Chapter 1164: Life Trap
A single attack from the Mortal Emperor moved the winds and clouds. Wherever it went, countless specks of light would shower down and extinguish all life in its wake, only leaving the strongest to struggle on the ground.
A single strike had felled thousands of dark race warriors and produced a big s.p.a.ce in the most important part of the formation.
The dark race commanding officer seemed to care about that gap quite a bit and immediately transferred more troops to fill it up. After a momentary confusion, the density of troops in that area was much greater. However, the formation was a chaotic mess as the soldiers pushed against one another.
“This is a good opportunity!” The Fourteenth Prince’s eyes lit up. The captain spun the flags.h.i.+p about and flew it parallel to the dark race formation.
The Fourteenth Prince rushed to the side of the vessel. Looking down at the dense array of Evernight warriors, he took a deep breath and flipped a switch on Mortal Emperor. The origin array patterns on the gun’s body immediately lit up with an eerie red glow.
He took aim at the most densely populated area below and fired!
Countless red beams intersected into a large net, which bore down on the dark race warriors below.
Those killed by this shot were Evernight’s elites. The Fourteenth Prince did a rough calculation and felt that his recently improved cultivation would allow him to fire a third shot. The death of thousands of warriors was enough to tip the scales in the current battle.
Turning the tables single-handedly, such an accomplishment was enough to make him stand out amidst the many princes and princesses.
All life shall bow before the Mortal Emperor, and this red net was its finis.h.i.+ng blow. This dark red, heavenly chain would leave no survivors in its wake. The only issue was that the greater the firepower, the more origin power one would need to support it.
This heavenly net was too big of a strain for the current Fourteenth Prince. He suddenly realized that something was amiss as his origin power flowed out like the tides! This drain was much greater than he had expected!
The Fourteenth Prince was already having a hard time activating the weapon. He could only clench his jaws and hold on because he simply did not have the strength left to retract the attack.
It was at this time that he heard a soft voice, “Stop!”
The voice was very familiar. It sounded like Duke Wei but also like it wasn’t. The exhausted Fourteenth Prince, in his daze, couldn’t hear too clearly.
This was a battlefield. How could there be any room for distractions?
The Fourteenth Prince suddenly woke up to find that his origin power was draining into the Mortal Emperor. The Grand Magnum was like an abyss, showing no signs of anything touching its bottom no matter how much origin power was poured into it. It felt as though the hole would never be full.
Mortal Emperor was still spitting out streaks of red light over the Evernight formation. The large red net had covered an area several hundred meters in radius. The thousands of dark race soldiers inside were struggling painfully as their life force was being drained away.
The effects of this shot were far beyond expectations, but the Fourteenth Prince felt his heart freeze up.
The Evernight soldiers in the net were shrouded in a strange dark-red glow, almost like flames. The fire burned their life-force away and, in return, granted them strength far beyond their normal ability. The blaze was also highly adhesive. It latched onto the Mortal Emperor’s heavenly net, constantly draining its power.
There were numerous Evernight experts among the soldiers who were also burning their vitality. The power they produced exceeded the ordinary warriors by a significant margin, but it also brought them more pain. Even the werewolves and arachne, who could normally withstand a lot of pain, were howling and rolling on the ground.
Such experts were equal to dozens of ordinary soldiers. It was their existence that caused the Mortal Emperor’s origin arrays to operate rapidly, demanding constant origin power from the Fourteenth Prince.
The ratio of ordinary soldiers to experts here was abnormal!
The Fourteenth Prince came to a sudden and shocking realization: “It’s a trap!”
No matter how long the Mortal Emperor’s heavenly net lasted, the dark races below were already done for. Even if some of them could survive, they would lose some or all of their origin power following the burnt vitality. This was worse than death in the Evernight world where strength was everything.
The Fourteenth Prince wanted to stop, but the Mortal Emperor felt like it was an extension of his limb. It simply couldn’t be flung away and kept on draining his origin power. He didn’t have the time to think about how the dark races had learned of the characteristics of the Grand Magnum’s ultimate ability and laid down this trap.
