Volume 6 Chapter 146

Volume 6 + Chapter 146: Lifeless

“Wh-What is this…? Are my eyes playing tricks on me?!”

Master exclaimed in shock.

After descending into the deeper zone, both he and the captain were utterly dumbfounded.

Before them stood a colossal behemoth covered head to toe in long fur, radiating an aura of profound calamity. Its body was many times larger than even a dragon, and one could only imagine the terrifying destructive power this super-giant calamity beast would unleash if it ever stirred.

However, it remained in a state of slumber, its body rising and falling with a rhythm akin to breathing.

Meanwhile, several small calamity beasts, acting like laborers, carried stolen life-energy essences from the outside world. They climbed the walls and dropped the essences down to feed the super-giant beast.

“Ah…”

Even Master, seasoned as he was, was so frightened by the sight that he collapsed onto the ground, trembling.

This was already an enemy far beyond what Maginot Fortress could handle.

To put it bluntly, if the super-giant calamity beast ever awoke, it would spell absolute catastrophe.

“Could it be… that this super-giant beast has been growing all along?!” The captain suddenly realized. “The calamity beasts rampaging outside, constantly hunting ordinary living beings, they’re just supplying energy to this super-giant beast!”

“If that’s the case, then are the juvenile calamity beasts here all born from that super-giant one?”

Master raised his head and looked at the glowing juvenile calamity beasts clinging to the walls, a chill creeping into his heart.

No wonder the Maginot army’s gradual culling of the calamity beasts had yielded no results, instead, the beasts kept increasing.

“That’s very likely it. calamity beasts aren’t ordinary creatures, they can’t reproduce among themselves. Apart from corrupting others to increase their numbers, they rely on higher-tier calamity beasts to create new ones. This super-giant beast must be a high-tier calamity beast capable of creating others.”

“Then what do we do, Captain? If we don’t destroy that super-giant beast, calamity beasts will keep being born endlessly!” Fine beads of sweat covered Master’s forehead. “Can such a terrifying monster truly be eliminated?”

“…Eliminating the super-giant beast is not our concern. We’re on a reconnaissance mission. We need to bring back the vital intelligence we’ve gathered and report it to the Leader.”

“Right!”

Master gritted his teeth and stood up. He pulled out a magical device, used a magical imager to record the scene, then turned around.

In the darkness, he spotted an old man in a black robe.

Startled, he blinked, and the black-robed elder vanished again.

“Captain… Did someone follow us down here?”

“What do you mean, someone? What nonsense are you spouting? Where would anyone come from in a place like this?” The captain frowned. “This is a calamity beast’s lair!”

“Maybe I’m just too tense… seeing things…” Master muttered.

“Enough. We need to withdraw quickly. Time is short, we have to regroup with the others and return to Maginot Fortress!”

The captain motioned for Master to leave.

“I can’t take this anymore. I just want to get back early and have a drink, ”

Suddenly, a sinister wind blew. Master’s words died in his throat, and he collapsed to the ground like a marionette with its strings cut.

“Old Ma? What are you doing? Don’t sleep here!”

The captain watched as a pool of crimson blood slowly spread from beneath Master. His face drastically changed.

“Old Ma!! Old Ma!!!”

He crouched down and turned Master’s body over, only to find Master’s eyes rolled back, pupils unfocused, no sign of life, and a hollow cavity in his chest.

“Hand of the Wraith.”

The captain heard an emotionless old man’s voice from the darkness. The next moment, a spectral arm pierced through his chest and plucked out his heart.

Then, right before his eyes, the Hand of the Wraith crushed the heart.

Thus, the captain of the elite reconnaissance squad died with his eyes wide open, unable to accept his fate.

“Hmph.”

The Death Envoy, hidden in the darkness, slowly emerged and walked over to where the captain and Master lay.

He summoned his scythe and tapped it against the ground. An ethereal blue light enveloped the two corpses.

“Throw them all down,” the Death Envoy commanded.

Skeletons hauled the auxiliary vehicle of the hovercraft to the spot, then stripped the calamity-repellent liquid from the captain and Master’s bodies. Together with the auxiliary vehicle, they hurled everything down toward the super-giant calamity beast below.

As the objects fell midway, an eerie blue glow lit up beneath the Death Envoy’s hood. He swept his scythe, releasing a surge of magical force that struck the calamity-repellent liquid.

The liquid, which could intensely irritate calamity beasts, was activated by the energy and turned into an all-permeating gas. It drifted down onto the super-giant beast.

The beast, which had been sound asleep, opened its eyes. Under the fierce stimulation, its pupils trembled violently, and the entire cavern shook.

“Ughhh aaaaaaaaah, !!!”

…

“Hurry, we need to pick up the captain and Master. The bait is almost completely wiped out by the calamity beasts!”

The elite reconnaissance squad drove the main hovercraft back to the sunken terrain.

They saw the captain and Master already standing there waiting for them.

“Captain, Master! Thank goodness you’re alright!” The driver stopped the hovercraft.

“…Mm.”

The captain gave a vague grunt in reply before boarding the hovercraft with Master.

“We can withdraw now.”

“Got it!”

The hovercraft sped away at maximum velocity, racing out of the Adam Plains.

Another team member asked, “Captain, what happened to your vehicle?”

“Had a little accident. It was destroyed by calamity beasts.”

“How were things down below?”

“Nothing major. The super-giant beast is still asleep. We can go back and report to Lord Yuren. Everything is stable.” The captain spoke calmly.

“…”

Master kept his head lowered, remaining completely silent the entire time.

Even though this should have been good news, neither of them showed much emotional reaction, which puzzled the other team members.

They even had the strange illusion that the two men’s skin had turned pale, their faces drained of color, lifeless, as if they had become corpses…?

Still, no one dwelled on it. They all just wanted to return quickly.

“As long as the captain and Master are safe! Let’s go back and report the good news to Leader Yuren!”

…

“Heh heh, go on back with your presents…”

The Death Envoy watched the departing hovercraft, a sinister curl forming at the corner of his lips.

Suddenly, as if sensing something, he raised his head and shifted his gaze toward another direction.

Even though there was clearly nothing there, he stared for a long time.

“Is it… my imagination? Why do I sense the presence of my own kin?”

[Translator’s Note: Please join the Gravity Tales’ Discord Server, if you want to hang out.]

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