Chapter 54: André's Dismay (Third Update Today)

Mr. Mordo gave the other party no face whatsoever:
"Boss? Working as an employee under your command, one would likely have to endure working conditions far worse than the most dangerous pit miners in the deepest shafts!
It is fortunate that you never became a boss in the human world, otherwise you would have ended up hanging from a streetlamp sooner or later!"

Mammon chuckled indifferently, his chilling gaze sweeping across the crowd before finally resting upon the raging torch burning in the sky, and spoke:
"The 'Flame of Heritage'? Mr. Mordo, I am also a devotee of knowledge, and I revere the creed of fair trade.
Look, we share so many common grounds, why can't we just sit down and have a pleasant talk?"

Mammon resembled an ancient gentleman, his courteous and polite gestures flawless to the point where no fault could be found.
Yet the more he behaved this way, the more deeply wary the crowd became.
The capricious demeanor of hellish demons was notoriously infamous.
One second they would be exchanging polite pleasantries, and the next they could take your life, all the while retaining the smile from their conversation just moments before.

As if to validate the apprehension dwelling in everyone's hearts, before the smile on Mammon's face could even fade, the entire world shifted!
Endless darkness surged forward like a tidal wave, almost swallowing the entire realm.
The burning sky above began to retreat gradually, resembling a landscape scroll being peeled back to reveal a layer of pitch-black ink underneath, causing the sky to split into a bizarre half-red and half-black dualism.
A thick aura of darkness permeated every inch of space, causing a suffocating sense of oppression.

Mammon's hunched physique was completely shrouded within a dense layer of shadows, his form twisted and eerie as the light was swallowed, making him look like the physical embodiment of Hell itself.
Immediately following this, an eerie white light flashed across the boundless dark curtain, and a tome that appeared to be bound in human skin materialized in the vault of heaven, standing in stark opposition to the distant torch.
Horrifying verses were inscribed upon it in blood and brains. As the pages turned, the surrounding air grew heavy, as though countless resentful spirits were weeping in one's ears.

Mammon's legendary domain, "The Infernal Ballad"!
The [Hell Poet]!
He walked between the seas of fire and thickets of thorns in hell, the earth beneath his feet trembling with every step he took, and the surrounding souls quivering with every breath he drew.
His existence seemed to be the personification of hell's agony, using his verses brimming with dark power to provoke endless suffering and torment.

Painful wails echoed in everyone's ears, sounds that seemed to rise from the deepest abyss of hell, laden with resentment and curses directed at the mortal world.
These were the dying groans and shrieks of souls on the brink of destruction!

Mammon's voice rang out: "All of you come out as well; I alone cannot take down the renowned Mr. Mordo!"

As Mammon's words fell, a bone-chilling wind howled through the air, and a rotting stench diffused, sickening to the stomach.
Deep within the dark curtain of the sky, two pairs of eerie green eyes slowly opened.
Corpse demons—and there were two of them!

Their physiques were similarly towering and distorted, with tattered garments hanging from withered skeletons, and rotting flesh peeling off chunk by chunk with their movements.
Across nearly identical ferocious faces, hollow eye sockets burned with boundless resentment, and sharp fangs gleamed coldly in the moonlight.

Mr. Mordo's tone carried a hint of astonishment as he said:
"I never expected the 'Phantom Corpse Fiend' to actually be two individuals!"

Both corpse demons emitted spine-chilling laughter, their legendary-tier momentum soaring into the firmament!
The dark canopy at the edge of the horizon advanced once more against Mordo's legendary domain, occupying two-thirds of the vault of heaven.

Simultaneously, two matching dark purple bells materialized on either side of the tome, presenting a deep amethyst color throughout and emitting a mysterious, gloomy glow, as if they had fallen from ancient stars.
As the bells swayed, the sounds they emitted resembled the funeral knells of hell, imbued with an aura of death and despair that plunged all living creatures who heard them into an indescribable terror.

