgard, the course of the starry sky dissipated. The old musician stared at the news that was carried by the glow of the stars and said softly, “The report has come back, Your Majesty. The test of Gungnir was a perfect success.”
The hunchbacked musician standing in the shadows looked up at him. “Should we not press our advantage?”
The old musician shook his head. “The time is not yet right…”
Gungnir had great destructive power, but the price was equally high, and it was impossible to use it unrestrainedly. The test firing was enough, for now. Going too far would be just as bad as not going far enough.
Presumably with Gungni
r as a deterrent the Queen would not dare to pay attention to anything else. In the coming days, Avalon would not give Gungnir any openings.
And thus the old musician had accomplished his goal.
Losing the support of Leviathan and the Homeland Defense Front, the Royal Navy simply could not compete with Asgard.
Asgard had already seized the initiative in this war.
The old musician pondered for a while, then waved and said, “Send orders to Rommel on the Western Front, tell him not to get tangled up at the border. Within ten days we will take Avalon! Tell him that I will give him a chance to recover from his failure and shame, if he can take it.”
Ten minutes later, Rommel received these orders on the bridge with no expression.
“Please tell His Excellency that Asgard will surely win,” he replied hoarsely.
He looked in the direction of Avalon, and his gloomy, bloodshot eyes were as red as flames.
[1]: French for “I am the state.” A famous quote from French King Louis XIV.
715 Three Fronts
In the Privy Council of Avalon, a pungent smell of burnt cigarettes filled the closed conference room.
Bluish-gray smoke floated in the air, stinging one’s eyes.
Small hills had piled up in the ashtrays. The ministers who had been well-dressed in the past were presently unkempt, and God knew how many days had passed since they last bathed.
Everyone silently gazed at the sea chart hanging on the wall, and the staff officer from the military department was explaining it to them. “Since four o’clock this morning, the lookouts of the Observatory have been sending reports of the Asgardians beginning their war preparations. After six hours of preparation, at 10:30 in the morning, they began to advance towards Anglo’s territorial waters.
“After Gungnir attacked Avalon, having to maintain homeland security, Her Majesty was unable to divert her attention to other matters. After we lost our initial local advantage, they no longer intend to continue to pestering us in the northern waters.
“According to our observations, the Asgardians have divided their fleet into three formations according to the characteristics of the ships. The first formation consisting of ships with high mobility has departed from the Stronghold on Sea at the moment, and they all carry musicians of the school of modifications who specialize in fluid elements. Under the constant propelling and operation, the speed of the vessels far exceeds our expectations.
“According to the analysis of the Military Staff Committee, their mission is probably to get past our defenses and block our supplies from reaching our fleet. Moreover, after completing the mission, they will begin to carry out guerrilla warfare and harass us at sea, blockading our waters.
“The second formation consists of defensive warships loaded with a large number of shields for warships and aether instruments of harmonious melody. They flank the Stronghold on Sea and are sailing straight for Avalon under the lead of the Stronghold on Sea.
“And finally, the third is a mixed formation which consists of more than half of the warships of the original fleet. It has separated from the formation led by the Stronghold on Sea and begun to sail southwards…”
“Starting wars on three fronts at the same time.” The ministers inhaled their cigarettes forcefully, and their expressions ugly.
The Asgardians had hit the weakness of the Royal Fleet right on. After the Battle of Leviathan, the severely damaged Royal Fleet entered a new war without a buffer period at all. Although the formation was still maintained, at its lowest point, its numbers had been reduced by more than half. At the moment, the vacancies still had yet to be filled, and many warships were directly converted from merchant ships.
The Royal Fleet could still put up a fight in clustered battles, but once it was split up… then, simply put, their attacks would be equivalent to sending warmth and comfort to the Asgardians.
Even though a large number of the warships in the Asgardian fleet were transformed from merchant ships as well, it was Asgard that drafted the former maritime convention. Before leaving the factory, the merchant ships of those *ssholes had been directly manufactured according to the specifications of warships. With just a few modifications, plus a few aether cannons and instruments of harmonious melody, they would become ready-made small warships.
“Three formations…” Ye Qingxuan murmured, thinking silently. He looked up and asked a layman’s question, “Which one is more threatening?”
The expression of the newly appointed Lord High Admiral immediately turned resigned. He opened his mouth to explain the logic within to Ye Qingxuan, but soon, he understood what Ye Qingxuan meant.
The focus at the moment was not on the purpose and specifications of each fleet, but on how to solve the problem as quickly as possible. Therefore, it was actually the easiest to directly consider the worst possible consequences that the three formations could cause.
“The third formation.” The Lord High Admiral did not even need to think about it.
