Chapter 273: OriginalBody and the War Have Only Just Begun… Ah

Inside the central control room.

The elites who picked up weapons assisted NuoWa and the Ghost operative in keeping watch.

Mu Er, together with four compatriots clad in white armor, stood before the console covered with holographic screens, attempting to seize control of the City of Benevolence.

At that moment.

The upper district of the City of Benevolence employed levitation technology, spanning roughly twenty football fields, resembling a massive circular sky garden.

Here numerous ornamental plants are cultivated, along with non‑aggressive exotic beasts; at the garden's center stands a grand palace unlike any human style.

Its primary colors are purple and pink metal walls, plus many entomological structures, making the palace unappealing to most humans.

Yet this is precisely the palace that provides for the three priests' food, clothing, shelter, and daily life.

"Boom…! Boom…!"

"Whoosh…! Whoosh…!"

Here one can also hear intermittent violent explosions and plasma‑gun fire coming from below.

The sky garden remains tranquil and serene, starkly contrasting the residential zone mired in chaos; the battles among elites, Ghost‑faced Beasts and various races have nothing to do with the three priests.

After all, these three ostriches care only about maintaining their dictatorship and indulging in the lavish life power affords; the lives of other races are meaningless to them.

But…

The priests standing on the plaza at the palace's front did not rejoice at further consolidation of power; instead each wore a sorrowful expression.

Around the plaza, which features a fountain, and throughout the sky garden, fully armed Glory Guards stand guard or patrol, wielding energy spears, gravity hammers and other fine weapons.

Roughly estimated, at least a thousand guards secure the three priests, but these guards have been replaced from the original elites with the current Ghost‑faced Beasts.

"…"

Hovering wheelchairs project several holographic screens for the three ostriches, and the displayed content drops their spirits dramatically, rendering their demeanor extremely solemn.

Humans actually infiltrated the City of Benevolence?

Moreover, the unit tasked with slaughtering elites was defeated by a group of black cans (Shadows) and elites on leave?!

The situation seems far beyond their expectations…

"Esteemed priest."

At that moment, a guard commander taller than three meters, wearing even more splendid armor, approached, bent his waist, and reported:

"According to our latest intelligence, the central control room has been seized by human heretics and traitors; our forces have suffered heavy losses."

"What… what on earth is happening?!" the Compassionate Prophet shouted, "Are commanders at every level useless?! Can't even deal with a few hundred heretics?!"

"Could Lin Mi Er not be lying…?" the Sorrowful Prophet echoed in disbelief.

"Enough."

The Truth Prophet, as the leader, waved a hand, dispersing the holographic screens, then looked up at the Ghost‑faced Beast commander standing before them and said:

"Regardless of where the breach occurs, the central control room must not be lost. TataLos, you shall lead a team to swiftly retake the control room from the heretics and traitors."

"Esteemed priest, forgive my rudeness," but the Ghost‑faced Beast commander named TataLos knelt on one knee, speaking with great respect:

"The internal situation of the City of Benevolence has spiraled out of control; the rebel force led by Sangheli is massive, and stealthy human heretics hide in the shadows.

Therefore, for your safety, please withdraw with us to the port and seek refuge with the 'Endless Sea' fleet."

Hearing this,

"Hmm…" the Truth Prophet murmured, then agreed, "Very well, we'll follow your lead and leave this place."

"Yes!"

TataLos rose again, grasped the dedicated gravity hammer handed to him, and shouted, "Glory Guards! It is time to show the heretics and traitors our resolve and might! Swear to defend the priests to death!"

"Swear to defend!"

A thousand Ghost‑faced Beasts raised their weapons and roared in unison.

However.

A sudden "Boom—!"

A roughly two‑ton "big fellow" leapt from the platform nearest the sky garden, landed precisely in the plaza's center, and the impact that smashed the fountain halted a group of Ghost‑faced Beasts' war cries.

"Splash!"

Water sprayed everywhere, and the fountain's debris scattered nearby.

!!!

Seeing this, TataLos and several Ghost‑faced Beasts instinctively reacted, quickly shielding the three priests with their bodies.

"Buzz…! Buzz…!"

The swiftly moving tiny debris somehow triggered the armor's threat sensors, which automatically generated energy shields to intercept.

At the same time, all Ghost‑faced Beasts stationed in the sky garden, upon sensing the disturbance, rushed to the plaza, ready to eliminate the daring lone "heretic".

