The Language of Flowers

Deep inside the dungeon, the stench of blood was so strong it almost seemed to solidify.

Paladin Ge'enda'er's every punch carried the force of thunder. Wherever his fist passed, guards and jailers were sent flying like rag dolls, smashing into the hard stone walls and leaving dents in human-shaped holes, with screams echoing everywhere.

In contrast, the assassin Silver Mask fought much more quietly. His dagger slashed deadly streaks of silver light in the dimly lit dungeon, leaving trails of blood that bloomed like flowers. The jailers clutched their bleeding throats in despair, their eyes wide as they collapsed to the ground.

On Yise's side, her breathing had become rapid, and there were piles of prisoners' bodies at her feet. The guard captain opposite her, Laswage, was also in a terrible state, his body covered with wounds of all sizes, and blood was constantly seeping from the wounds, staining his uniform dark red.

"You guys actually—didn't even lend a hand!" Yise shouted, somewhat annoyed, looking at his teammates' relaxed attitude.

"Isn't this what you asked for?" Silver Mask finished off another enemy with his short sword. He glanced at the captain of the guard, his tone slightly mocking, "Oh, isn't this the guy who confessed his feelings to you and asked you to be his child's stepmother?"

Upon hearing this, Yise took a closer look at his opponent's appearance. "I remember now, her name is... Bulima?"

Laswage seemed to be trying to figure something out, but Yise suddenly launched an attack, swinging his greatsword with both hands in a full-force strike. Injured, Raswag could no longer keep up, and his weapon was knocked from his hands, spinning in the air and falling into the distance.

"Wait, I'll vote!" Laswage shouted in terror.

But Yise didn't give him a chance. He drew his short sword and precisely slit his throat, silencing his last words.

Laswage clutched his bleeding neck and collapsed limply to the ground, his eyes still glaring defiantly at Yise, his lips moving but unable to utter a sound.

Stanton walked over, glanced down at the dying captain of the guard, and said, "This man isn't called Bulima."

"I know," Yise said, flicking the blood off her dagger. "Laswage, I remember him." She gritted her teeth. "That guy, he was planning to give me a set of white lead cosmetics!"

"What are white lead cosmetics?" This was beyond Stanton's comprehension.

"It was something that wealthy women liked to use decades ago," Yuya explained. "It was that kind of awful stuff where you'd smear your face like a whitewashed wall, and then it'd fester."

"So, I wanted to kill him right then and there!" Yise said.

Laswage's eyes immediately glazed over, and he breathed his last.

Silver Mask also walked over, letting out a snicker, "That guy's death wasn't very impressive."

The group chatted as if no one else was around, casually killing all the guards and jailers, including the captain. Their relaxed and carefree demeanor completely shocked the prisoners who had been released from their restraints.

They all dropped their weapons, no longer daring to entertain any thought of resistance.

"Are you badly injured?" Yise forced himself to calm his breathing and asked his companions in a low voice.

"It's nothing serious, but I'm a bit weak." Silver Mask crossed his arms, seemingly leaning back leisurely, but actually using the wall for support in a way that wouldn't be noticed. "That old man Javier, he's got real stamina!"

"We bluffed for a bit, and it seems like it's over up there," Ge'enda'er said. "Anyway, there's no need to rush."

He glanced at the hundreds of prisoners on the other side; they were all priests of the Temple of Light who had been punished. If a real fight broke out, they would suffer heavy losses and gain nothing.

If this can intimidate them, it would be perfect!

****

Having dealt with the Fate Manipulator, Su Ming immediately unfolded his tablet, opened the real-time battlefield view and data, and checked the battlefield situation.

"Each group reports!"

"Divine Might Prison Battlefield, complete suppression!" Katharine declared.

Large numbers of Star Sand members are entering the dungeon and reporting back information on regaining control of the prisoners on the Temple of Light side.

"On the coal mine battlefield, there are still two left," Zijin said.

There was no longer a single standing guard before her—to be precise, there was no single living, standing guard.

Each enemy killed adds one more undead. The last remaining Choir members are now surrounded by the undead squad.

"Outside the Sheltered Valley, the Azure Sky Battle Puppet that were intercepted have been completely annihilated, and we are still pursuing those who escaped." Dafulin reported to Su Ming, who turned to look behind him. On the snow not far away, all the war puppets had been smashed to pieces when they fell from the sky.

They lack the powerful magic resistance of the Fate Manipulator; their ice power penetrates directly into the machine's interior, freezing every inch of metal and flesh into fragile ice crystals.

Su Ming used the necromancer's life vision to check, and found no survivors.

"No need to chase anymore, it's all taken care of," Su Ming said.

"Okay," Dafulin replied immediately.

"Sea of Divine Grace Sniper Battlefield." Newman's triumphant voice came through the earpiece, "Mission to lure the enemy complete!"

Su Ming quickly switched to the battle scene outside the Sea of Divine Grace. Although the ambush was successful, the battle there was still ongoing.

The first and second squads of the Divine Grace Knights, along with the Alchemist Beast Squad, which had launched the initial attack, were now in retreat, pursued relentlessly by the necromancers.

A knight had just been killed, his body not even having a chance to fall, when a skeleton immediately burst forth from him, the remaining flesh and blood instantly forming a corpse puppet. The knight's soul was also solidified into an evil spirit, frantically chasing after his former comrade.

In front of a group of necromancers, the flower language of corpses is: first come, first served!

Behind them, the third and fourth squads of the Knights, the Priests, the Academy's Instruction Corps, and the student body composed of the most skilled students all rushed out of the protective light barrier—they had to rescue this desperate team and defeat the enemy!

This is the largest and densest gathering of enemy units since the start of the battle!

Su Ming immediately pressed the launch button, and two missiles roared up from the launch pad, disappearing into the clouds with long trails of flame.

"Flash delivery has been initiated, Final Bone Mad Machines, disengage immediately!" Su Ming issued the command.

****

On the Human Bone Machine Band's side, Hansite's hand gestures while playing the guitar immediately changed.

"Unforgettable Tonight, rise!"

The band's playing style suddenly changed, and the fierce battle song came to an abrupt end. Hansite's fingers pressed lightly on the steel strings, and his right thumb swept across the strings, bringing a warm hum, as gentle as ripples on a calm lake.

Newman and Gospel, similarly, press down to mute, then gently tap the strings and drumheads, keeping up with this soothing rhythm.

Suddenly, a melodious tune, completely different from the previous one, resounded across the battlefield.

All the charging members immediately halted, even the wounded bear-men, who dragged their injured bodies back to their positions. Only the newly summoned undead continued their bluffing pursuit.