The black sun hangs high

Chapter 400 The "Steps" to Winning a Chess Game

"Light shines out of the nest."

"That's the distant moon."

"Those are noisy birds."

"Those are grayish-black feathers."

“They laughed, they screamed…they extended an invitation for me to meet the master of the nest.”

"However, I know, I know..."

"In the kingdom behind the door, the stench of flesh and blood will forever emanate."

"If I accept the invitation, I will not be meeting a god."

"Instead, it is silent decay and death."

……

In the Yanhu Mine, Weilin sat quietly by the window.

Her fingers gripped several slightly crumpled sheets of paper tightly, on which were copied excerpts from "The Poems of the Night".

In one part of "The Poem of the Night," after the mad poet Aziv escapes once again from the pursuit of those terrifying hounds, he receives an invitation from "the Moon," or rather, from the Moon Eagle.

Aziv used his mad writing to describe the bizarre scene when the kingdom of the Moon Eagles glanced at Vaan. In his description, when the kingdom opened its doors, countless ugly giant birds serving as servants descended into the world from the cracks. The appearance of these giant birds was exactly the same as the "Asharu" that Virin and the others had seen.

Compared to the mad poet's descriptions of other ancient creations, the existence of the Yasaru giant birds seems to be purer—their essence is not much different from the magical beings that Vaan later created; they are all beasts that act according to their own habits and instincts.

Predation, reproduction, play...

Such behaviors can be found among the Asaru flocks. Apart from actively carrying out the Moon Eagle's commands and responding to those ancient magical rituals, the Asaru generally behave no differently from those fierce predators that dominate the skies.

The offspring of the Moon Eagle are so special. They are completely different from the followers of other gods. Although they do follow the Moon Eagle, they can continue to survive without the power and favor of the gods, and they will not even become weak as a result.

When not under the command of the Moonhawk, these ferocious and bizarre birds of prey obey the rituals that summon them or are led by more powerful Moon Heirs.

They view the battles they face as large-scale hunts, and in their eyes, any target on the ground is no different from those gentle beasts fleeing in panic.

Vera pursed her lips. Even though she was in the Rock Lake Mine, she could clearly see the strange changes happening in the sky.

A huge flock of Yasharu birds is constantly reaching the skies above Watchtower City through the gap connecting the Moon Eagle Kingdom. Their cries are so unpleasant that the miners in the mine can't help but cover their ears.

Vera reached into her pocket and carefully took out a furry magical mouse, a member of the Ernst family's will, which was currently in a state of slumber due to the Black Sun Society's ritual site.

Once it awakens, it means that Hugh is ready to issue commands.

This was something she had agreed upon with Hughes beforehand.

This time, Veraine did not plead with Hugh to stay away from danger as she had done before.

Because this is completely impossible.

All team members who entered the territory of Saint Steel were fully aware of the sacrifices and deaths. Their purpose in infiltrating here was to provide maximum support for their side in the impending battle and conflict. To achieve this goal, anyone could face the most tragic end at any time.

On the desk behind, several thick pages related to the magical rituals beneath the stronghold were already in place.

Once the order arrives, Verin will immediately inject sufficient magic power into it, which will activate the magical ritual hidden underground in the mine in a short time. At that time, the ritual will completely overdraw its own power and launch a head-on breakthrough against the ritual site that seals off the entire area, with no way out.

If they can successfully disrupt the Black Sun Society's ritual site, even for just a few minutes, it will be enough to transmit a series of important intelligences to the outside world.

The cost of doing so is obvious.

The entire Rock Lake Mine outpost will become the primary target of the Black Sun Society's attack immediately. At that time, all personnel still remaining in the mine outpost will lose their most precious chance to escape.

Am I really ready?

Looking at the chaotic black shadows in the sky, she couldn't help but feel confused.

Just then, there was a knock on the study door. With Verin's permission, a young officer named Federu pushed open the door and appeared in the doorway.

Facing Verin, the St. Steel officer, who had only recently joined the Dawn Society, showed no disdain whatsoever. He gave a very respectful and cautious military salute, and then said, "Madam, we have received notification from backup outposts number two, three, and five... They are all ready for full operation and can transmit messages to the outside world as quickly as possible, provided conditions permit."

"Reply to them, instructing them to remain absolutely silent under any circumstances and not to expose themselves."

Vera slowly turned her head, the blank look on her face vanishing in an instant. She looked at the young officer and asked, "How is the situation at the mine?"

"We have now taken complete control of the entire mine. Everyone is ready for battle, and the crystal cannon positions are all in good working order... However, we are not able to conduct test firings yet, but as soon as we receive the signal, we can immediately bombard all the designated targets."

Federer's voice trembled slightly.

He was well aware that he was not much better than the other St. Steel officers in terms of ability. As an officer who had just graduated from military academy after the start of the last war, he lacked a comprehensive understanding of real warfare. However, due to the change in the situation, he had no choice but to take over the command of the soldiers in the entire Rock Lake Mine from Hugh.

Fortunately, the things he needs to do next are relatively limited.

However, the tension lasted only a short moment. Federer gritted his teeth, looked at Veraine, and said, "Madam, based on Mr. Hugh's advice, you can now begin preparing for your evacuation."