Through the gap between TataLos and the Ghost‑faced Beasts, the three priests caught sight of the "heretic" standing nearby.

It was Kelakesi, clad in jet‑black OriginalBody Power Armor, helmet turned to scan the Ghost‑faced Beasts, standing over four meters and five centimeters tall.

This OriginalBody, commander of the Dark Raven Legion, Sui Bian's sixth son, still bore flowing black hair and a fair, handsome face, maintaining a calm demeanor.

What most caught the priests' attention were the claws mounted on the left and right arm plates, emitting a self‑generated crimson chill—

the Blood Claws.

Even more terrifying was a faint black "smoke" filling the seams of Kelakesi's Power Armor, looking oddly eerie.

"Guards!"

TataLos, unable to linger in shock, raised the gravity hammer with one hand, swung its head toward Kelakesi and roared, "For the priests! For my god, slay this ignorant heretic!"

"Roar!!"

"Die, heretic!"

"For my god!"

In an instant, hundreds of ghost‑faced beasts wielding gravity hammers, powered halberds and powered spears, equipped with high‑energy plasma guns, tank‑like, charged at Kelakesi.

The reason they can replace elites as honor guards, disregarding the priests' prior arrangements, is that they are also the most robust, most battle‑experienced veterans among all their clan.

In such open terrain where numerical superiority can be exploited, if the besieged are multiple reserve squads clad in ceramic‑steel armor, only a bitter defeat awaits them.

But unfortunately…

These veteran ghost‑faced beasts are facing an OriginalBody.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!" The claw‑blades slash at blinding speed, producing a slicing sound.

"Bang! Bang!" The energy shields shatter in succession.

"Sss! Pfft!" Followed by the roar of claw‑blades tearing armor and flesh.

In an instant, Kelakesi, moving at a speed imperceptible to a mortal body, caused a rain of blood to rise around him.

!!!

In Tatalos's eyes, comrades who seconds ago were whole and vigorous were, the next moment, mutilated flesh strewn on the ground…

Stunned, a circle of corpses piled up beside Kelakesi!

What shocked Tatalos even more was that Kelakesi's expression remained unchanged, showing no hint of fatigue, as if he had merely completed a trivial, routine task.

"Demon… he's a demon! Don't kill me! Don't kill me!!"

After witnessing the unbelievable scene, the most timid Compassionate Prophet broke down first, fumbling with his hovering wheelchair in a desperate attempt to flee.

"God… the true God…"

The Sorrowful Prophet felt the same, even regarding Kelakesi as a kind of deity.

"…"

The Truth Prophet stared dumbfounded, his mouth agape, his mind a blank.

"Thud, thud."

At that moment, Kelakesi lifted a leg and stepped over the nearly one‑meter‑high circle of corpses, like an insurmountable mountain, gradually closing in on the targets within his sight.

With each step forward, Tatalos felt death draw nearer.

"Damn it!"

Even so, undeterred by death, Tatalos raised his exclusive gravity hammer and charged Kelakesi, shouting:

"Guards! Swear to protect the priests to death! Execute the heretics!!"

"Execute the heretics!!"

The remaining dozen‑plus ghost‑faced beasts also followed their leader in a final charge.

"Their momentum is commendable."

Kelakesi couldn't help but comment, and out of respect, he raised his hand and struck with his claws, swiftly eliminating Tatalos and the remaining ghost‑faced beasts.

In a blink‑short interval.

The plaza was left only with the sound of Kelakesi's magnetic boots striking the ground; no guard remained to protect the three priests, who could barely walk on their own legs.

He approached and halted.

Kelakesi stared at the slowly fleeing Compassionate Prophet, coldly releasing Spiritual Energy pressure and saying, "Stop."

!

After speaking, the Compassionate Prophet lost control of his own body, frozen in place, unable to move.

"God… forgive me… I will become your most devout follower…"

The mentally shattered Sorrowful Prophet even struggled to leap from his hovering wheelchair, attempting to kneel before Kelakesi.

"Spare my life… I will immediately halt all attacks on humanity, no… no… I will make the entire Covenant Empire willingly become humanity's vassal, if you will let me live…"

The Truth Prophet, barely keeping his sanity, was willing to sacrifice the entire Covenant, also hoping to survive; being high‑ranking, he understood the preciousness of life even more.

