Chapter 26: Makasu

After Mu Ze seized the city walls, his forces had been reduced to about three thousand men, less than one‑tenth of the six allied armies below the city. Yet, seeing his own troops in peril, he, as the Death God, could not stand by idly.

Moments earlier, his troops had dealt a heavy blow to the Frost Spirit, Qi Jue, Qi Yao and other divisions with bows and cannonballs. The blow affected not only casualties but also morale. Now the troops of those divisions began to cower, the flank of the Evil Spirit Death God Tribe Army grew increasingly safe, and more and more warriors shifted to reinforce the front line commanded by Luo Shan. Only the Wind Spirit Tribe Army kept pressing the attack as usual, but their rear was utterly empty.

Mu Ze knew that a decisive, fierce strike against the Wind Spirit Tribe Army now might crush them in one blow and secure victory. Though his own forces were already very thin, he did not hesitate to lead the remaining few thousand in a final gamble.

When Mu Ze appeared personally behind the Wind Spirit Tribe Army, the mighty force finally could not endure.

A single charge shattered the Wind Spirit Tribe Army's fragile rear guard. The Death God's appearance on the battlefield was nothing less than a dangerous signal; the tribespeople who had lived under the Death God's looming power for so long almost lost the courage to turn and fight, fleeing in panic and spreading dread. In an instant, fear rolled through the entire army like a snowball. The warriors who moments before had been bravely cutting down enemies at the front suddenly lost rear support, and the terrifying news of the Death God's presence instantly extinguished all fighting spirit.

The Wind Spirit Tribe Army collapsed, and the Frost Spirit, Qi Jue, Qi Yao and other divisions lost all will to fight and scattered. After a long hard battle, the Evil Spirit Death God Tribe Army finally won. The Fifty Thousand Allied Forces suffered nearly twenty thousand casualties, and the remainder broke apart. Of the thirty thousand in the Evil Spirit Death God Tribe Army, almost twenty thousand were killed or wounded. Had Mu Ze not launched his assault, the Evil Spirit Death God Tribe would have been unquestionably defeated today.

Luo Shan hung his blood‑dripping longsword, and the aura of death assailed him from all sides. Death and blood… the power of the dead was being siphoned bit by bit into his soul, and the scent of gore enveloped his body, making him nearly vomit.

Although he had left the Pure Black Land, that death‑laden aura still lingered in his heart.

"Luo Shan."

Suddenly, a gloomy voice rang in his mind, familiar and saturated with darkness. "Having power feels pretty good, doesn't it? Look, even without magic, these evil spirits under your sword are still like weeds!"

That voice had repeatedly burst into his life like an inescapable nightmare. No matter how hard Luo Shan tried to shake it off, survival always demanded killing. And with each killing, the darkness within him grew stronger, and the Dark God's control became ever more entrenched.

"Makasu!"

He finally couldn't hold back and shouted instinctively.

"Get out of my way!"

"Luo Shan?" Pei Er jumped in surprise, looked up at him, and saw a faint veil of black aura over Luo Shan's handsome face, startling her. "What's wrong with you?"

Mu Ze stood nearby, saw the scene, frowned slightly, but said nothing.

Luo Shan clenched his teeth, straining to keep his mind from Makasu's intrusion. Yet the Dark God's power was so overwhelming that, no matter how hard Luo Shan tried, the voice seemed to seep in everywhere.

"If you sacrifice your soul to me, you'll gain power countless times greater than this. By then, nothing in heaven or earth will be able to stop you."

"Even if you don't want to… your soul will still compromise after endless killing. Rather than kneeling and begging for mercy later, give me your soul now and I'll give you unparalleled power to fulfill all your wishes," the voice sneered. "Let me see… oh? You want to save your parents? That's a piece of cake. Once you inherit my power, what does the Spirit God Temple matter? Under your control, it'll be no more than weeds?"

"By then, every human who opposes you will be wiped out like ants, and you will become the next Dark God, commanding the deities and ruling this continent!"

The Dark God's power surged at that moment, and Luo Shan's resistance finally crumbled. Darkness engulfed his vision, and he felt nothing at all.

"Makasu." At that moment Mu Ze finally spoke. "If you're looking for an heir, go find someone else; are there really few people in this world with both excellent talent and a dark soul? Who wouldn't rejoice at hearing your voice?" "This voice… this power is…" Makasu seemed to hesitate, then burst into laughter. "So that's it—after Mikael's death, the Death God's power was inherited by you, kid? Little Death God, your power may be shallow, but we're still on the same front. Do you know how hard it is to find a blood‑thirsty soul? Even if you find one, most are of mediocre talent. Yet the person before you, a member of the Angel Clan, bears a blood‑thirsty soul and has exceptional talent. When I first found him, he was only a master‑level mage, which was already decent; after all, the first person in a thousand years, Zun Shen, only reached master level at eighteen. In just a few months he experienced some strange fate, leapt to the rank of Human Emperor, mastering both magic and swordsmanship, able to stand shoulder‑to‑shoulder with the top masters of the Spirit God Temple. What speed! Even back then Zun Shen didn't reach that level that fast, did he? With such a prodigy as a descendant of the Dark God, our divine race's reunification of the continent is just a matter of time!"

"Makasu, who rules the continent is none of my business; I only care about my Nine Nether Realm," Mu Ze said coldly. "Moreover, that man is my sworn brother; I will not allow you to betray his will and lead him into demonic corruption."