In the past, Verine would have been furious to hear this, but this time, she remained remarkably calm. “The plan you are using now was personally devised by me, and it did not include any provision for my prior evacuation… Moreover, you alone cannot control the arcane device. The purpose of the Rock Lake Mine is not merely to attack the Black Sun Society’s defenses, but to completely break their magical blockade within a limited time.”

As she spoke, Vera turned her gaze back to the sky.

There, countless giant birds of Yasharu were gathering together and circling continuously, forming a huge black vortex in the sky above the city.

This behavior looks almost like some kind of special welcoming ceremony, as if they are calling out to and waiting for their leader to arrive.

Vera sighed heavily, “Let’s wait a little longer, Mr. Federer. You should know very well that it is my duty to stay here until the very end… Besides, if someone really wants me to leave, he will inform me personally.”

As she spoke, Vera gently touched the furry magical mouse with her fingers; it was still fast asleep.

……

As Vera waited anxiously for the notification and signal that might arrive at any moment, Hugh, in Watchtower City, was also gazing at the dark sky.

However, what he was focused on was the black vortex formed by the giant bird Yasaru, and the distant horizon.

Although Hugh's magical perception was significantly interfered with and suppressed by the surrounding environment, he could still sense the terrifying threat rapidly approaching under the cover of the thick clouds.

Those were the true offspring of the Moon Eagle, the terrifying shadows cast by the Atmir Eagles as they soared through the sky.

At this moment, the magical ritual presided over by Kzlov was nearing its end, and the "gap in the door" connecting the Moon Eagle Kingdom in the sky was slowly closing. However, the six-winged giant eagle pattern in the sky did not disappear. Instead, it became even brighter amidst the noisy sounds of the Asaru bird flock.

"What are you going to do next?"

That lazy and familiar voice popped into Hugh's mind. Theseus's performance was as steady as ever. This tone reminded Hugh of those despicable idlers who liked to sit high up in teahouses, holding water cups and pointing at pedestrians on the street.

"I'd like to ask you for some advice... As a professional conspirator, what suggestions do you have for the current situation?"

"Suggestions? There are definitely suggestions, and quite a few at that."

Theseus laughed and said, "However, that depends on which side you lean towards more."

Hughes frowned: "At a time like this, can you please stop with your riddles?"

"How did your threshold become so low? Is that even a riddle?"

Theseus clicked his tongue: "Alright, alright, then I'll be more direct... The Black Sun Society has come up with a 'good job' for once. Although it doesn't seem particularly fatal yet, it's causing a lot of trouble. So we've suddenly become the disadvantaged party and are forced to make choices within their pre-set conditions."

Since revealing Mel's past, Theseus has started using the word "we" more and more frequently, with such ease that it's as if he's always considered Hugh one of his own.

Of course, now is not the time to dwell on such details.

Theseus continued, "If we really comply with their plans and ideas, then we must now choose between two different losses: the army that is about to launch an attack, and the intelligence network that you infiltrators have worked so hard to build, as well as your own lives."

"A classic dilemma: on one side are the Akatsuki legions that have just entered the battlefield, and on the other side are your comrades-in-arms, and even your lover..."

Hughes interrupted Theseus's nonsense: "Get to the point."

"彳庍口巴..."

Theseus gave a dry laugh, then said, "So it seems that deep down you don't want to accept either of these painful options, which means you want to break the deadlock on your own, right?"

Hughes was really getting dizzy from Theseus's explanation. He sighed and said, "So, you don't recommend doing this?"

"No no no! Of course not!"

Theseus's laughter grew even louder. He said to Hugh, "I assure you, I support your idea completely, but unfortunately you're still not very skilled in this area... Tell me, how many steps are needed to truly win a game of chess?"

"..."

Three steps.

As if knowing Hugh wouldn't answer him, Theseus asked and answered himself: "First step, pick up the chessboard."

"The second step is to smash the chessboard in the opponent's face."

"The third step is to repeat the second step if the opponent does not admit defeat, until the opponent completely admits defeat or is unable to admit defeat."

Theseus clearly sensed Hugh's strange mood at this moment, so he laughed happily: "Doesn't it sound a bit extreme? But let me tell you, this is the twisted logic I came up with after I acquired the title of the so-called God of Conspiracy. Believe it or not."

Hearing these words, Hugh couldn't help but glance at the flock of Azhar birds circling overhead, then at the Sharp-beaked Owl soldiers who had taken over the important streets and areas, and finally, he turned towards the central square of Watchtower City.

At the same time, he also recalled the "predatory" impulse that Artemis had inadvertently revealed when it looked at him earlier.

He was tempted, and in that instant, a somewhat outrageous idea burst forth from his mind.

Theseus stopped laughing at the right moment and asked seriously, "It seems you've already come up with a new script?"

"It's not quite a 'script' yet, but I think if I can cause a large enough disturbance inside Watchtower and somehow attract the attention of Atmir and Yasharu in the sky, then even without sending out intelligence directly, we can still get the frontline troops to notice the anomaly here... I can even use this disturbance to achieve some additional objectives."

At this point, Hugh took a deep breath, and the face that belonged to Baron Fiorlando turned fierce: "Since the Black Sun Society is so eager to open up a battlefield, then I'll just accelerate it for them... and turn this place into a battlefield!"

(End of this chapter)