Night of Vengeance

The sun is setting.

Beautiful, crimson light illuminated the fiery clouds on the horizon, signaling the end of another day. People gradually put away their tools, laid down their work, and returned home to rest, celebrate, and prepare for tomorrow's work. This is the cyclical nature of life, a routine they are accustomed to. Nothing is special, not even a drunkard causing trouble in the street or some major event occurring in the city. For ordinary people, their lives remain unchanged.

However, the night did not arrive as quietly as usual.

Amidst the vibrant red of the setting sun, an indelible shadow appeared.

Vast shadows began to move slowly alongside the sunlight, obscuring the river, the forest, the earth, and the sky, plunging the entire world into the edge of darkness in a different way.

What is that?

Noticing the appearance of the shadow, those who were heading home stopped in their tracks, and those who were gathering their tools halted their work. They all turned to look at the sky, and then their eyes widened in surprise.

It was a large, dark cloud.

But now, the wind had torn the dark clouds apart, revealing something even more terrifying that it had concealed.

"Wow... this is delicious!"

Standing atop the towering tombstone, overlooking the beautiful land and city below, now swallowed by the shadows of darkness, Angela narrowed her eyes, her voice brimming with barely suppressed excitement.

"... Delicious... Angela... Time to eat...?"

Anna, standing to the side, clearly didn't understand what Angela was talking about. She looked at her companion with a puzzled expression.

"You still don't understand? This ultimate feast of delicacies, the main course is now served, awaiting the arrival of us, the guests."

As she spoke, Angela closed her eyes, and the crimson light of the setting sun shone on her long, silvery-white hair, giving it a shocking, blood-red hue.

"The pure, delicious taste of a virgin; the robust, muscular taste of a man; the decaying, yet still vibrant, taste of an old man; the tender, innocent taste of a child. Before us lies a vast, delectable feast of the human body. Made from countless human bodies, seasoned with fear, roasted by the flames of Hell, a delicious dish born from the struggle to swallow the last breath, a mixture of the hope for life and the resentment towards death... This is an absolute feast, an unparalleled banquet. Foolish, lowly humans, are you ready? Ready to accept the wrath of your master?"

"The Garden of Silence... Arrived at... Location..."

Anna responded to Angela's thoughts in a low voice.

Meanwhile, the ground was in chaos due to the appearance of the floating city.

"What is that! What is that! Almighty God, it's a city!!"

"What's going on? Why is there a city floating above our heads?!"

"Report to the city lord immediately and find out exactly what happened!!"

The people abandoned their tools and fled home. The soldiers gripped their weapons, lit signal fires, and stood atop the towering city walls, their eyes filled with astonishment and awe as the colossal creature slowly moved overhead. Below, the countless stark white bones, bathed in the setting sun, appeared like monstrous beings brimming with life and vitality. The tall, smooth city walls offered no resistance, for they were not something walls could withstand.

"Li Lin, Miss Angela, and Anna have arrived at the designated location. The operation will begin in thirty seconds."

At this moment, inside the tower of Ringwraith City, Li Lin sat on his throne, gazing at the illusion before him.

"This is a war, but it is not a war aimed at conquest."

Then he spoke, his low, heavy voice echoing in the ears of everyone present.

"... This is a war of destruction. We will never forget how cruelly they slaughtered our people a thousand years ago. We will remember it forever, until their demise. Now, it is time for them to pay the price they deserve."

Gazing at the peaceful, serene city in the illusion, Li Lin spoke slowly, word by word.

"... Countdown ten, ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one... Attack begins."

A piercing, loud shriek came from the air.

What was that sound?

The soldiers looked up at the sky above them and saw a bright, luminous object emerge from the darkness, hurtling toward them.

"Boom!!"

The bright, massive cone easily pierced through the solid city walls and the enormous steel gates, smashing everything in its path like a mad bull. The resulting shockwave and immense tremor caused all the soldiers to lose their footing and fall against the city walls. They looked at each other anxiously, trembling as they got to their feet. Just then, they were surprised to find a petite, silver-haired girl standing before them.

"This is a gift from your master. Accept it with gratitude, you lowly trash."

This was the last thing the soldiers heard.