"You won't allow it?" Makasu's voice turned instantly seductive. "Little Death God, your power is far behind that of Mikael back then. Even Mikael struggled against Zun Shen's divine might; think about it—if Zun Shen fought you, how many moves could you withstand?" "Probably not more than a hundred," Mu Ze replied calmly. "Good!" Makasu laughed heartily. "Not to mention you, even I, Makasu, would have fallen within a hundred moves, badly wounded. If it weren't for that fool Boro Mier shielding me with a strike, I'd already be dead now! Little Death God, think carefully: your so‑called sworn brother, with a blood‑thirsty soul and unparalleled talent, became a Human Emperor‑level master at twenty. If you let him run unchecked, in less than twenty years he'll become another Zun Shen. When his murderous nature awakens and another god‑slaying war erupts, you, the so‑called sworn brother, may currently surpass him, but given time, once his divine skills fully mature, how many moves could you still block?"

Those words gave Mu Ze a jolt of unease. He had long harbored ambitions beyond merely unifying the Nine Nether Realm; he wanted to rule the entire continent. Yet he knew his current strength still lagged behind the Dark God and the Light God, and even a coalition of top human warriors might not guarantee victory. Makasu's remarks now sowed worry in his heart. Luo Shan's cultivation at present surpasses that of Zun Shen at the same age, and with a blood‑thirsty soul his future achievements will only exceed Zun Shen's. If so, not only unifying the continent, but even staying alive would be doubtful!

"What nonsense are you spouting! Luo Shan is not like that!" Pei Er blurted out instinctively, interrupting his thoughts. "Little girl, there's no place for you to speak here," Makasu said coldly. A wave of dark aura surged forward like a sword toward Pei Er. Lacking magic, she had no means to dodge, and under the Dark God's majesty and terror she was so frightened she could barely speak. "Don't move." A voice suddenly sounded in her ear, and a dark shield sprang up beside her; every beam of light that struck it vanished instantly. She turned her head and saw—it was Mu Ze.

"Little Death God!" Makasu's voice contained a hint of anger. "What are you doing!"

"I've already said so," Mu Ze withdrew his magic. "That man is my sworn brother, that woman is his friend, so she's my friend as well. I won't allow you to harm them." "So," Makasu sneered, "you intend to stop me?" "Exactly," Mu Ze replied proudly. "Since we are sworn brothers, I will never permit you to hurt him."

It was indeed a hard decision. Mu Ze smiled silently to himself. Luo Shan, this was, for now, his brotherly protection of his elder brother. As for the future, who can say what will happen?

Perhaps Luo Shan will indeed become the second Zun Shen, soaring heaven and earth, rivers of blood, eventually reaching the Nine Nether Realm, slashing Death God Mu Ze, and erasing the Nine Nether Realm from existence. But that's all future speculation, right? Even now, though he wields Death God's power, how could he foresee the future?

"Little Death God," Makasu laughed at that moment. "As a deity, you're far inferior to Mikael of old. When Mikael learned that Zun Shen was dispatching troops to annihilate the gods, he ignored the Nine Nether Realm's seal, forced his way through that barrier into the mortal world, sacrificing much of his own power to join the great war. Entering the Nine Nether Realm from the outside is easy; returning from within is extremely hard. If not for that, Mikael might not have died at Zun Shen's hands. Little Death God, compared to your predecessor, you're far weaker."

"We each have something we wish to protect," Mu Ze replied calmly. "If the day comes when Zun Shen's god‑slaying occurs again, I too will spare no effort to intervene."

"What a 'spare no effort'! Then today, let me see just how strong your intervening power really is."

Makasu let out a long howl, and a mass of black vapor suddenly materialized in the air. Since his defeat by Zun Shen centuries ago, he had been gravely wounded and lost the ability to move a physical body, existing only as intangible gas for hundreds of years of unspeakable suffering. He can possess others, but each possession drains a bit of his power; the weak hosts are worthless, and even strong humans cannot simply be taken over by possession alone—like Luo Shan, unless he can tempt the host to willingly sacrifice its soul, he cannot truly seize the body. Thus he spent decades searching for a suitable vessel. When he discovered Luo Shan, it was like finding a treasure. Though Luo Shan's magical power pales compared to a god's, his spiritual strength is immense, and previous attempts at manipulation had failed. This time, Makasu seized the moment when the blood‑thirsty soul inside Luo Shan erupted amid a sea of corpses, and in his confused nature he struck, nearly succeeding in driving Luo Shan's original soul away and occupying his body to accomplish a world‑shaking feat. Unexpectedly, the Death God erupted at that moment; confident that after Zun Shen's death he had no equal, he remembered Death God Mikael's legendary might—though this young Death God was limited by age and far from Mikael, inheriting the Death God's power made him cautious. As soon as his form appeared, he roared, and countless black rays poured toward Mu Ze like a violent storm. The technique resembled the mortal "Dark Arrow," yet its power was incomparable. The move, called "Night of No Light," means that when pitch‑black light is released it can obscure day itself. Created by the Dark God's lineage millennia ago, it is a guaranteed killing technique; its power is boundless, but it consumes the user heavily. Makasu unleashed it instantly, and the black light surged like a tide, seemingly about to engulf Mu Ze.

Mu Ze frowned slightly, recognizing the technique's potency, and refused to meet it head‑on. He waved his hand to summon a defensive barrier, his body shifting to stay clear of the core of the Night of No Light. Yet as he stepped back, something suddenly flashed in his mind, startling him.

It was Pei Er! That little girl… she was still at the center of Makasu's attack!