The "True" Faceless One

The North, Sea Dragon Point Peninsula, Western Mountains, Hot Spring Village.

"Wooo, wooo, wooo..."

After three long horn blasts, the Clan Warriors withdrew. These Clan Warriors did not seem to intend to storm the place. They had great numbers, but they had only been feinting attacks here, never deploying their full force.

Although the people of Hot Spring Village had been resisting with all their might, they still could not stop the Clan Warriors from filling in the pits outside. Most infuriating of all, these fellows had even pitched tents not far from Hot Spring Village. It seemed their purpose was to draw reinforcements down from the mine.

Especially after these fellows let four young men from the village leave to report the attack, village chief Mace became even more convinced that this was no simple raid. The enemy had definitely come prepared. Mace simply did not understand why they wanted to target the people at the mine, nor was he quite sure how they could be certain the mine would send people to rescue Hot Spring Village.

Meanwhile, in the tent encampment not far from Hot Spring Village, these Clan Warriors lit an enormous bonfire. The pillar of flame soared into the sky as though it would devour everyone.

"Waah..."

Amid strange cries, some of the Clan Warriors danced naked around the fire. Male warriors and female warriors alike stripped away every covering on their bodies. On a strange wooden platform, an old man with a graying beard and a feathered crown held an object shaped like a human skull, chanting an incantation in a strange cadence.

For some unknown reason, as the old man's chanting began, the enormous bonfire started dancing eerily as well. At the sight, all the surrounding Clan Warriors screamed in excitement.

As the old man's chanting ended, a large group of Clan Warriors who looked like captives were dragged forward. Many of them were still cursing about something. From their words, it was clear that these fellows were warriors of the three great clans of the Western Mountains, all captured by these eerie Clan Warriors.

The Western Mountains were home to the Flint Clan, the Wild Bull Clan, and the Snow Wolf Clan. They were ancient clans of the First Men who worshipped the Old Gods, whereas these smaller clans worshipped even older demons or Other Gods. After Demon B'lack spread the demonic faith to this world, it left many demon worshippers behind.

Since demons differed in their systems of power, those who worshipped them came in all sorts, from ancient clans to various small kingdoms and noble houses. These fellows likewise belonged to a clan that worshipped Demon B'lack. After Eddard's soul descended into this world, many things changed.

Whether because of Eddard's bloodline or some other indescribable reasons, his arrival had, in any case, caused many powers in this world to begin showing signs of revival. These worshippers of Demon B'lack.

Even now, they were still carrying out the command it had left behind: to seize its corpse from the mine. Since this entire area had become Eddard's possession, Demon B'lack's other body parts and soul could not send messages here. It was precisely because Demon B'lack's other parts still existed that these worshippers continued making sacrifices to it and receiving power.

"Ohh, ohh..."

As the flames erupted again, the Clan Warriors on the old man's side slit the throats of the captives who had been brought out. Blood flowed straight from their necks.

Then the blood ran like little streams along the wooden boards in every direction, forming an enormous Seven-Pointed Star Magic Array on the ground. As the old man continued chanting,

Waves of blue-violet light appeared over the magic array. Boom...

As masses of scorching, lava-like matter appeared, demons ran out of the magic array one after another. Before long, fifteen Demon Children and ten Frenzy Demons had appeared. At the sight of the humans around them, all these demons wore greedy expressions. Unfortunately, they could only remain in this world for a limited time. Otherwise, they would certainly have feasted to their hearts' content.

Soon, as the old man spoke in whispers of the demonic tongue, these greedy demons regained their normal expressions. Then, under the old man's arrangements, more than fifty men and women walked naked onto the platform.

At this sight, a different look appeared in the demons' eyes. Before long, scenes of utter depravity quietly unfolded beneath the eerie firelight. These savage Clan Warriors began a disgusting, blasphemous spectacle on the platform.

When everything ended, the demons vanished into the enormous magic array, but their chaos and evil remained here, lingering in these depraved and wicked Clan Warriors.

The villagers in Hot Spring Village had no idea what horrors they would face tomorrow, or what disasters these fallen Clan Warriors would bring upon them.

"Hoot, hoot, hoot..."

The night at Ghost Hour was quiet and desolate. Apart from owls, few animals wandered nearby. Tonight, the clan encampment was also filled with all manner of eerie, terrifying auras, which kept many animals, even insects, from daring to approach.

Even the owl only dared watch everything quietly from a distance. But anyone observant enough would have noticed that there were no other animals in this stretch of forest. There was only this one owl, and there was nowhere to hide near this lone Dead Sentinel Tree. Under normal circumstances, no owl would linger here.

"Flap..."

With a flutter of wings, the owl flew northeast. As it disappeared, the surroundings sank into an enigmatic, deathly silence.

The owl flew faster and faster before finally landing on a Weirwood. This was a Nameless Heart Tree on the path between Hot Spring Village and the mine. By now, a great many bizarre creatures had gathered here: Dragonglass Lesser Demons, the Dragonglass Spider Mother, and the Crystal Demon Spiders she had hatched. Anyone who approached would probably have been frightened to death.

Most terrifying of all, several strange-looking humans stood among these monsters. One was the Dragonglass Spider Mother, Alys Rivers, who had already returned to human form. Another was "Housecat" Bran, who was in charge at the mine.

