Real Mount and Blade Game

A cold wind swept across the ancestral tombs, raising black dust and ashes, carrying the pungent smell of sulfur and blood.

The survivors leaned against the makeshift fortifications, numbly tending to their wounds and taking stock of their dwindling supplies.

The Khergit scouts patrolled the outer perimeter warily, monitoring the entrance to the ancestral tomb, a "wound" like a giant scar leading to nothingness, its edges undulating unstablely, emanating an aura of "end" that sent shivers down the spine.

Kalanzo never returned, along with his most elite Tree Knights, who remained forever in the collapsed Molten Core, in exchange for the chance to live of others.

Beside the heavy stretcher, Shen Mu's fingers twitched slightly.

He felt as if he had been adrift for countless years in a nightmare interwoven with an endless abyss and blinding white light, each struggle triggering a tearing pain deep within his soul. It was the catastrophic wound to his soul inflicted by forcibly activating the [Tallinn] core, condensing the "Wedge of Order" and driving it into the Eye of the Abyss, and finally guiding the "Lance of Rules" for the final judgment. His spiritual sea was almost dried up and shattered, and his body was on the verge of collapse due to overexertion.

However, in the deepest recesses of his consciousness, a strange sense of "connection," like cold threads, stubbornly entwined the core of his perception. It wasn't the familiar network of the [Tallinn] network, but rather… the pulse of the earth beneath his feet? No, more accurately, it was the remnants of the collapsed Molten Heart Domain deep within the Ancestral Mausoleum!
"Ugh..." A suppressed groan of extreme pain escaped from his cracked lips.

"Commander!" The adjutant standing guard beside him suddenly woke up, his voice hoarse but filled with unbelievable surprise.

This sound seemed to awaken the silent camp, and countless eyes filled with weariness and sorrow, yet instantly ignited with hope, focused on the thin figure on the stretcher.

Shen Mu struggled to open his eyes, his vision blurred, and he gasped for breath. Each breath brought a tearing pain to his chest. However, the deep eyes no longer held the weakness and confusion he had felt before losing consciousness, but rather... an unprecedented, utterly exhausted yet sharp and razor-sharp sense of control!

He saw the "wound" emanating an aura of "end." But at this moment, in his perception, it wasn't simply a passage signifying destruction; it was more like a... broken "connection point." A node connecting him to himself, to the purified "Primordial Ashes," to the main world, and even more so, to the remnant will of the core of the Molten Heart Domain!
"Help me...up..." Shen Mu's voice was as hoarse as sandpaper.

The adjutant and several soldiers carefully helped him up and leaned him against a broken stone slab of the giant gate. Shen Mu closed his eyes, no longer relying on his vision, but instead using all his remaining spiritual power, like the most precise probe, to cautiously and inch by inch extend towards that "wound," touching that shattered Molten Heart Domain.

In an instant, images of shattered chaos, filled with the fading light of destruction and order, flooded his mind:

The once boiling lava river has solidified and shattered, leaving behind traces of the burning light of order.

On the scorched and cracked earth, the remains of allied soldiers, abyssal creatures, and even colossal divine remains were scattered, slowly being swallowed by the light of annihilation.

The Black Core Mountains… no, the very core of what was once the Black Core Mountains, now only a massive, deep, and continuously collapsing “void” remains, surrounded by spiderweb-like spatial rifts that shimmer with a faint white light. The void itself contains a chilling destructive power, yet deep within its core, a faint yet incredibly stable aura… of the very essence of order emanates! It is the pure “foundation” left behind after the “Primordial Ashes” completely purified the abyss's filth, the final anchor point of this plane!

At the edge of the collapsed, hollow "bottom," a tomb-like structure, composed of pure, compressed dark energy—not the filth of the abyss, but the ultimate "emptiness" and "annihilation" itself—was quietly taking shape. It exuded a pure aura of annihilation, yet strangely resonated with the faint, repulsive white light originating from the "primordial ashes" within Shen Mu's soul.

Control!
A thought exploded like a thunderclap in Shen Mu's nearly depleted mind!
He did not fully control this sub-plane. The Molten Core Domain had shattered, and most areas were irreversibly sliding towards "the end." But... at the collapsed core, the "Annihilation Tomb" region, stabilized by the purified "Primordial Ashes" and born from the Final Judgment, had undergone a fundamental transformation in its essential rules! The will of the Abyss had been completely purified and erased, and the core of the will guiding this Final Judgment—the trajectory of the [Mount & Blade Rules] carried by Shen Mu himself and the unyielding belief in order of the Allied Forces—had become the new and only "mark" of this shattered core region!
In other words, the "Annihilation Tomb" and the limited space around it, because they were born from the final collision of rules dominated by Shen Mu (Lance of Order vs. Eye of the Abyss), their very existence bears the imprint of Shen Mu's will. He is the destined controller of this new core area, just as the Core of the Abyss once ruled the filthy Molten Heart Domain.

