Xingyue, is Xiaokai also considered Kai?

"Kaobike, what's wrong with you? Why did you suddenly—"

Although the Demonic Marshal was somewhat puzzled by his junior brother's sudden tearful expression, much like his teacher's death years ago, he heard a whoosh the next second, and then Kaobak's chains came at him. By the time the old man reacted, he was already bound.

It's not apparent on the surface, but in reality, this is Kobek's ability to lock his mind.

"Kishua, you have thick skin and have lived for so long, this won't affect you."

"Huh? It can't be that bad. I just tricked you out of a bottle of wine. Is it really worth holding a grudge for eight hundred years? Be gentle, don't tie me so tightly."

"Don't worry, there's no danger anymore... This guy can't move anymore."

Ignoring the words of the Demon Marshal, Kobek turned to Avia and spoke.

"Kishua, what do you think of Zhu Yue's strength?"

Avia's tone was calm.

"Oh? Although she is the Queen of the Moon, in reality, without the support of the planet, even without a second method, she could not possibly be my match."

"How dare you say that."

Kaubak muttered to himself, but the Grand Marshal pretended not to hear and continued to look calmly at Avia.

From his junior brother's complete 180-degree change in attitude and the name he had just called out, he naturally understood the whole story in an instant.

This Avia is definitely the same Novia who united believers and established the Church of Christ in the first century...

Kishua couldn't help but feel curious. He had thought that such a person would die like his teacher, but he never expected that he would reappear now and take charge of the church. Thinking about it carefully, it made sense. It seemed that the church had become so strong because of this person.

“Then the matter becomes simple. If Zhu Yue is to be revived in Altruchi, whom she considers a ‘failure,’ we can just join forces to eliminate her again. After all, she is a source of trouble, and it’s not good to keep her around. It’s better to deal with her sooner rather than later.”

Avia still had a smile on her face, and her tone was as gentle as ever, but for some reason, it carried a subtle pressure for Kishua.

Are you really going to say that? Unite? This is three hundred years ago, when we united to kill Zhu Yue. Right now, the Dead Apostle, the True Ancestor, and the magician I brought are still fighting.

The old man couldn't help but think to himself, but then he realized that it made perfect sense. Arcturus was not as perfect as Arcueid before she was born, and in this era, she could not use a body to gain the full support of the planet... The more he thought about it, the more sense it made.

Perhaps that's why the Demonic Marshal's tone suddenly became cheerful.

"However, Van Fem is alright, but White Wing Duke is a loyal subordinate of Zhu Yue, just like Black Wing Duke. Although he is not a threat, he could cause trouble if he gets into a fight."

“I’ve already sent the Black and White Knights and Cathy to stop him. If possible, we can kill him. After all, the de facto leader of the Dead Apostles is Altruchi, and Van Fem has also expressed his agreement.”

"Wow, those three guys actually listen to you so much. These three are all loyal subordinates of Altruki. Apart from her, there is basically no one else who can be commanded. Black and White Winged Duke, Black and White Knight, hey, it seems that sending little Altruki to Britain was the right choice."

"Kishua, although I know your personality, I think it would be better if you were more serious."

"Alright, alright, I'm already so old, junior brother, don't tie me up so tightly, it's really uncomfortable."

Despite this, the old man still kept his gaze fixed on Avia with an improper look, while the silver-haired youth's eyes remained on the door, and he casually replied:

"I don't know, I've never thought about it."

"I see... But I think it's not too late to start thinking about it now. You might come up with some great ideas, and it will definitely be very interesting."

After hearing this, Avia smiled softly.

"maybe."

146: Zhu Yue, please just die!

The last place of the thousand-year-old city is buried by unknown red flowers, a silent place as quiet as the eternal slumber of the dead.

This is the Moon King's room, which has been managed by the True Ancestor for a long time, and has been free from enemies and humans.

The world before her eyes was dominated by the red color, and her inner feelings gradually cooled. Altruki, who had just entered, came back to her senses.

Looking around the large room filled with red, there was no one else there except her.

Only in the middle of the sea of ​​flowers is there a pure white bed, like a coffin.

The black-haired girl approached step by step. Although there was no one on the bed, she could definitely sense her unborn sister from the gathering aura.

