novelraw Chapter 222: We’d like to eat you
Chapter 222: We’d like to eat you
The Blue Anlan faction sent out a male Ghost General.
The Purple HongMu faction fielded a stone-carved Ghost General.
Finally, from the Black Hurricane camp emerged a seemingly gentle Ghost General.
"Tian, entrust this general-level ghost blade to you. You must win this camp battle for me," said Hurricane, handing over a crescent-shaped blade to the gentle Ghost General.
"Rest assured, my lord. I will surely win this faction battle for you. Perhaps tonight, I could even bring the heads of people from the HongMu and Anlan facions and use them as goblets for a grand celebration in your chamber," Tian took the ghost blade and responded.
"Haha..." Hurricane seemed to think of something amusing, licking his lips and laughing excitedly. "Good, invite that chosen one named Daigo to join us tonight for an all-night revelry. If I become the Ghost Emperor and take control of the Dark Hell, you will not be mistreated."
"Thank you, my lord!" Tian couldn’t wait to say, "Please wait a moment, my lord. I’ll go fetch the heads of those from HongMu and Anlan for you!"
Unlike Daigo, Tian was genuinely gay and had always been very submissive to Hurricane. Now that he had received such a promise from Hurricane, he was practically trembling with excitement. Holding the ghost blade, he rushed towards the center of the gorge.
As he passed the first keystone, a rather emaciated old man merely glanced at him coldly before continuing to feign sleep. Tianzhao instinctively slowed down, carefully navigating past the man before speeding up again.
On the second keystone stood a male ghost who was less than 5 feet 3 inches tall.
"What’s the rush, you little minx? Are you in a hurry to be reincarnated?" The short male ghost sneered as Tian passed by.
"Hmph!" Tian haughtily lifted his head, speaking nonchalantly. "You’re not aware yet, are you? Prince Hurricane has promised me that if I can help him win this faction battle, he will join me for an all-night party! Are you jealous?"
As he spoke, Tian accelerated away with a triumphant smile on his face. In his eyes, this mission was a cakewalk.
The chosen ones were weak, mere insects. And that chosen one of Daigo’s—what was he good for apart from making loud noises when "Catching"?
"Daigo, huh! This time, I will slaughter you. Let’s see how you try to seduce my Hurricane after that!" Lost in these thoughts, Tian quickened his pace.
Soon, the first keystone came into view. But from a distance, he saw that it had turned blue. Had it been seized by the Anlan people?
The sound of fierce combat resonated from the platform above, and Tian felt slightly relieved. Combat meant it wasn’t over yet.
With one ghost general level guardian and ten chosen ones already there, and now with him arriving, they had two ghost generals. It seemed impossible to lose.
Radiating self-assurance, Tian smeared his hand along the blade of his weapon. Fresh ghost blood instantly stained the blade.
Licking the corner of his lips, he leapt onto the platform where the keystone stood, brandishing his blood-soaked blade and shouted, "August, I’m here to help! Let’s join forces with the chosen ones and exterminate that swarm of insects on the other side..."
But he abruptly stopped, stunned by the scene before him. On the vast keystone platform, two speakers were blasting the sound of brutal combat.
These premium add-ons, acquired from Alexander’s "Zero-Cost Purchase" event, provided clear, immersive audio of excellent quality. Beside them lay boxes of high-explosive grenades.
Mebana leisurely pulled out a grenade, yanked the pin, tapped it on the ground, and then tossed it. The grenade soared into the sky, exploding into a fiery ball, showering shrapnel like torrential rain.
Yet, these people, being at least of the Fierce level, had long surpassed ordinary human capacities. Even if the occasional shrapnel flew their way, it couldn’t inflict any substantial damage.
What was most bewildering was the center of the platform. Because another faction had joined, three skeletal tables were now set up in the heart of the keystone area. A crowd was engaged in a decisive battle for return slots.
Yes, they were playing Texas Hold’em.
Stunned. Tian was utterly stunned.
He had prepared himself for a gruesome battlefield, a life-or-death struggle. His blade was already stained with blood, only to find these people playing poker? The absurdity of the harmonious scene left him gobsmacked.
"Haha, I won! I won! The first slot for returning home is mine! Boss, you can come and slash me a dozen or two dozen times before sending me back. If all else fails, I’ll commit seppuku myself. No need for nerve numbing, I intend to cheat Hurricane out of his treasures!"
Just as Tian was grappling with disbelief, a voice suddenly erupted. Daigo, tossing his last card onto the table, roared in anticipation.
"Daigo! What is the meaning of this? And the rest of you, what are you doing? Where’s August?" Tian’s rage boiled over as he clenched his scimitar, eyes locked onto Daigo.
"Um... would you believe we’re determining the winner through a game of poker?" Daigo, clearly still engrossed in the game until he noticed Tian, began to explain cautiously.