"Hiss..." Shen Mu gasped, forcibly suppressing the excruciating pain in his soul and the immense exhaustion caused by this astonishing discovery. He opened his eyes and looked at the exhausted warriors around him, whose eyes still shone with unwavering determination.

He saw the sorrow on their faces, the numerous wounds on their bodies, and the thinning of their formation after their numbers were drastically reduced... but he also saw that the flame of their indomitable will had not yet been extinguished!
“Soldiers…” Shen Mu’s voice wasn’t loud, but it carried clearly throughout the silent camp, with an undeniable resolve, “The corrupt core of the abyss has been purified… but its lair, the last legacy of this desecrated land… is not yet over!”

He raised his trembling hand and pointed to the ominous "wound":
“I can feel… at the end of that collapse… there is something! A ‘tomb’ born from that final judgment itself! It connects to the remnants of the abyss and contains… perhaps the last and most essential remains of that corrupt god!”

He took a deep breath, each breath aggravating his injuries, but he stood up straighter, his gaze sweeping over the tattered tower shields of the Swadian heavy infantry, the broken spear shafts of the Rhodok spearmen, the frostbitten blue fingers of the Vaegir archers, the blood-stained scimitars of the Khergit horse archers… finally settling on a high-ranking knight who was barely maintaining order among the remnants of the Holy Tree Knights in place of Caranzo.

"We cannot stop! We cannot allow any remaining blasphemy to take root again! We cannot let Kalanzo and all the fallen warriors... have sacrificed themselves in vain!"

Shen Mu's voice suddenly rose, carrying an almost manic obsession and an irresistible authority:

"In the name of the Allied Supreme Commander! Reorganize! Swadians, Rhodok, construct the final line of defense! Vaegir archers, Rhodok ballistae, prepare for maximum firepower! Khergit horse archers, eliminate all remaining threats on the perimeter! Holy Tree Knights... Follow me, once again step into the gates of hell! Target—the sub-plane core, the 'Annihilation Tomb'! Attack!!!" "For order! For our fallen brothers! Kill—!!!"

A deafening roar of battle erupted once more! Without hesitation, without pause! Even with their bodies pushed to their limits, even with only a fraction of their men remaining, this iron army, which had crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, once again unleashed a fighting spirit of certain death under Shen Mu's command, which burned with his own life force! They picked up their broken weapons, straightened their tattered armor, their eyes filled not with fear, but with a madness that sought to end everything!

The remaining knights of the Holy Tree Knights, their bodies radiating a faint, purifying light, huddled around Shen Mu, forming the strongest barrier against his weakened body. The Vaegir ice archers, enduring the pain of depleted magic and frostbite, drew their longbows, icy air gathering at the arrow tips. The Rhodok crossbowmen, their hands and feet trembling, pushed aside the heavy strings, loading their last Radiant Burst bolts into the slots. The Khergit horse archers mounted their horses and scattered like whirlwinds. The Swadian heavy infantry and the Rhodok spearmen silently formed a final, thin shield-and-spear formation, blocking the path to the "wound."

Guided by Shen Mu's will, the "wound" emanating an aura of "end" seemed to stabilize slightly. He gathered the wisp of orderly white light from the depths of his soul, originating from the "Primordial Ashes," and touched the "wound" like a key. An unstable passage, barely wide enough for several people to walk side by side, filled with violent energy turbulence and spatial fragments, struggled to open in the center of the "wound" like a surgical wound.

"Let's go!" Shen Mu shouted, and with the help of the Holy Tree Knight, he took the lead in stepping into the corridor ravaged by the energy storm.

Last time it was a hasty retreat; this time it's a desperate attack! The environment within the passage remains incredibly harsh, with raging turbulent currents of rules and spatial fragments cutting everything like invisible blades. Soldiers are frequently swept away by the turbulence and instantly annihilated. But this time, their objective is clear, and their will is unwavering! The faint light of the Holy Tree Knights painstakingly clears a small, relatively "stable" path ahead, while the Vaegir archers freeze the sudden energy turbulence, and the Rhodok ballistae blast open the blocked spatial folds with explosive bolts. Shen Mu's mental power acts like a navigational beacon, firmly locked onto the faint sensation of the "Annihilation Tomb" at the end of the passage—the collapsed core.

After paying the price of more than a dozen elite soldiers turning to ashes, they finally broke out of the devastating corridor.