However, although she couldn't see her, through a spiritual connection, Arcueid saw her younger sister, Arcueid.

In that instant, she understood that she was the princess of the True Ancestor, the perfect successor of the Moon King, the king of the planet, and a true success.

My only chance of success is now; there is no other possibility.

Altruchi is the child of the True Ancestor and the Dead Apostle, but the Dead Apostle cannot reproduce, since their essence is the resurrection of corpses. Moreover, Zhu Yue is not her mother. Her mother is most likely the True Ancestor, who is like a clone of Zhu Yue. But in any case, Altruchi was born because of Zhu Yue.

Because she was able to subdue the demon hound, she was considered to have surpassed Zhu Yue, but due to her instability at the Dead Apostle level, she was still regarded as a 'failure' by Zhu Yue...

Take the battle between the Black and White Princesses, which should have taken place in the 12th century AD, as an example. On the night of the full moon, the Black Princess, who was of mixed blood, had infinite life force but not infinite energy. As a result, she became increasingly disadvantaged in the long battle with the White Princess. Finally, just before dawn, the Black Princess used everything as a gamble to launch a full-force attack, which cut off the White Princess's long hair. She was then hastily rescued by the Black and White Riders and the Demon Dog, who had escaped the encirclement of the True Ancestor's forces.

"..."

Young Arcueid simply looked up at Arcruci with her red eyes, a pure white color that knew nothing.

Eltrauge understood that the True Ancestors only regarded it as a weapon, so they had not taught her about it. After all, the True Ancestors only needed a 'judge', not a king, so power was enough for them.

She suddenly felt sorry for this guy, but even though that's what she thought, she didn't stop what she was doing.

"Okay."

Young Arcueid's instinctive resistance gradually sluggish, and the struggling movements of her legs gradually diminished.

He was killing his own... sister.

Eltrauge knew this very well, yet as if she were gently touching a family member walking towards death, she spoke words of comfort:

"You can go back now..."

Return to the world you yearn to return to in your mind, or—to the dark depths of the bottom of the world to which all the dead will eventually return.

Seeing Arcueid gripped by death and gripped by instinctive fear, Arcurugi suddenly recalled her own reaction when she and Avia encountered the old man with the skull mask at the temple.

For some reason, she subconsciously recalled what Avia had said back then, even though it wasn't directed at her—

Only a spirit that cannot be swayed by anything is truly essential.

Suddenly, Eltrauge released her grip, pursed her lips, and fear flashed in her eyes.

"...I'm still terrified. I really can't beat you. There's no chance of victory. You are the true successor. You are so much stronger than me. You are the perfect successor. Why? Why? You are so outstanding. Doesn't that make me utterly meaningless? A complete failure. What is this all about? What was the point of all my perseverance...?"

She had no desire to become the Moon Queen in a proper and honorable way, but the moment she truly saw Arcueid, she had already given up hope.

Therefore, the only possibility of success is now—

"But I—in the end, I still don't want to give up, nor do I want to embarrass myself like this."

Strive to the very end, until the very last moment when life burns out.

Princess Kurono, who had demanded this of herself from the very beginning, simply could not tolerate herself making a fool of herself like this.

I cannot tolerate myself falling into such a shameful state.

"Because I—don't want to give up myself."

"So, next time, when you've truly grown up and matured, let's have the final showdown, the perfect one destined for victory... my sister."

Suddenly, the black-haired girl's blood-red eyes turned somber.

Dark and gloomy, as if sinking alone into some kind of abyss.

She spoke in a barely audible voice, barely moving her lips, as she whispered:

"...Strange, why have most of the congenital defects been repaired? Although it is still far from a perfect body, it is barely enough for now."

As Eltrauge said this, the image of the former Crimson Moon appeared on her.

This is the action concept known as "Crimson Moon," which originally resided only in Arcueid's deep consciousness.

The True Ancestors all have a vampire urge. This is not actually a flaw of Zhu Yue as the prototype, but a backdoor that she deliberately left to consume the spirit of the vessel host. Once the spirit dies, the soul is no different from being dead, and Zhu Yue can occupy the empty shell of the body to achieve perfect resurrection.

Therefore, the True Ancestor is essentially Zhu Yue's backup body.

