novelraw Chapter 372: Prepare for battle
Chapter 372: Prepare for battle
"Why this choice? It’s really puzzling!" Alexander thought, a flicker of hesitation crossing his face despite the idea that flashed through his mind. Ultimately, he strode towards the well-bottom world, shimmering like a starry sky.
The first option was indeed tempting, but Alexander knew it was just a manifestation of his inner desires. The two choices led to the same outcome.
Stepping out of the Portal of Transference, Alexander was immediately surrounded by Ghost Energy, levitating in mid-air. Looking back, the golden gate had vanished without a trace, as if none of this had ever happened.
He found himself in a vast space, as large as a real starry sky, with only the sunlight pouring through the well above, reminding him he was still in the underground world.
Alexander’s appearance acted like a magnet; the swimming Xiao fish nearby immediately flicked their tails and swam towards him.
These Xiao fish were not aggressive. They circled Alexander, forming a dazzling vortex of light.
With a reach of his hand, he caught one of them. It seemed as if it was destined, the Xiao fish didn’t struggle but gently fluttered its tail.
Holding the softly glowing Xiao fish and surrounded by twinkling stars, Alexander felt a momentary pang of guilt. Nevertheless, he quickly activated his ghost cooking skills. The process was smooth; the Xiao fish in his hand exploded, swiftly coalescing into a Ghost Pill in his palm.
Looking at a distance, among the swimming Xiao fish, a Ghost Energy materialized out of nowhere, quickly forming another Xiao fish that seemed unaware as it continued to swim in the group.
"Just as the legends say, their numbers never diminish, as if they were specifically prepared for me!" Alexander murmured, activating his duplicate control talent.
In the next moment, surrounded by flashes of white light, a million duplicates appeared.
"So this is the world at the bottom of the well? It’s beautiful!" The first duplicate gazed around, quickly attracting a group of Xiao fish circling him.
"Less talk, more work!" Alexander urged, like a capitalist driving his minions.
Of course, he was not idle himself. With a wave of his hand, his ghost cooking skills were activated again. The hundreds of Xiao fish around him exploded simultaneously, turning into Ghost Pills that he stored in his ring.
"Tsk, such a ruthless capitalist!" the first duplicate remarked.
"Indeed! Not even a moment for rest and appreciation!" the second duplicate agreed, nodding.
The duplicates teased Alexander, but they didn’t stop their work for a moment, swiftly transforming the surrounding Xiao fish.
Alexander paid them no mind. They were his own duplicates, after all. He knew their personalities well enough; as long as they got the work done, a bit of teasing was of no consequence.
Alexander understood his duplicates well, and clearly, the duplicates were well aware of what kind of person their original was.
After a few jests, they focused entirely on converting the Ghost Pills. The Xiao fish were endless and gathered all around, making the transformation process incredibly fast.
With over a million duplicates, each could transform hundreds of Ghost Pills in the blink of an eye, nearly ten times a second.
This meant a billion Ghost Pills per second, sixty billion per minute, and three trillion six hundred billion in an hour. The over one hundred trillion Ghost Pills needed for the entire ghost army could be produced in just over a day.
Outside Dark Hell, a vast army of one hundred trillion stood ready for battle. With such numbers, tactics were hardly necessary, nor was there a need for detailed division of units.
They were grouped brutally simply: in tens for small units, thousands for middle units, ten thousands for large units, and a hundred thousands for a battalion.
The Dark Hell army and a hundred million survivors who had undergone brief command training were directly stationed in each large unit. Their role was not to command the troops - in such a large-scale battle, commanding was almost futile.
Their purpose was to prevent excessive chaos among the ranks and ensure that objectives were communicated promptly, avoiding large-scale confusion due to the overwhelming numbers.
With ten trillion people, the scale was so vast that an ordinary ghost soldier couldn’t even discern direction in the army; without proper organization, some might head east while others went west.
This straightforward and brute-force distribution scheme made the preparation go smoothly. Before Alexander even emerged, the personnel had already been organized into teams, with the remaining time used for them to get familiar with each other.
Soon, a little over a day passed, and figures shot up from the well, heading towards the space above the ghost army.
A million duplicates, each standing above the vast ghost army, were invisible to each other without activating Ghostly Piercing Vision.
Under the watchful eyes of the endless ghost army, the duplicates gently waved their hands. Countless Ghost Pills materialized out of thin air, resembling a sea suspended in the sky, raining down like droplets.
As the white Ghost Pills, symbols of the forbidden, descended from the heavens, the ghost civilians went into a frenzy. Their eyes were glued to the falling Ghost Pills, and time seemed to slow down immensely, making the descent of the white pills appear agonizingly slow.
Many of the ghost army, especially those at the prince and king levels, with Ghost Energy swirling around them, prepared to leap into the air. But then a voice rang out.
"Please, hear me out!" The million duplicates spoke in unison from above Dark Hell. Their voices boomed like thunder, rolling across the entire realm.
