Chapter 423: Battle

The white bone skeleton stood on the deck, its undead aura openly exuding.

The huge white bone figure and its strong undead aura quickly alerted the crew members responsible for watch and patrol on the ship.

"Enemy!"

"Quick! Quick! Inform the captain, an enemy has boarded!"

Urgent shouts rose and fell, accompanied by chaotic footsteps and the sound of guns being cocked. Fei Nikesi, expressionless, thrust both palms forward as if pushing open a non‑existent door.

In an instant, a bronze door covered with mysterious, indescribable patterns appeared on the deck before him, shaking and creaking as a crack gradually opened.

In the endless darkness, countless undead surged out: some rushed straight at the approaching pirates, some merged with the deck and slipped into the cabins, some hovered in mid‑air, their cold, decaying death aura condensing into a thin mist. Fei Nikesi scanned the scene and said calmly, "Leave this to me."

As he spoke, he lightly brushed the emerald‑set ring on his right thumb; the surrounding rot, cold, and death aura instantly intensified, as if the underworld had been reflected into reality, indiscriminately corroding every living thing on the ship.

The Prophet's Avatar's eyes flickered with a pale blue glow, and specks of brass‑colored light spread before him, swiftly converging into an illusory symbol composed of layered doors.

A ripple of pale blue unfurled, the illusory "door" solidified, suddenly becoming a vague, ethereal azure gate.

Beyond the gate, a dimly lit room could be discerned, seemingly filled with many bright‑golden artifacts.

The Prophet's Avatar turned his head toward Xi Ya and said softly,

"She's still here."

Before the words finished, he stepped through the vague, illusory gate; the surroundings changed instantly, and in a heartbeat he arrived at the room he had seen in the prophecy.

He saw many mirrors hanging on the walls, of various styles, all sharing intricate carvings along their edges; their surfaces were dim, while their interiors seemed to conceal countless objects and layered spaces, turning the room into a dark, deep labyrinth.

"Mirror maze," the Prophet's Avatar whispered, his eyes instantly turning silver‑white, his gaze deep and unfocused.

The state lasted only briefly; after the silver sheen faded from his eyes, he chuckled and clapped his hands a few times.

His hands were bathed in brilliant gold, like dazzling sunlight, and with each clap the light spread outward in layers, a clear, radiant, pure warmth rippling like water, flowing outward.

The dark, deep labyrinth reflected by the mirrors quickly dissolved under the light; within a few breaths, the room returned to a dim amber hue.

The Prophet's Avatar's gaze lingered on the mirrors on the walls; behind him, Xi Ya, who had not spoken since boarding the Niu Yinsi, stepped forward directly toward the oval mirror hanging at the center of the left wall.

She stared coldly at her own reflection in the mirror, expressionless, and said,

"A competent hunter would not set such a crude trap."

"Ha, it seems you've been a witch for too long and have forgotten you were once a hunter."

As she spoke, she reached out to the seemingly ordinary mirror; from the point where her palm touched the surface, concentric silver ripples spread outward.

The bronze hue on the mirror faded, revealing a golden surface and a twisted figure within; her gaze was filled with venomous resentment, like a blood‑thirsty wraith, staring intently at Xi Ya, her mouth opening and closing silently.

Crrack!

Xi Ya slammed her right hand onto the mirror with force, cracking the golden surface; scarlet blood gushed from her hand, racing along the fissures to cover the entire mirror.

The crimson blood gradually turned golden, continuously pouring from the mirror as if the gold‑coated glass were rapidly melting.

Each step Xi Ya retreated, the golden liquid advanced a step forward, until she stood back in the center of the room.

The golden liquid surged upward, twisting and writhing in midair, gradually solidifying into a slender female figure; her features resembled Xi Ya's by about a third, but her entire body was golden, shimmering with metallic luster.

"It seems she truly is dead; this is only a half‑spirit that returned after resurrection, or an uncontrolled monster."

Xi Ya stared at the golden‑crafted figure before her and sighed with a rather complex tone.

The Prophet's Avatar gazed deeply at the figure and replied softly, "Perhaps the lightning struck down by the Lord of the Storm erased her body outright, and the primal will also heavily affected her spirit, causing mishaps during her resurrection."

On the deck of the Niu Yinsi, a howling gale suddenly swept the ship, dispersing the thin mist of death aura that had gathered around.

But the mist quickly re‑coalesced, as if it had taken root in the area.

"'Deep Sea General' Har Konstantin?"