The scene before them was breathtaking. No longer the hellish landscape of lava and skeletons, but a pure, ever-collapsed, annihilating void. The edges of this space were broken "boundaries," cracks shimmering with white light. And at the very center of this collapse, suspended in mid-air, lay a tomb!
It was not constructed of stone or metal, but rather compressed and condensed from the purest, most profound, and ultimate "annihilation black light." The tomb's form was distorted and ever-changing, sometimes resembling the skull of a gigantic jackal, sometimes a pulsating dark heart, its surface flowing with a liquid void capable of devouring all light. An aura of "end" and "annihilation" of the purest degree emanated from it, as if it were the final destination of this shattered plane's complete annihilation. Around the tomb, a thin but extremely condensed black mist swirled, within which one could vaguely see the distorted, newly born, small, pseudo-divine abominations, existing between solidity and illusion. They seemed to be the last stubborn pests breeding in this "end" land, sensing the intrusion of the living, emitting silent shrieks, and rushing forward madly!

These newly formed pseudo-god abominations are far less powerful than the individuals from the Molten Heart Domain era, but their attacks carry a pure "annihilation" attribute. Once touched by their black mist, matter and energy are forcibly decomposed and dissipated, making them extremely troublesome.

"Long-range firepower! Cover the entrance area of ​​the tomb!" Shen Mu's voice was extremely weak in the energy storm, but it was transmitted to the minds of every soldier through his unwavering will.

The Vaegir Icewind Archers struck first! Soul-chilling icy arrows tore through space, striking precisely the onrushing black mist afterimages. The extreme cold clashed with "Annihilation," producing a piercing hiss, instantly slowing the afterimages' movements and causing the black mist to condense. Then, the Rhodok Heavy Radiant Burst Crossbow unleashed its final roar! The massive crossbow bolt, gleaming with blinding purifying light, slammed into the horde of pseudo-divine abomination afterimages, exploding with a deafening roar! The raging light energy clashed and annihilated the annihilating black mist, blasting several afterimages to smithereens!
"Infantry advance! Holy Tree Knights, purify and suppress!" Shen Mu gave the order again.

The remaining tower shields of the Swadian heavy infantry formed a crumbling defensive line, while Rhodok spearmen thrust their spears through the gaps, precisely piercing the cores of the slowed or damaged afterimages. The Holy Tree Knights chanted prayers, channeling their last strength into their weapons, unleashing faint purifying auras. While unable to completely dispel the "Annihilation" mist, these auras formed a thin barrier in front of the shield wall, significantly slowing its erosion and buying precious openings for the infantry and spearmen to attack.

The Khergit horse archers roamed at high speed in the relatively safe perimeter, firing arrows at tricky angles to pick off any who tried to bypass the frontal defenses. Their arrows were also coated with a faint, regular white light, which had a slight effect on annihilating afterimages.

The battle was fierce yet brief. These illusory phantoms, being newly formed and rootless, melted away like snow under the sun under the final, desperate attack of the allied forces, imprinted with Shen Mu's order. When the last twisted black shadow was pierced by several Rhodok spears simultaneously and vanished into nothingness in the faint purifying flames, the battlefield fell into a brief silence.

All that remained was the "Annihilation Tomb," a void space constantly collapsing, emanating an aura of pure annihilation. The tomb's gate, composed of liquid nothingness, was now slowly rippling like water.

All the soldiers were panting heavily, gripping their weapons tightly, their eyes fixed on the door. Supported by two Holy Tree Knights, Shen Mu walked to the front of the group. His face was ashen, and his body trembled slightly from the pain and exhaustion, but his eyes were sharp as an eagle's, fixed on the door.

Just then, in the center of that liquid void gate, the black mist violently churned and condensed!
A clear figure slowly emerged.

It was not a physical entity, but rather an outline drawn from the purest and deepest "annihilation black light." Its form was that of a majestic, agile gnoll, its lines fluid and brimming with wild power. Unlike the corrupted gnolls of the abyss, this shadow possessed no rage or filth, only an ancient, indifferent, and profoundly weary sense of history, imbued with divine majesty. Its pupils, composed of two pure, soul-devouring points of darkness, silently focused upon Shen Mu.

A deep, hoarse voice, seemingly emanating from the very end of time, resounded directly in the depths of everyone's consciousness, carrying a strange calm and an indescribable... relief?
“I am… Yenogu…”

The sound echoed in the deathly silent void.

"The filth has dissipated, the shackles have been broken... This is not my true form, nor the puppet of the abyss... This is me, the god of the gnolls, the last remaining shadow of myself in this world... A wisp of my true spirit dwells in this 'final tomb' born from your judgment..."

The shadow paused, its dark gaze seemingly piercing through Shen Mu's weakened body, reaching the core of the white light of order deep within his soul.

"Conqueror from afar... You have shattered the abyss and seized the core authority of this broken plane... Yet, destruction is not the only end. Before this return to nothingness... I... wish to speak with you." (End of Chapter)