Below, the dark race commanding officer was still urging squads of warriors into the heavenly net. Those warriors would burst into dark red flames upon contact, which latched onto the net and, by extension, the Mortal Emperor.
In the blink of an eye, the Fourteenth Prince’s vision began to blur. As a Grand Magnum, the Mortal Emperor possessed great power and significant consumption. Considering the prince’s age, it was already an incredible feat for him to activate one of the magnum’s ultimate powers. There was no way he could withstand such a drain.
His origin power was now bottomed out, and further consumption would start to damage his foundations. Yet, the Mortal Emperor kept on devouring his origin power like a bottomless black hole. Just as the Fourteenth Prince was on the verge of despair, a strong hand patted his shoulder and sent a deluge of origin power into his body. Feeling his pressure lighten, the prince turned around to see Duke Wei helping him. He almost cried tears of joy at that moment, but his smile immediately disappeared.
The confrontation between Mortal Emperor and the dark races was still ongoing below. Squads after squads of warriors were driven into the heavenly net, draining the Mortal Emperor’s power with their lives. Even some t.i.tled experts would jump in from time to time, latching onto the Mortal Emperor in a suicidal manner.
Duke Wei’s origin power was vast, but it wasn’t compatible with the Grand Magnum—less than a tenth of it was even usable. The Mortal Emperor kept draining the Fourteenth Prince’s origin power, and all the duke could do was slow down the rate of overdraft.
Apparently, the Mortal Emperor would never stop operating as long as the dark races kept on running into the heavenly net.
Duke Wei realized this fact. “Your Highness, please stop!”
“I can’t!” These words only echoed in the prince’s mind because he could no longer speak at this point.
Seeing the dangerous situation, Duke Wei tried to slap the Mortal Emperor away but to no avail. Not only that, but the gun had also begun to vibrate, and the scales on its back opened up, forming a vortex in an attempt to draw Duke Wei in.
The duke was shocked to find that the Mortal Emperor could actually counterattack on its own. Fortunately, he didn’t underestimate the Grand Magnum or use his full force. Otherwise, he might’ve been dragged into the weapon. Duke Wei’s expression was unsightly. It would seem this Mortal Emperor wasn’t something he could control.
Even someone like him didn’t know what to do.
The Fourteenth Prince would die from over-exhaustion if there was no one to save him. Yet, it looked like such an attempt would involve sacrificing the duke, and even then, there was no telling whether it would succeed.
At this moment, the dark races were still charging into the heavenly net in a possessed manner. Duke Wei noticed that those charging into the net weren’t cannon fodder but actual elites. There was a shocking amount of high-ranking warriors among them and no shortage of t.i.tled experts! Only the ignited vitality of such soldiers could grab firmly onto the Mortal Emperor.
Even Duke Wei had only one thought in his mind, “Insane, they’re all insane!”
As far as the Empire was concerned, people like the Fourteenth Prince who could use the Mortal Emperor was definitely a rare genius. However, Mortal Emperor wasn’t as picky about its wielder as the Red Spider Lily. Other members of the Imperial family could also activate the Grand Magnum. It was just that their compatibility wasn’t as good as the Fourteenth Prince, and neither was their origin power strong enough.
Moreover, there was an untold secret in the Imperial family. The one with the highest compatibility with the Mortal Emperor was actually the previous Emperor’s youngest brother, Lord Riverglance. Mortal Emperor had once followed the lord out of Imperial borders, and no one had realized it, not even the Longevity Monarch who was watching over it. Naturally, Lord Riverglance was punished for this matter and forbidden from approaching the magnum ever again.
Regardless, it was still a crazy move for the dark races to sacrifice thousands of elites, hundreds of high-ranking warriors, and dozens of t.i.tled experts just for the Fourteenth Prince. These people were the backbone of their forces. With enough cannon-fodder, these men could form a complete army corps and pioneer new territories beyond the border.