A massive explosion and flash obscured everything, unleashing a torrent of intense energy. A light brighter than the setting sun was born on the earth, accompanied by boundless destructive power. The heavy, sturdy gates melted, the tall, smooth city walls shattered, and the resulting tremors reverberated throughout the entire city.

Disaster struck.

With a devastating explosion from the sky, Casablanca was instantly engulfed in flames. The city's two remaining gates were completely consumed by the fire, along with the surrounding buildings, turning to ashes. The raging fire began to spread unchecked, engulfing everything in its path with an indistinguishable roar.

But this is only the beginning.

"Huff... huff... this is it, this is exactly what I wanted to see: fear, panic, the way these weak and powerless humans behaved in the face of immense power, so pathetic, like clowns in a play... this is exactly what I wanted to see. Keep screaming in panic, keep running, keep searching for that hope that never existed, bring me more pleasure, more...!!"

As she spoke, Angela spread her arms wide, looked down at the ground, and revealed an uncontrollable excitement and madness in her bright red eyes.

"Then, let the second act begin! I am but a lowly slave, a lowly servant! An undead living in darkness, existing in the narrow space between life and death! Now is the time to unleash these beings, to take their vibrant lives, to let them experience the arrival of death firsthand, to plunge them into destruction with pain and despair! Trembling bodies, screaming on the edge of annihilation, resist hopelessly! Destroy everything in your sight, devour everything in your sight, for delicious flesh and souls await your consumption... Attack, Scourge Legion!!"

The prelude to madness and despair has begun.

The panicked people had no choice. They stared in terror at the dark figures descending from the sky. By the time they saw those crazed, crimson eyes, the Ghoul's fangs were already piercing their bodies, tearing at their muscles. The warm blood that flowed became the Ghoul's favorite drink, and their trembling, struggling bodies their best food. Screams, screams, wails—from the pain, from the despair—were the sound of Hell's hounds. No one could escape their clutches.

"Help, help..."

Another man was pinned to the ground, his hands flailing weakly as he crawled forward, staring blankly ahead. There, his beloved girl lay crushed beneath several Ghouls, her beautiful clothes torn, crimson blood flowing from her snow-white skin. Just moments before, she had been his beloved lover; now, she was nothing but food, a disemboweled, lifeless corpse. Her heart had already been ripped out by a horrible Ghoul, greedily chewing on it. Her once beautiful, bright eyes were wide open, filled only with the terror of death. At that moment, an infant slowly crawled onto her face, opening its mouth to gnaw at her beautiful, smooth cheek.

"You bastards!! Bastards!!! Let me go!! I'm going to kill you all!! Kill you all!!!"

Anger burned within the man. He whirled around, swinging his fists, trying to knock down the Ghoul that was pinning him down. But his resistance was futile.

The Ghoul easily tore open his throat, and watching the wound gush forth, the undead monster extended its sharp teeth and bit down.

The man's body began to tremble. He gripped the Ghoul's head tightly with both hands, trying with all his might to push it away. However, his hands gradually weakened, and his heavy breathing became slow and weak. The immense force rendered him powerless to continue his desperate resistance. Finally, his body jerked violently, and his arms and legs began to flail and kick wildly. Then, he turned his head again, and the flame of life had completely extinguished in his lifeless eyes.

He did not see his lover, naked, disemboweled, with bloodshot eyes, crawling up from the ground.

Because not long after that, he too will be reborn and become a member of the undead army.

Thirty thousand Ghoul leaped down from the floating city like a torrential rain. Their superhuman physiques allowed these undead creatures to completely ignore the damage they should have suffered upon landing from such heights. Even with broken legs or shattered feet, the undead corpses continued their relentless advance, frantically climbing and searching for any living thing, all in order to devour its flesh and blood and make it one of their own.

Men, women, the elderly, and children.

No one will survive this Hell war.

Even if they hide, it's no use. The Ghoul will break down doors, flip over heavy cabinets, find hidden doors, and search for any place to hide. No matter how well they hide, the fresh smell of living people will completely give them away. No one can escape.

"Hmph hmph hmph..."

Humming a lighthearted nursery rhyme, Angela strolled through streets filled with blood and corpses. Everywhere on the lush green trees was red—the red of the setting sun, the red of blood, the red of burning flames. Corpses, everywhere were corpses, or rather, those about to transform from corpses into something else—to Angela, these fallen bodies were as endearing as new recruits.