"What do you think?" Tian seethed with anger. However, in the next moment, Daigo, dual blades in hand, charged at him, yelling, "If you don’t believe it, then die!"
Charged with intense malice, Daigo’s long blade was raised high as he lunged at Tian. Although Tian wasn’t as powerful as August, he possessed a general-level ghost blade.
Swinging his scimitar, he managed to parry Daigo’s attack, albeit clumsily. Once Daigo’s ghost technique was exhausted, Tian was confident that his blade would quickly end him.
"Attack together! The more enemies we kill, the higher our final instance rating will be!" Alexander urgently reminded everyone.
Alexander wasn’t concerned about Daigo being defeated; the game’s protective mechanisms would at most send Daigo back to Hurricane. Besides, Daigo had been adventuring in the horror world for ten years; Alexander couldn’t believe that was his only trick.
The real concern was that Daigo might go overboard, slicing Tian into mincemeat, which wouldn’t make for good ghost food!
A surge of over twenty chosen ones descended upon Tian, unleashing a medley of ghost skills. The combat prowess of these top-tier chosen was not something any average ghost of the same level could match. In mere moments, Tian was killed.
"What’s going on here?"
From the other sides, the ghost generals from Anlan’s and HongMu’s factions had just arrived at breakneck speed. Leaping onto the platform with mutual caution, they were dumbfounded by the spectacle of Tian’s death.
It made sense for the chosen ones from the Anlan and HongMu factions to collaborate; after all, Hurricane was the young master with a much deeper foundation. But what about Hurricane’s faction? Why were they fighting among themselves?
"What are you standing there for? They’ve all been convinced by me; we’re on the same side now. Quickly, finish off HongMu’s minions!" As they hesitated, Alexander shouted towards the male ghost general of Anlan’s camp.
The male ghost general paused momentarily, his gaze drifting towards the chosen ones from the HongMu and Hurricane factions. Nods of agreement came from both sides.
A thrill of exultation surged through him, and without a second thought, he swung his massive hammer toward the stone-carved ghost general.
"How dare you betray us!" The stone-carved ghost general’s face turned ashen. He tried to flee but was intercepted by several chosen ones.
While their power levels weren’t too different—but stone-carved ghost general have general-level blade—the assistance from the chosen ones evened the odds.
In the end, the stone-carved ghost general slashed off the male ghost general’s left arm, while the male ghost general retaliated by smashing his hammer into the other’s skull, shattering it.
"Haha, finally, victory!" Although he was down an arm, the male ghost general was far from disheartened; he burst into maniacal laughter instead.
"Congratulations, General!" Alexander approached, hands folded in a gesture of flattery, subtly closing the distance.
"Hey, hey... don’t speak like that! Credit is due to everyone!"
The male ghost general from the Anlan faction shook his head and declared, "If it weren’t for your encouraging shouts by my side, how could I have slain all these guardian ghost generals? Everyone contributed!"
Well, this guy has some nerve! Alexander was dumbstruck. He was actually describing Alexander’s and the other chosen ones’ efforts as mere cheering? The ghost general had effortlessly monopolized all the credit with just a few words. The audacity was astonishing!
They had collectively defeated the stone-carved ghost. Had Alexander and the others not been there to assist, not only could the stone sculpture ghost have escaped, but slaying this male ghost general would have been equally feasible.
"What, you have objections to what I’ve said?" Seeing Alexander’s silence, the male ghost general looked at him with an unfriendly gaze and snorted, "Don’t think I can’t deal with you just because you’re protected by some game rules set by the City Lord’s Mansion. As long as I don’t kill you, I can still break your limbs and torture you slowly."
Although Alexander found the male ghost general’s threat contemptible, he maintained a smile on his face and nodded continuously, "Understood! All the credit goes to you; we’re just a bunch of sideline cheerleaders. However, we do have a small request, if you’d be so kind as to indulge us."
"A request?" The male ghost general furrowed his brows unconsciously, but he didn’t refuse. Instead, he nodded, "Go ahead, say what it is, as long as it’s reasonable." What was deemed ’reasonable,’ of course, was his own prerogative.
"Our request is quite simple!" Alexander looked hesitant and apologetic, as if almost too embarrassed to speak. "After fighting for so long, everyone’s hungry; we’d just like something to eat."
"That’s it?" The male ghost general couldn’t help but look disdainful.
Was this the extent of these chosen ones’ ambitions? He had been concerned they might make an outrageous request.
"No problem," he immediately answered, "Say what you want to eat. If it’s not available here, I’ll personally get it for you after the battle is over."
"No need for that! What we want is nothing rare; it’s all here..."
The corners of Alexander’s mouth slowly curved upwards, his gaze turning icy as he fixed it on the male ghost general. His voice grew increasingly colder.
"We’d like to eat you."