Chapter 904: A Preemptive Strike
Chapter 904: A Preemptive Strike
"It's alright, you did your best. I should have protected you better." After comforting the Doubloon Director with these words, Taurus Director couldn't help but sigh with a hint of regret as he watched the yellow python, which was the coarse hemp rope, break free and slither back into the Yellow Springs, taking advantage of the distraction.
The soul-grinding process at the Sentinel Palace had left him significantly weakened. Compared to his peak condition, he estimated that he had barely half his original power left. Despite using all his reserves, he hadn't managed to eliminate even a single Netherworld Overlord.
"Jeanne, you did your best too."
Noticing her dejected mood, Cancer Director patted his own belly and said with a hearty laugh, "At least you three did something. I, on the other hand, just stood there the whole time without even taking a step.
Of course, it's not that I'm afraid of death. It's just that I have the Abdominal Prison inside my belly, and the next generation hasn't fully grasped the secret arts yet. So, if I can stay alive, I should try to live as long as possible... Do you mind?"
"Not at all."
Archery Director, expressionless, responded briefly before turning his attention to the Dead Realm Overlords who had surrounded them again after breaking free from the suppression. With a furrowed brow, he asked, "Your continued survival is already a significant contribution to the Bureau. What's going on with Capricorn? Why haven't they made their move yet?"
"Don't talk nonsense. I've been in action for quite some time now."
A bony arm wrapped around the shoulders of the Archery Director, and its owner, Capricorn Director, who had appeared at some point, patted the mark on his collarbone. "You and Cancer are too old. The pervasive stench of death emanating from you is impossible to conceal. The Dead Realm Overlords could sense it with just a glance, so how could they not take advantage of it? From the very beginning, Raven-Eyed Granny and the Priest of Death have been trying to lure you with the death energy surrounding you, intending to take your souls prematurely. If I hadn't noticed something amiss and left the others behind to purify both of you, you'd probably be lying down by now!"
"..."
Apparently uncomfortable with such "intimate" contact, the Archery Director shrugged off Capricorn's hand, his face darkening. "Well, thank you... What about the others? Why aren't they making their move?"
"They're about to."
Unbothered by the rejection, Capricorn Director withdrew his hand and said with a smile, "Just wait..."
"Boom!"
Just as Capricorn Director was halfway through his sentence, the pale ground beneath the Sage's Graveyard trembled, and seven white-hot pillars of light pierced through, shooting straight up into the sky entwined with black and gray. The light illuminated the terrified faces of the Dead Realm Overlords.
"Here it comes," said Capricorn Director, and the seven pillars of golden light abruptly retracted, converging and intersecting in the darkest, deepest part of the sky to form a small, white-hot hemisphere the size of a human head.
This tiny sun, only seven-twelfths the size of a full sun, flashed in the pupils of the living and the dead for less than a thousandth of a second before radiating pure sunlight in the desperate gaze of the Dead Realm Overlords.
The next moment, the sky in the Netherworld lit up.
...
Under the half-sun conjured by the combined efforts of the seven Zodiac Bureau Chiefs of the Purge Bureau, the dazzling sunlight unique to the living world shone into this dark and gloomy realm of death after an unknown number of years.
The once cloud-filled sky of the Netherworld was instantly illuminated, and the dark and murky firmament seemed to be washed clean, momentarily revealing a clear, light blue expanse.
As the death energy that permeated the world was temporarily cleansed by the sunlight, the pale land swiftly turned dark, and the murky Yellow Springs washed away its silt and sand. From the shadows of the earth to the mountains in the sky, a hint of greenery briefly emerged.
Even the deceased on the No Return Path, each with their unique deathly appearances, had their physical defects temporarily restored in this instant. Their faces, once filled with bitterness and regret, smoothed out, revealing their healthy appearances from when they were alive. With bewildered eyes, they gazed at the brightening sky.
"Perfect!"
Rubbing his eyes, which were stinging from the sunlight, Capricorn Director, with his head bowed, broke into a wide smile. He then gave a thumbs-up towards Lyon's coffin.
"Haha, Aquarius's plan was flawless! I took a longer look just now, and almost all the Dead Realm Overlords were directly hit by the stored sunlight from the seven Yellow Circuit Palaces. Even the strongest ones, the Faceless Man and the Engraver, would have been finished off by such a strike."
"Now, there are no more Overlords in the Dead Realm. Those guys up there earlier, each and every one of them, were burned to a crisp. Although the sunlight didn't carry much authority and couldn't erode their souls, I estimate it will still take a good century or two..."
"Hmm? Why are you all silent? Why are you ignoring me again? I didn't say anything useless today, did I?"
"Shut up!"
"Quiet down!"
"Wait until your eyes recover and see for yourself!"
After simultaneously shouting at the chatty Capricorn Director, the other directors looked up at the sky, which was quickly darkening after the sun's disappearance. Their expressions turned grave one after another.
One, two, three... twelve!
In the sky, not yet fully returned to its pitch-black state, twelve dark 'ink dots' hung silently above the Sage's Graveyard, emitting an incredibly dense deathly aura.
As the sunlight completely vanished, the ice layer that had sealed the Dead Realm Overlords in the sky shattered and melted, showering down a rain of pitch-black droplets without a hint of luster, drenching the hearts of all the Purge Bureau members.
Seven-twelfths of the sunlight had directly hit the Dead Realm Overlords, yet not a single one of them had been eliminated. They seemed to possess some powerful trump card, perfectly withstanding the ambush and even exuding a purer aura than before, a terrifying might comparable to that of the Pillar Deities.
"Sigh..."
Cancer Director, still wearing a faint smile, shook his head with a hint of regret. He then placed his hand on his navel and gently spun it counterclockwise, and from the Abdominal Prison, an incredibly dense cacophony of battle cries and wails emerged.
Immediately, all the Purge Bureau members present, including the seven Zodiac Bureau Chiefs who had emerged from their coffins underground, except for Capricorn Director who was frantically rubbing his eyes, looked up at the pitch-black sky and silently retrieved their primary Abnormal Objects.
At this moment, no one regretted initiating this war, nor did anyone complain about the new Aquarius Director's plan. Whether it was the Zodiac Bureau Chiefs or the twelve directors, everyone involved in this operation understood that they had only one task ahead: to face a life-or-death battle...
Hey?
As the Dead Realm Overlords emerged from the ice, falling like dumplings, the purifiers hadn't even had a chance to show their puzzled expressions when they noticed that the last Faceless Man to break free had reached out and caught the Lantern Elder, who was falling beside him, and swallowed him whole!
Wait, where did it get a mouth?
(End of Chapter)
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