Yet Kelakesi retracted his outstretched blood‑red claws, each hand gripping the slender neck of a priest, and with controlled force lifted them both.

Using Spiritual Energy, he said in a deep voice, "Seek forgiveness? Then go to the underworld to repent."

"Ka‑ba!" Two cracks, the two priests' necks shattered.

He tossed the lifeless bodies aside, Kelakesi stepped to the side of the Compassionate Prophet and opened a communication channel:

"NuoWa, dispatch a few agents to my location."

"Hmm?" NuoWa's voice came through the comm: "Caught the Covenant Empire's priests? As expected of reliable Kelakesi, don't worry, two agents will be there shortly."

"Mm." Kelakesi gave a brief reply and ended the transmission.

Next.

He walked slowly toward the far right of the aerial garden, while the Compassionate Prophet, under Spiritual Energy pressure, was forced to maneuver his hovering wheelchair to keep up.

Reaching the edge.

Looking down over the upper residential district of the City of Benevolence, Kelakesi expanded his Spiritual Perception, locking onto the most intense battlefield zone.

Of the five primary missions his father assigned him, three have already been completed.

They are: inciting a civil war between the elites and the Covenant Empire, seizing control of the City of Benevolence, and capturing the highest priest.

Not long after.

Sensing someone approach, Kelakesi turned and saw two agents who had arrived via a hovering elevator, having deactivated HES Optical Camouflage, rushing toward his position.

As the two agents approached, one spoke first: "Sir, leave this to us."

"Fine."

Kelakesi nodded lightly, then turned again toward the edge, gave a slight leap forward, and vaulted down from the aerial garden, falling toward the residential streets like a free‑falling body.

At the instant just before impact.

Kelakesi twisted his body, his feet thrusting down, landing directly on a Covenant Empire heavy tank.

"Boom——!"

Between the streets, a violent explosion suddenly erupted, along with a small mushroom cloud.

After the aftermath.

Soldiers of all races still fighting for the Covenant Empire faintly saw a black figure walk out of the thick smoke……

Outside the City of Universal Love.

The United Fleet controlled by the Ghost-faced Beast successfully destroyed all the Elite's warships, and also released countless transport planes, carrying combat troops to land in the City of Universal Love.

It seems the Ghost-faced Beast commanders must eradicate the Elite clan, together with the human heretics who have turned the City of Universal Love upside down.

Suddenly.

A hurricane vortex over five hundred kilometers in diameter, like intertwining thunder and lightning, formed at the top of the City of Universal Love's 'Mushroom Cap'.

Afterwards, in full view of everyone, the City of Universal Love sailed through the vortex entrance into the Rift Space.

When the vortex dissipated, restoring peace to this sector, the entire United Fleet instead stirred up 'towering waves'.

Because the City of Universal Love, which holds the politics, culture, and everything else core to the Covenant Empire's top priority, actually vanished right before their eyes?!

What made them even more desperate was that the war had only just begun…

Inside the Control Room.

NuoWa, holding a custom-made sniper-type explosive bolt gun, observed the outside Rift Space through the holographic screen, the corners of her mouth slightly raised, she turned her head to look at Mu Er beside her, and using Spiritual Energy she smiled and said:

"Then Captain Lin Mi'er, please try to contact the Harvest Star side, thanks~."

"Ah…"

Mu Er, who understood NuoWa's words, responded with a sound, then continued with his subordinates, attempting to send the current situation of the City of Universal Love to Harvest Star.

Of the five tasks Sui Bian entrusted to Kelakesi and NuoWa, the remaining two are respectively to assist the Elite clan as much as possible, reducing their casualties, and to take possession of the City of Universal Love for himself.

Now it appears that the two, both offspring of Sui Bian, have smoothly completed all the tasks he assigned.

———————

…

Soon after.

Inside the bridge of the Song of Courage.

Beside the central console.

The Red Empress, dressed in formal ceremonial attire, had a flash of red light pass through her pupils, and she reported to Sui Bian, who stood before her in similar formal attire:

"Agent X018 (NuoWa) and OriginalBody Kelakesi have successfully bypassed the capital of the Covenant Empire, and are expected to enter the gravitational range of Harvest Star in fifteen hours."

"Furthermore, based on the intelligence provided by Agent X018, the Covenant Empire, having lost its three priests and all councilors, is now at its weakest state, making it the best opportunity for our forces to strike."

(End of Chapter)