"This is exactly what I wanted to see."

Looking at the dazzling red, Angela smiled with excitement.

"Keep wailing, keep howling, it's not over yet, this is only the beginning. Your suffering will not end so easily... More, more wailing, more screams, this is what you humans should do. You will eventually submit, in the name of death, submit before me."

"Help, help...!!"

Just then, a little boy ran out of the alley, followed by dozens of Ghoul chasing their prey. When the boy saw Angela, he froze for a moment, and that moment of hesitation immediately shortened his already short life. The female Ghoul closest to him seized the opportunity, grabbed the boy's foot, pulled him close, and then opened her blood-stained mouth and bit down hard.

"Aaaaaah!!!"

The boy screamed and writhed, trying desperately to pull his foot back, but to no avail.

"Mommy, it hurts! Don't bite me! Don't...!!"

However, the Ghoul he called "Mom" did not stop eating despite her son's pleas. For a newborn Ghoul, fresh flesh and blood were an unparalleled delicacy, so she not only did not stop eating, but tore even harder, and then suddenly pulled.

"Ah!!!"

The boy screamed again and then fainted, while his mother, biting into a piece of foot bone, was rapidly gnawing on the remaining flesh and blood. Just then, the other Ghoul surrounded them, and smelling the blood in the air, they immediately began to enjoy their meal.

Along the streets, such scenes are everywhere. For many, one moment they are weeping over the corpses of their loved ones, but the next moment they are crushed, torn apart, and robbed of their blood and life. Then, when they die, they will wake up again and begin to attack other living beings, whether they are their parents, wives, husbands, or children.

A plague called death has engulfed the city. People scream and run, only to be caught, crushed, and torn apart, dying in despair and agony, only to rise again and join the ranks that killed them, seeking new victims.

"Tearing it up won't do you any good."

Looking at the boy's head, which had rolled to her feet like a ball, Angela frowned slightly, then snorted coldly and looked back at the burning sea of clouds on the horizon. Just then, a divine aura broke through death and appeared in Angela's consciousness. Then, the petite figure transformed into a bright silver light and disappeared into the depths of darkness.

The sky had completely darkened.

"Lord City Lord!!"

As the soldiers, covered in blood, pushed open the door and walked in, the city lord's face grew even paler.

"What's the situation outside?!"

"Reporting to the City Lord! The enemy has breached our three lines of defense! Please leave immediately via the secret passage! These are no ordinary monsters!"

"Where are the reinforcements? Haven't they arrived yet?!"

"Reporting, sir, we are completely trapped here! We cannot send anyone to request help! Please, you and the lady, go together immediately..."

"..."

The city lord glanced at his wife and daughter, who were already prepared and standing beside him, and let out a long sigh.

"I understand, I'll go right away."

"Then, I wish you a safe journey. My men and I will stay here to hold you off until the very last moment."

After speaking, the soldier gave the city lord a solemn military salute, then turned around with a serious expression and walked out of the room.

"Why..."

Only after the gates closed did the city lord let out a long sigh. Then he immediately turned around and looked at his wife and daughter.

"Alright, let's do it right away..."

The city lord didn't finish his sentence, for he was horrified to discover that the two people who had been standing there alive just moments before were now completely dead. Two enormous daggers had pierced their bodies from behind, and now, their eyes held no trace of life. Their expressions were blank; they were completely unaware of God of Death's arrival. His daughter was still tightly clutching her doll, which, in contrast to the black blades emerging from her eye sockets, looked somewhat comical and bizarre.

Two corpses lay on the ground, and behind them emerged a small, thin girl. Her black robe was stained with blood, and her petite body was trembling slightly.

"Who are you!"

Suppressing his grief and fear, the city lord immediately drew his longsword and warily watched the girl before him.

"To convey... Father's... order..."

The girl spoke breathlessly, simultaneously bursting into a violent cough. Although the city lord wanted to take the opportunity to attack, the powerful killing intent emanating from the other party rendered him completely immobile.

"Those who block my way shall die... Enemies on sight shall be killed..."

As the girl uttered her last words, the city lord felt a chill in his mouth as the cold blade mercilessly pierced his skull. Anna withdrew her right hand and forcefully stirred inside, easily extinguishing the flame of his life.

Then, the girl disappeared into the darkness once again, without a sound.