Instantly, everyone fell silent, their gazes shifting upward to the figure suspended in the sky, even forgetting the Ghost Pills in their hands.
Alexander’s actions commanded more attention than their obsession with the forbidden. A satisfied smile appeared on Alexander’s face as he continued loudly, "I have brought the Ghost Pills, as promised. The entire army of one hundred trillion ghosts will be forbidden, as I pledged!"
"Next, I will fulfill another promise: to attack the Mist world! But before that, I wish to speak a few words.
When I first entered the Horror Instance as the Chosen One, I was terrified, wishing to kill all the evil ghosts! It was only after understanding the origin of the Horror Instance and seeing the sword hanging over everyone’s head that I realized the truth.
In my world, everyone feared and loathed the Horror Instance, not realizing that without it, and the barrier of the Horror World, we might have long been devoured by the Mist world. Thankfully, it’s not too late!"
"Today, we gather here with one purpose: to remove the sword hanging over our heads, to end our nightmares, to restore order, and to ensure that everyone, whether alive or a fierce ghost, no longer lives in constant fear."
"For thousands of years, countless heroes have died for this cause, and numerous resistances have ended in vain. This is our last chance! If we win, the world will return to peace. If we fail, I will die alongside you all. My friends, will you fight with me?"
With the last sentence, Alexander roared, his voice, amplified by the duplicates’ simultaneous shouting, spreading far and wide.
"To live and die together, why fear a battle!"
With someone leading the cry, all who heard joined in the roar.
As the hundred trillion-strong army shouted in unison, the sound was overwhelming, shaking the entire Ghost Realm. A terrifying momentum spread and converged among them, forming a massive field of passionate force from the united army.
In such a scenario, the infectious energy was astounding; no one could resist it. Even the most timid felt a flame burning fiercely in their chests, igniting their blood, indifferent to life or death!
This process lasted a long time before everyone calmed down, but each person’s eyes were bloodshot, boiling with passion, eager to march towards the Mist world.
Alexander’s hands gently pressed down, and all duplicates in the sky mimicked the motion simultaneously.
In an instant, the battlefield of the hundred trillion ghost army fell into a deathly silence. Every survivor, upon witnessing Alexander’s gesture, held their breath, not daring to make the slightest sound, fearing they might disrupt the figure in the sky.
When the command was given, absolute silence fell upon the army. At that moment, the hundred trillion ghost army revered him like a deity.
"Everyone, consume the Ghost Pill!" Alexander’s thunderous shout left no room for hesitation. In unison, the entire army performed the same action, swallowing the Ghost Pills in their hands.
Ghost Energy spread rapidly among the troops, transforming into a massive black curtain that blanketed the land and blocked out the sky. A terrifying aura surged upwards, scattering the clouds. Gradually, the Ghost Energy was absorbed into the bodies of the soldiers, and the usually cold sun transformed into a warm orb, casting golden rays that covered each ghost soldier, draping the army in a layer of dazzling golden light.
"All forces, heed my command! Target: the Mist World!" Alexander pointed his Underworld Sword towards the golden sun and swung it down fiercely. A brilliant sword light soared into the sky, as if to cleave the sun itself, accompanied by Alexander’s roaring command: "Advance!"
With a thunderous roar, the hundred trillion-strong army stepped forward. Each step landed like a war drum thundering, resonating through the heavens and shaking the very earth. Their movement was a display of formidable power, signaling the beginning of a monumental battle.
The hundred trillion-strong army moved slowly, yet no one showed impatience. On the contrary, as they took each step forward, with the Mist world gradually appearing before their eyes, their morale soared insanely.
Everyone understood the uncertainty of victory or defeat, the unpredictability of life and death. But they also knew they had no choice. The encroachment of the Mist world was accelerating; it was a matter of life or death, so they might as well fight with all they had.
As they approached the Mist, the sound of dense hoofbeats, like thousands of horses charging, filled the air. "Hell warriors! They are hell warriors!" A tense shout echoed among the ghost army, causing a stir of commotion.
"Prepare for battle!" Alexander’s voice boomed from above, his command swiftly relayed to every ghost civilian through the duplicates and squad leaders. The ghost army at the forefront gazed tensely at the swirling Mist.
The emergence of hell warriors, even with their blood boiling for battle, couldn’t help but cause some nervousness and panic.
"What’s there to fear! If you’re my brothers, fight with me and cut them down!" An electric ghost at the front, wielding a ghost sword flashing with lightning, yelled encouragingly.
"Yeah! With so many of us, we could drown them in spit! I’ll be the first to charge!" A ghost holding its head aloft shouted, bolstering the spirits of the troops. This encouragement quickly quelled the chaos.
From within the Mist, as the sound of hooves grew more frantic, figures emerged, each mounted on warhorses and clad in black battle armor. The hell warriors poured out like a tide, soon becoming a vast, overwhelming force.
"Dare to amass and assault the Mist world, what audacity!" The voice of a hell warrior leader thundered, as the two armies faced each other, poised for a monumental clash.