The tall, sturdy "Big Bear" Brandon and "Scar" Rickard were gently wiping their enormous two-handed swords while listening to Bran's report.

Among them stood a very strange humanoid creature. It resembled Frankenstein's Monster pieced together from black rubber, but it was not as tall as Frankenstein's Monster, and its body even looked somewhat slender.

This monster's arms and legs were about the same length. Its fearsome claws gleamed coldly in the sparse moonlight. Strangest of all was its face, which seemed to bear a white mask. Its eyes, mouth, and nose, like casually drawn fine lines, seemed to hold faint traces of blue light.

It stood right there, yet whenever the moonlight, disturbed by the dark clouds overhead, shone down, the monster seemed to become impossible to make out. That flickering presence carried an eerie air that kept affecting the intelligent beings around it.

"Lord Faceless One! That's the situation. The enemy seems to have gone to rest. What should we do?"

"Leave the rest to me! Once you receive my order, launch your attack. Make sure to protect our soldiers. I don't want needless casualties."

A low, hoarse voice came from the Faceless One. As it spoke, a cold, sinister aura spread outward, making the people around it shiver.

The Faceless One was a strange creature that the White Holy Tree in the Dream World had deciphered after Eddard dealt with that strange egg of the Drowned God. It had inherited the Drowned God's eeriness, as well as the destruction and death within the Twisted Soul. Eddard had named this strange, semienergy creature with no fixed form the Faceless One.

This creature looked very much like a human, yet lacked a human face. Its twisted, terrifying form involuntarily reminded Eddard of a certain legendary being, so he gave it the name Faceless One.

This Faceless One was essentially an extension of part of Eddard's perception, as well as a result of his experiments with creating a servitor race. All this knowledge came from Demon B'lack. Using the environment of the Dream World, Eddard could create new magical creatures of his own. With the appearance and success of the Faceless One, Eddard would also be able to create servitor races belonging to his three kinds of power.

With the Faceless One, Eddard could operate remotely within his own domain. This would spare him from personally handling many matters, while allowing him to control distant lands at any time and even gather information.

As Eddard finished speaking, the Faceless One under his control began walking toward the Clan Warriors' territory. The Faceless One was a strange creature he and the White Holy Tree had created using certain characteristics of Demonspawn, and it was extremely sensitive to magical power.

The Faceless One possessed two abilities: Dark Stealth and Parasitism. When it encountered creatures weaker than itself, it could use Parasitism to influence their minds. However, Eddard had also tested it and found that this ability had no effect on certain people with firm faith or strong minds.

These Clan Warriors worshipped chaos and destruction. To the Faceless One, this made the place perfect for freely exercising its abilities. This was also why Eddard could confidently declare that he could go straight in.

Before long, the Faceless One, creeping through dark corners, reached its destination: the clan encampment. Its stealth ability was a refinement of its aversion to light. In the shadows of night, it could move as swiftly as a Shadowcat.

Although the Faceless One's former vulnerability to being burned by sunlight had diminished, sunlight still subjected it to a certain irritation, preventing it from using its power-or, rather, leaving it weakened.

Through the Faceless One's eyes, this entire area teemed with emotional responses of chaos and slaughter. The Faceless One could sense its prey's weaknesses through emotions, then use those weaknesses to parasitize its prey and ultimately control it.

Soon, the Faceless One found a Clan Warrior who had come out to relieve himself. Judging by his appearance, he seemed to be a minor leader. He stood naked outside his tent, his body filled with a demonic aura, especially his lower body. That terrifying aura seemed to be eroding and altering its body, with some parts already showing signs of demonization.

This demon-summoning ritual was one of countless rituals, a terrifying form of magic that could summon lesser demons to alter human bloodlines. Clearly, many of these people had already been altered. Perhaps it was precisely through this ritual that this chaotic clan dared challenge the three great clans of the Western Mountains.

"Urgh..."

As the Faceless One acted, the man had no time to react before it completed its Parasitism. With the Faceless One's entry, that chaotic, twisted power began moving toward it. But after coming into contact with the Faceless One's powerful force, that chaotic, twisted power changed color completely, like pure water being dyed.

"Let the show begin!"

With those words in the Common Tongue, the Clan Warrior under Eddard's control let out an eerie laugh. Then he ducked into the tent beside him. Before long, screams and the sounds of a blunt weapon striking flesh came from inside.

More than ten minutes later...

"Aaah..."

Like a ghost, the Faceless One repeatedly seized the bodies of the Clan Warriors under Eddard's control. Every person he chose was a Clan Warrior who had just completed the transformation. Under Eddard's control, these warriors slaughtered one another. For a time, it was impossible to tell where the true body of the Faceless One controlled by Eddard was.

These Clan Warriors corrupted by demonic bloodlines were the best vessels. Moreover, once disturbed by the Faceless One's power, the evil and chaos within their bodies were also unleashed. For a time, the encampment became like the end of the world. The Clan Warriors slaughtering one another also alerted some of those who remained clearheaded that something was wrong.

"Who are you? Stop what you're doing right now, or I won't hold back!"

Clan elder Skaggs looked at a warrior approaching him and shouted sternly in fright. Yet after hearing his threat, the warrior did not stop. Instead, he sped up and charged.

"Kill him!"

As Skaggs's words fell, the two ugly warriors beside him rushed forward with howls. They were enormous, and the iron-studded clubs in their hands looked terrifying.