The legendary domain of the two legendary-tier corpse demons: "Soul-Summoning Bells"!

...

Adel, who was hurrying toward Emerald Lake, suddenly felt an icy intent to kill crystallize in her eyes. Her entire body surged with an ice-blue radiance, isolating the wailing sounds from her ears.
Mammon the Hell Poet, the Third Councilor of the "Black Tomb"!
And two legendary-tier corpse demons!
It was actually the people from the "Black Tomb" taking action against the "Pale Wings"!

Adel felt an irrepressible surge of murderous intent course through her.
The Black Tomb was the mastermind behind the attack on the royal palace and the assassination of Cohen!
Adel had still been pondering how to teach these people a profound lesson, but she never expected them to deliver themselves right to her doorstep, and to dare act audaciously within Florence!

Amidst the violent fluctuation of her emotions, a trace of deep blue emerged in the depths of her eyes.
With a flash of ghostly light, a staff glowing entirely in blue appeared within her slender, delicate hand.
Following that, her aura surged abruptly, rising to a level that was by no means inferior to an ordinary legendary-tier entity!
At the same time, from her smooth, silk-like tresses, a striking, shocking strand of white hair inadvertently emerged!

...

Andrei halted his advance, gazing at the floating tome and bells in the sky as a glimmer of realization slowly dawned upon him.
His previous guess had been correct; this was indeed a conspiracy orchestrated by the "Black Tomb" targeting the "Pale Wings."
To dispatch three legendary-tier powerhouses right off the bat—could it really be just to deal with a regional inspector of the Northwest?

No!
A flash of shock and indescribable panic suddenly crossed Andrei's eyes.
Could it be that she had come as well?!

It was highly likely!
Mr. Mordo was her guardian. To make Mordo this furious and force him to directly unfold his legendary domain, there was only one possible explanation: the "Black Tomb" was not targeting Mordo at all, but rather the Daughter of the Golden Wings!

Damn it!
Why was Isabella here as well?!
Hadn't His Lordship invited her to attend his birthday banquet?
She should be in the Eastern Territory right now!

Andrei's heart tightened violently. If His Lordship were to discover that Isabella had been besieged here by the "Black Tomb" while he stood by and did nothing, it would undoubtedly provoke thunderous wrath.
After all, His Lordship possessed a nearly fanatical obsession toward Isabella and the family of the Golden Wings behind her, practically viewing her as his exclusive possession.

No matter how reluctant Andrei was to meddle in a legendary-tier battle at this moment, he had no choice but to go.
At the very least, he needed to inspect the situation so that if His Lordship ever questioned him in the future, he would have an explanation prepared.

...

Amidst the crowd, Cohen gazed at the three "Black Tomb" legends in the sky while rapidly calculating in his mind.
Mammon was not from the Northwest Continent; he must have been temporarily reassigned to deal with the Daughter of the Golden Wings.
Therefore, the legendary-tier superior among the golden-badged "Riders" must be among the two corpse demons!
In all probability, it was that corpse demon who had replaced Vissel.

However, now was not the time to strike. Although three legendary-tier figures had revealed themselves, there were still two saints lurking in secret.
They were the primary target of this operation.
If they were going to strike, they must strike decisively, uprooting and eradicating the forces of the "Black Tomb" in the Northwest Continent—especially within the nation of Ephin—once and for all.

High in the sky, a massive battle was on the verge of erupting!
Mammon the Hell Poet led the two corpse demons to make the first move, their three legendary domains merging and converging to press down upon Mr. Mordo alone.

With an order from Grand Duke Roland, a thousand "elite"-tier [Heart of the Crimson Thorn] soldiers instantly formed a battle array, erupting with momentum that fell nothing short of the legendary tier!

Mammon's eerie voice exploded beside their ears:
"Roland, does your Western Empire insist on standing against our Black Tomb?"

Grand Duke Roland's expression remained calm as he replied:
"You lot have turned the pristine Emerald Lake into a foul and noxious mess, and I am precisely here to stand against you!"