Chapter Seventeen: The Ruined City of White Stone

Chapter Seventeen: Baishi City Reduced to Ruins

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“Yip!” Xiaoxue let out a satisfied sound, then took flight and landed on Shust’s head.

“Ding! Objective achieved. Reward: 50,000 Soul Crystals and the Netherworld Tower of Ten Thousand Ghosts. Please check your Infinite Space inventory.”

The system’s announcement came, prompting a collective sigh of relief from the tense group.

“Phew, that’s done. Sakuya, set up a larger room. Lolita and I will prepare some traps. Let’s take a moment to regroup.” Shust exhaled and began assigning tasks.

“Yes, young master.” Sakuya straightened her attire, gave a maid’s curtsy, then clapped her hands. Instantly, a courtyard large enough for twenty people appeared atop the high ground.

Meanwhile, Shust and Lolita were busy planting mines—reinforced Claymores, each costing 2,500 Soul Crystals, lethal to Tier 4 creatures within five meters, with a two-meter kill zone. Ten minutes later, their work was done. Beyond the minefield, Sakuya had stretched barbed wire connected to a high-voltage power source. The protagonist himself was the power source.

Shust: Damn it! Why do I have to be the power source? This is abuse of the protagonist! Readers will stop reading!
Author: Oh? Then let’s make it your clone instead.
Shust: So no matter what, you just want someone related to me to power it? A clone is still me!

The eight remaining survivors endured this dark night amid the sporadic explosions and the bizarre crackling of electricity.

The night passed peacefully.

At dawn, after breakfast, the eight survivors stepped outside, intending to head for Baishi City. Yet the scene before their eyes left them utterly stunned: the ground was littered with shredded flesh and foul blood, and the barbed wire was festooned with the charred, shriveled corpses of zombies. At that moment, a stray zombie spotted the house and charged recklessly forward—

“Boom!” It had the misfortune to step on a mine, instantly erupting into a rain of gore.

“What is this?” the young warrior asked, astonished. The attack came from underground—impossible to defend against, and terrifying in its destructive power.

“Sakuya, dismantle the defenses. We’re leaving—there’s no time to waste,” Shust commanded, his expression unchanged by the carnage as he drew his Heaven Spark blade.

“Yes, young master.” Sakuya worked swiftly. In the blink of an eye, all the fortifications vanished. She then handed Shust a spatial ring.

“Are these the mines?” Sakuya nodded. “Lolita, you take charge of them,” Shust said, tossing the ring to her.

“Don’t just stand there—let’s go! Only near towns will you find large numbers of undead. The journey should be safe enough,” Shust said casually, though such words always seemed to invite trouble.

Suddenly, a flash of red light streaked past. A blood-red dagger flew out, piercing a zombie crow’s skull and nailing it to the ground before detonating it.

“Safe, you say, brother?” Lolita, equipping her Lucifer gear, forgot to sulk and instead gripped a flaming red explosive sword. Behind her, two massive scythes fanned out like wings, their power evident in the burning blade she wielded.

“Er…perhaps a little caution is still wise, ha ha,” Shust replied with an awkward laugh, taking the lead out.

The others followed, their faces a picture of resignation.

—Scene break; travel events omitted—

On the road, Shust and his companions rescued several groups of survivors. After much fighting, they finally reached Baishi City.

Looking upon the ruins before them, despair gripped everyone’s hearts. The once-towering castle was gone, its indomitable walls reduced to rubble. The streets were stained with blood, and the occasional zombie wandered aimlessly. From their clothes, one could tell some had been civilians, others students from various academies, and still others soldiers. Not long ago, Baishi City’s residents had been held in high regard, comparable to the capital’s citizens, looking down on those from smaller towns. Now, they were reduced to despised zombies, hunted by all.

“How could this happen? Is the Eastern Empire truly finished?” Many fell to their knees, devastated. The imperial capital of the unconquerable Eastern Empire was now a ruin, crushing the last of their hope beneath a wave of despair.