Furthermore, if a True Ancestor succumbs to the urge to drink blood and becomes a 'Demon King,' they are more likely to experience the phenomenon of light bodies. They would then use the means of annihilating the humans around them, thereby losing their accumulated past selves and becoming a new and stronger version of themselves.

"Crimson Moon" would only appear in Arcueid's surface consciousness under very rare circumstances, displaying her arrogant and cold demeanor as a noble transcendent being.

Originally, Kurohime should not have had her body taken over by the rising consciousness, but because she gave up her only chance of victory, she was regarded as a possible success by the Crimson Moon consciousness, and thus her body was taken over by the rising consciousness.

"However, Altruchi, although you are a failure, your tormented and agonizing appearance still has a unique charm. Why don't we let you out to continue suffering?"

The "Crimson Moon," whose consciousness had been suppressed by Eltrauge and taken over her body, smiled as if to celebrate her return. All the red flowers in the room faded to the point that even their shadows became faint.

At this moment——

The high-speed magical spiral coming from the gate was aimed at the newly revived 'Crimson Moon'.

This magic rebounded and weakened among the surrounding withered red flowers, like a silent whistle in the wilderness, difficult to see.

"You are......"

Zhu Yue trembled uncontrollably. This was the first time she had ever felt this way since she was born, not even during the great battle of the ancient city....

"Can I ask you to die completely this time, Zhu Yue?"

Avia gazed calmly at Eltrauge, whose body was now possessed by the crimson moon.

147: The Demon Sword - True World

The sudden intrusion of human language caused Zhu Yue to frown slightly.

Although he appeared unremarkable on the surface, she knew all too well that this human was strange, or even terrifying.

Originally, the Moon King wouldn't care about the presence of humans.

However, things are different now. Although this smell is equivalent to the fumes of lava or a volcano, one can instinctively sense the possibility of death from it.

If we were to mention why—

It's a pure instinct.

"...Is that so? It's a real miscalculation for my successor's body to become intoxicated by desire. That's not perfect."

"Your principles of action are now manifesting in her, and this is a perfect example."

"Is there anything you need? If it's just something half-baked, I can give it to you. You're quite interesting."

Hearing Zhu Yue speak such strange words in the body of Eltrauge, Avia continued, maintaining her sharp gaze:

"How about you offer your life?"

"Is that so? Then let me judge whether you are worth my death. Can you defy the universal principles of nature?"

Zhu Yue narrowed her eyes, which held a calm anger brewing from the insult to her self-esteem.

With his hands waving in all directions, the faint red flowers scattered around him roared in response and stretched rapidly toward the roof.

Simply being within the Millennium City is enough to distort space once again.

Avia enveloped herself in primordial runes from Odin, magic she had obtained from Typhon, and the Rhine gold, and said:

"That's definitely what I plan to do."

For a fleeting moment, she displayed a tone of voice that resembled that of a young girl, just like her own physical appearance, before exuding pure hostility and declaring her presence with an imposing attitude.

"Then let's try it!"

And so, in the instant their magical energy intersected—

The red and blue colors, comparable to those of a god from another era, intertwined and imprinted the evidence on the ancient city known as the Millennium City.

Meanwhile, the True Ancestors, who had been persuaded by the Demonic Marshal to temporarily cease hostilities with the Dead Apostles, were unable to stand due to a sudden and intense discomfort.

"Oh dear, has the war already started? Zhu Yue really can't use Moonfall now, otherwise I would really like to see if Typhon's true body could push it. What a pity."

Kishua stood atop the ancient city wall, smiling as if nothing had happened.

"Hey, Kishua, this is really uncomfortable. Are you sure you really want to do this?"

As the highest-ranking magicians in the human world, the True Ancestors also valued Zelrich highly. Zelrich, in turn, was willing to listen to the True Ancestors, who were spirits, consult with him, considering he was a human who had lived since before the Common Era...

Therefore, the relationship between the two sides was actually very good, which is why the True Ancestor listened to their advice and temporarily ceased hostilities with the Dead Apostles.

"That's a human being who can be addressed with holy respect. His advice is quite reliable. But you guys better not do anything reckless in the future. Just live here peacefully, or you might lose your senses."

"I see. Since Kishua has said so, we'll listen to you. Speaking of which, we've heard about some wines produced in Burgundy, and we'd really like to find some to try. Do you have any way to get your hands on some?"