“It all comes down to speed.” The staff officer gave a detailed explanation, “The first formation consists entirely of light, small warships. Although they are the fastest and can pass through our defenses, other than harassment, they cannot cause any more damage by themselves in the short term.
“Meanwhile, although the second formation is equipped with a large number of heavy weapons, they are the frigates of the Stronghold on Sea. They can deal the most damage, but their speed is the slowest. Even if we do nothing, they need four days to travel to Avalon from their current position.
“The third formation is the hardest to deal with. Without the Stronghold on Sea dragging down their speed, they are equivalent to an independent fleet. Furthermore, according to our prediction of their route, they will cross the territorial waters of Burgundy, then sail along another route, travel a long way about a big circle, and attack Avalon from the side. And in the course of the voyage, they will pass by four industrial cities and granaries of our country, as well as more than six important ports.
“If the mission of the first formation is to harass, and the mission of the second is to fight directly, the mission of the third formation is to destroy.”
Even though it was expected, but when the truth was put forth so straightforwardly, everyone’s face still turned a little green.
Imagine a complete, elite fleet armed to the teeth beside and behind you, staring greedily at your own hinterland, while you face the attacking enemy…
Ye Qingxuan snuffed out the cigarette in his hand. “I understand the specific situation.” He said calmly, “We need not heed the first formation. Strengthen the defenses at the ports and leave them to their own devices. They don’t have much time anyway.
“The Navy only needs to take care of the problems caused by the second and third formations. Later, I will ask Her Majesty to grant me the authority to wake the Royal Fleet of the first generation. After the maintenance of the Mountain of Nomadism is complete, I will return to the frontal battlefield, and I will solve the problem of the Stronghold on Sea.
“As for the rest, I’ll have to leave it to you all. “
The Lord High Admiral looked at Ye Qingxuan in a surprised manner. “You mean… make it a fast battle?”
“Seven days.” Ye Qingxuan gave a number from estimation. “This time around, I’m afraid that both sides have realized it. The war can’t be dragged on for a long time, it must be resolved promptly.
“If I haven’t guessed wrong, I’m afraid that it will be over within seven days.”
He paused and looked at the stunned look on everyone’s face, saying calmly, “In other words, we either annihilate the Asgardian fleet completely or Avalon will be burned to ashes by the Asgardians.
“There will be no third outcome.”
Half an hour later, Ye Qingxuan walked out of the closed conference room, took his coat from Lola, draped it on himself, and strode out of the Privy Council.
“Where are you going next?” she
asked.
“To have an audience with Her Majesty.” Ye Qingxuan gave a wave of his hand and said, “Go and contact Shi Dong, ask the fella to speed up the maintenance of the Mountain of Nomadism, I want to depart from the harbor before 6 o’clock tomorrow, and…” He paused and his expression became firm. “No matter what method you use, contact Watson and tell him that I will give him five more days at most.
“After five days, if he has not succeeded, then Anglo may not exist anymore.”
…
“Before tomorrow morning?” In the workshop, Shi Dong took off his goggles and sighed resignedly. “Actually, for the creatures termed as ‘boss,’ after having tasted the sweetness of exploiting their subordinates, they will treat their subordinates less and less humanely, no?” As he said so, he looked beside him. “Your Excellency, this thing, can you finish installing it by tomorrow morning?”
Beside him, the middle-aged man who was so burly that he didn’t look like a priest looked at the behemoth outside the suspended ladder and thought for a moment amid the rumble. “I can.”
Apart from the two words, he mentioned nothing more. He was very economic with words.
“You hear it? Just report back to His Honor the same way.” Shi Dong waved, motioning for the subordinate to retreat. Finally, he turned back and looked up at the heavy steelwork that was raised from the ground by derrick towers. Countless cables hung from many of the connectors on it, making it seem just like a weird jellyfish.
On the cracked upper deck of the Mountain of Nomadism, a huge space had been cleared out. Dozens of musicians prostrated themselves on it, combing out the alchemy array intensively, opening up new slots and gaps for the equipment to be installed.
“It’s just that this thing is really big.” Shi Dong gazed at the huge weapon on the derrick tower and sighed softly. “It’s really hard for me to imagine, Your Excellency, is it really as powerful as you said? Removing the Petitioners and use this to replace the main battery without conducting any tests, it feels a bit reckless no matter how I think about it…”
“With the Net of Aether to support it, there will be no problem.” The prelate’s voice was flat, with no ups and downs. “Bishop Shi Dong, you need not worry. It is the war weapon that we have recovered from the records before the Age of Dark. It is the most suitable weapon for the Mountain of Nomadism.”