No one with half a brain would do such a trade.
The Fourteenth Prince wasn’t a unique existence like Zhao Jundu. There were many other geniuses at his level.
While Duke Wei was having a hard time deciding, Eunuch Duan’s gentle voice rang out nearby, “Duke, just let go.”
“What!?” Duke Wei glanced back at Eunuch Duan with an odd expression.
Eunuch Duan was here to accompany the Fourteenth Prince and was likely his trusted aide. Such internal attendants were usually either Imperial relatives or people from their maternal family. Yet, he was advising the duke to let go?
The astonished Fourteenth Prince also glanced at Eunuch Duan in terror.
Eunuch Duan remained calm. “His Highness’ foundations have been injured. He’ll probably lose his cultivation even if we manage to save him. Besides, there are many princes but only one Mortal Emperor. Who will protect the Grand Magnum if Duke Wei is exhausted? This servant is just a bag of old bones, I can’t block a single blow from the enemy duke.”
Several thoughts ran through Duke Wei’s mind in just a flash and he was soon drenched in cold sweat. “Could it be that the dark races’ target is actually the Mortal Emperor?”
“I wouldn’t dare make such an a.s.sumption. Duke Wei is the commander, so you should make that judgment.”
The shocked Fourteenth Prince gazed at Duke Wei with pleading eyes. His lips moved ever so slightly, almost as though he was going to say “save me.” However, he was like an arrow at the end of its flight; no sound actually came out.
Duke Wei finally came to a decision. With a light sigh, he pulled back the hand he had on the prince’s shoulder and took a step back.
How could the prince hold out without Duke Wei’s support? His aura immediately disappeared, and the terrifying effects of overdrafted power became apparent. His tall stature immediately shriveled up inside his clothes, almost like a dried corpse.
With the Fourteenth Prince gone, the Mortal Emperor lost its source of energy and finally stopped spitting out red light. This attack had ended with the death of the Fourteenth Prince and thousands of Evernight elites.
As the Fourteenth Prince’s body slowly collapsed, Duke Wei grabbed the Mortal Emperor with great swiftness.
Eunuch Duan was one step too late. His hand was, embarra.s.singly, half-outstretched in the air. His eyes s.h.i.+fted about as he pulled his hand back. “It’s best for Duke Wei to hold onto the Mortal Emperor. At least, those dark race b.a.s.t.a.r.ds won’t be able to s.n.a.t.c.h it.”
Duke Wei said slowly, “Rest a.s.sured, I’ll return the gun to His Majesty immediately after my arrival.”
Eunuch Duan nodded. “That will be for the best.”
Duke Wei stood at the bow of the flags.h.i.+p and said, “Men, lead Eunuch Duan to his room to rest, this place is too windy.”
The attendants led Eunuch Duan back to his cabin, walking along his left and right as though he was a prisoner. The eunuch didn’t resist and simply returned to his room without the slightest sign of guilt.
After Eunuch Duan was gone, Duke Wei ordered his personal guards to move the prince’s remains to his room and restrain all of his former attendants, preventing them from moving about or spreading rumors.
All those nearby finally managed to exhale after everything had been arranged appropriately. They glanced at one another and discovered that everyone’s expression was rather unsightly. They themselves were probably no exception.
The Fourteenth Prince falling in battle was an important matter. Even the generals were shaken, so it was sure to cause big waves in the army below if they were to find out.
An aide moved closer and asked, “Duke Wei, is something up with that Eunuch Duan?”
Duke Wei said with a gloomy expression, “Regardless of that, everyone can forget about taking Mortal Emperor from my hands as long as I’m alive.”
“Duke, what do we do now? Shall we retreat?”
All generals looked at Duke Wei, waiting for his order.
The duke glanced at the fighting airs.h.i.+ps up front before saying with a frosty intent on his face, “All troops forward! We will fight our way to Whitetown and leave those dark races without a corpse!”