“Enough. Let’s search the area. There may still be survivors gathered somewhere,” Shust said, knowing he could not let them succumb to hopelessness—they needed a new goal to keep going.

“Ding! B-Rank Mission discovered: Support the embattled survivor camp. Assist Seras in repelling the invading demons and undead army. Remaining support time: 10 minutes 35 seconds. Marked camp, 1,500 meters north. Mission reward: 10,000 Soul Crystals.”

A thunderous roar erupted from the north, accompanied by a towering plume of dust.

“Not good, we need to help them now!” Of the three who received the mission, Shust and Lolita dashed at top speed toward the explosion, while Sakuya stayed to protect the others.

—Cut to Seras and her group of survivors—

A five-meter-high wall of ice, enclosing an area the size of a soccer field, protected the survivors. On the other side, seven Tier 7 archdemons lay frozen to the ground, surrounded by a horde of lesser demons and undead. Behind Seras stood Elwin and a contingent of White Emperor Academy students. The explosion had come from Seras’s ultimate forbidden spell—Heavenly Ice Crystal—freezing a group of demons and causing them to collapse.

“Quick, finish off the rabble! I can’t hold this much longer!” Seras, pale from expending so much magic, panted as she urged the shocked survivors behind her to attack.

They quickly sprang into action, beginning a massacre.

“Damn it, how did the demons ally with the undead? This is a disaster,” Seras muttered as she tried to recover her magic, puzzled by the unholy alliance.

“Restless motes of dust, wayward travelers, the earth’s fury, the call of the stars. Malevolent will, chaotic rebirth, wild darkness! Appear! In the name of divine thunder, I summon you—Lightning of Annihilation!” x2

Two overlapping voices rang out. As the incantation concluded, the elements in the sky collided, transforming into lightning magic. Seven bolts of violet-black lightning crashed down, obliterating the seven frozen archdemons.

“Hm? Jasonki? No, wait—Fallen Angels?! How can such an ancient race still exist? They were supposed to be extinct ten thousand years ago!” Sensing the unusual magic in the air, Seras looked up to see two figures with black wings and bodies crackling with lightning, and cried out in astonishment.

“Principal Seras, are you all right? Leave this to us—no more needless casualties,” said Shust and Lolita, who appeared at her side with teleportation magic, startling her.

“Oh, it’s you! I didn’t expect you to be a member of the Fallen Angels. And this is…?” Seras, relieved that the crisis had passed, finally caught her breath.

“We made it just in time. Otherwise, things would have gone badly for you. This is my sister, Lolita. Sakuya is bringing the survivors we rescued and will be here soon,” Shust introduced her.

“Hello, Principal Seras. Are there any other survivors in the city?” Lolita asked, shaking Seras’s hand.

“No, we were planning to leave today, but the demons chose this moment to attack,” Seras replied.

“Lolita, help them finish off the remaining undead and demons. Principal Seras, how many survivors do you have? And how many are at Tier 5 combat strength or higher?” Shust asked after thinking for a moment.

“Most of the remaining survivors are capable fighters or civilians with good stamina—about two thousand in total. There are over three hundred with Tier 5 combat strength,” Seras answered after a moment’s thought.

“That’s enough. Next, come with us. I’ve allied with the elves—they’ll let us join their defensive line in the Elven Forest. What do you think?” Shust proposed, reasoning that it was best to bring everyone to the Elven Forest’s defenses, as the Eastern Empire was now all but destroyed.

“All right, but the journey is long. Can we reach safety?” Seras voiced the crucial concern.

“How about this—I’ll have my clones escort the survivors in small squads, scattered as we head toward the Elven Forest. That way, we’re less of a target,” Shust suggested, propping his chin in thought before coming up with this solution. After all, a large group would be too conspicuous; breaking up into smaller teams was safer.

“How many clones can you make?” Seras, barely over four feet tall, floated up to Shust’s height and asked.

“Five hundred, and they can last for a month,” Shust replied with a slight smile, revealing an astonishing number.

PS: Endless arc, alas! Except for the first story, all following chapters are original! Please support me!