Chapter 29: The Calamity Unleashed
A Soothing Presence
“Don’t worry… everything will be fine…”
An ethereal female voice instantly calmed the boy’s anxious heart. A white-haired girl with a veiled face appeared behind him, her steps light and graceful, a gentle smile on her lips.
With her hands clasped together, a golden light emanated from them. In the next moment, the boy felt his ability rapidly recovering. Not only him—everyone present experienced the same surge of restoration.
“This is Ling Ge from the Sacred Choir. Didn’t I tell you? No need to worry. We’ve got plenty of hidden talents here.”
Uncle Li nodded respectfully toward Ling Ge, then stowed his bow and smiled at the boy.
“Sacred Choir… uh, Uncle Li?”
The boy was puzzled, noticing Uncle Li’s sudden relaxed demeanor.
“You’re wondering about this? Because… it’s over.”
The Thunderous Strike
Suddenly, a flash of lightning illuminated the scene, followed by a torrent of thunder raging wildly. A young man appeared before the city wall, enveloped in crackling lightning. The beasts surrounding him were reduced to ashes in an instant.
The young man surveyed the endless tide of beasts with an expressionless face, brushing off his clothes. Golden light shimmered around him as Ling Ge, standing atop the wall, cast a strengthening spell on him.
His body surged with electricity, and without a trace of fear, he raised his hand toward the frenzied beast tide. Countless bolts of lightning converged, forming a massive, irregular shape composed entirely of electricity, crackling with destructive power.
“Thunder Spear, Pierce!”
With a throwing motion, the young man unleashed the colossal bolt of lightning. It shot forward like a blade, accompanied by a deafening roar, slicing through the beast horde like a reaper harvesting lives.
“This is… Kuang Lei… and he’s only the runner-up…”
The boy stared, awestruck, at the young man known as Kuang Lei. With a single strike, he had decimated a vast swath of the beast horde. The beasts, seemingly intimidated by the attack, paused and roared at Kuang Lei.
“Then, it’s time to finish this.”
Kuang Lei shook his hand, gathering lightning once more, clearly intent on leaving no beast alive.
A Sinister Sound
Woo—Buzz—
A strange sound echoed, and Kuang Lei’s figure froze. The lightning he wielded faltered, and he clutched his head, letting out a pained wail.
Woo—Buzz—
From the sky came a sound like a whale’s cry, a whisper from the abyss. The boy on the wall felt as if he were plunging into the depths of the sea.
In that ocean, there was nothing but murderous intent—an endless tide of hatred and killing desire. The boy sank deeper, as if he were born for slaughter.
“Ugh… ah!!”
The boy slapped himself hard, forcing his eyes open. A flicker of clarity returned to his gaze. If not for his rare mental ability, he would have been completely consumed.
“Kill! I’ll kill you all, hahahahaha!”
From below the wall, Kuang Lei’s maniacal laughter rang out, accompanied by the frenzied crackle of thunder. He danced through the beast horde, reveling in the chaos.
The boy instinctively looked outside the wall. The beasts, which should have united against Kuang Lei, were now ignoring their powerful foe, savagely attacking one another.
“What’s going on, Uncle Li… Uncle Li…?”
To his horror, Uncle Li was laughing hysterically, one hand gripping Ling Ge’s throat, the other charging a wind blade, poised to sever her neck.
A Descent into Madness
“Stop it! What’s happening?!”
The boy frantically tried to intervene, but golden chains suddenly lashed out at both Uncle Li and Ling Ge.
Reacting swiftly, Uncle Li unleashed his charged wind blade, slicing through two of the chains. However, the remaining chains bound him tightly.
Even immobilized, Uncle Li radiated intense killing intent, laughing maniacally as he glared at Ling Ge.
Ling Ge met his gaze, her own eyes blazing with murderous intent. She drew a golden dagger from her chest and swiftly aimed for Uncle Li’s heart.
Shrrk—
Before she could strike, a spinning wind blade severed her arm, sending it falling before the boy.
“Arghhh!”
The boy screamed in terror.
Ling Ge stared at her severed arm, momentarily stunned, clearly unprepared for this outcome.
In the next instant, Uncle Li lunged forward, dragging the chains with him. Though his limbs were bound, he refused to give up. Laughing wildly, he sank his teeth into Ling Ge’s throat.
Blood sprayed instantly, and the golden light around Ling Ge dimmed. The chains binding them lost their power and dissipated.
Covered in blood, Uncle Li resembled a feral beast. Ignoring Ling Ge’s lifeless body, his killing intent still surged as he scanned for his next target.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up. With a mad laugh, he leapt off the wall, diving into the beast horde to continue his slaughter.
A Battlefield of Betrayal
Simultaneously, countless soldiers followed suit, jumping from the wall to join the carnage.
The boy looked out, his heart sinking. He saw comrades who had called each other brothers yesterday now stabbing each other with swords.
He saw an invincible warrior ambushed by both beasts and humans, falling dead on the spot.
He saw a gentle peer, once kind, now grinning with exhilaration as they killed their own allies.
The boy stood frozen, as if his mind had shut down. He instinctively maintained his mental ability—without it, he might have already lost his sanity.
Woo—Buzz—
The terrifying sound rang out again from the sky. The boy looked up, finally seeing the source of the noise.
A whale—a grayish-white, faded whale—floated in the air. Wherever it passed, deathly silence followed. The sky itself seemed to warp in its presence, its voice and aura causing this chaos.
“A… Disaster Beast… I see…”
The boy’s voice was hoarse. This was a creature beyond their ability to confront, just as the textbooks warned—humans and Disaster Beasts could not coexist in the same space.
Ignoring the frenzied humans below, the whale glided through the sky.
The boy, as if compelled, began walking toward the city’s edge.
The Sole Survivor
Meanwhile, the slaughter seemed to reach its conclusion. Uncle Li, drenched in blood and missing both arms, stood atop a pile of corpses. He was the only living being left.
For a moment, Uncle Li appeared dazed, the absence of living targets making him uneasy. Then, he spotted the boy approaching unsteadily.
“The last one… is Uncle Li…”
Laughing maniacally, Uncle Li conjured a wind blade and charged at the boy.
The boy closed his eyes, silently awaiting his fate. But fate played a cruel trick.
Uncle Li collapsed before reaching him, his strength exhausted. When the boy opened his eyes, he saw Uncle Li dead at his feet.
“Ha… ha… why… did it come to this…?”
Now, the boy stood as the sole survivor.
“Arghhh!!!”