Fei Nikesi's gaze pierced through the battling undead and pirates, focusing on the figure who had just emerged from the captain's cabin, still half‑dressed.

Boom! Har Konstantin slightly opened his lips, mimicking thunder, a powerful shock that erupted around him, directly disrupting spirits.

The thin mist that had obscured the crimson moonlight was partially shattered, and the scarlet moonlight fell back onto the deck.

The pirates and undead locked in combat both froze momentarily, but the pirates on the Niu Yinsi quickly recovered, seemingly accustomed to such sounds.

The undead creatures summoned by Fei Nikesi fell into obvious chaos, some weaker spirits instantly losing their sanity.

Seizing the opportunity, various extraordinary abilities and ammunition rained down on the frozen and chaotic undead, swiftly turning the tide. "A gatekeeper? Why are you attacking us?"

Har Konstantin's voice was loud, even bearing a deep, resonant boom.

Fei Nikesi rubbed his ears; the other's voice throbbed his eardrums.

While pinching his ears, he slightly opened his mouth, silently chanting something like the whispers of the dead, countless things sobbing, wailing, roaring. As the dead's words emerged, the situation on the field reversed instantly.

The pirates, who had been pouring out ammunition and extraordinary abilities, suddenly halted; the dead's words bypassed their fleshly protection, linking with their spirits, and no matter how they covered their ears or restrained their souls, the sound could not be blocked.

"All death's domain, the hell hidden within the spirit realm, the symbol of all things' decay, the realm belonging solely to the Death God."

Fei Nikesi clenched his right fist, holding it before his mouth and nose, softly reciting, through the dead's words, the revered name that points to the underworld.

A faint glint flickered on the ring atop his right thumb; the bronze door before him, covered in mysterious patterns, trembled and creaked, as if several terrifying beings were about to burst out.

Boom! A silver‑white bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, striking the Niu Yinsi's deck and the clusters of undead, shattering into countless tiny electric serpents that slithered outward.

This lightning was highly effective against undead; a single strike cleared an entire area of them.

Undead hit by the bolt either perished outright or were paralyzed, standing rigid as subsequent attacks consumed them.

The howling wind swept the entire deck, lifting Har Konstantin's body into the air; with his thought, thin wind blades formed before him, instantly lunging at Fei Nikesi.

A massive hand made of pale bone piles emerged from the bronze door, grasping the invisible wind blades, emitting a cracking sound as shattered white bones rained outward.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Silver‑white bolts fell, striking the massive bone arm, delivering a strong paralytic effect that halted the undead's emergence from the bronze door.

Har Konstantin's expression grew solemn as he continued to summon lightning; he reached into his coat and drew a dark‑red pocket watch, gently opening its cover.

Pale blue and crimson flames instantly erupted, enveloping him completely, spreading with the howling wind and emitting a strong sulfur odor.

Encased in flame, Har Konstantin's body swelled; within moments he expanded to nearly three meters tall, massive bat‑wing‑like wings sprouting from his back, tearing his clothing, and curved goat horns protruding from his head, covered in countless mysterious patterns.

Demon‑transformed Har Konstantin sneered at Fei Nikesi, malice spilling from his eyes, red‑tinged flames with hints of blue swirling around him; with a wild howl, he quickly closed the distance between them.

Fei Nikesi calmly stepped back one pace; as he moved, countless transparent phantoms flowed from him, gathering softly before him, forming a cluster.

They frequently let out shrill screams—wraith shrieks that directly harmed the spirit body!

On the deck, whether undead or pirates, all clutched their ears and howled in agony; the relatively weaker Beyonders and ordinary people fell into unconsciousness directly.

The massive demon figure that had been diving down from midair also involuntarily slowed its speed, and a look of pain surfaced on its ferocious face.

Phoenix extended his left hand forward again, index finger pointing at the demonized Hal Constantine; a phantom skull wreathed in black Qi rapidly took shape and struck toward him, carrying a dense aura of death, as if an envoy dispatched from the underworld.

Hal Constantine in midair extended his right hand forward; pale blue flames ignited in his palm, and like a cage, the phantom skull was frozen in place the moment it fell into the pale blue flames, continuously being worn away.

The towering demon constantly beat the enormous wings on its back, generating an exaggerated whirlwind that rapidly spread and enveloped Phoenix within it; the invisible wind instantly solidified into tangible bindings, immobilizing him in place.

Hal Constantine, with crimson magma in one hand and pale blue flame in the other, dove downward with a sinister grin; as he brought his hands together, he directly drew out an exaggerated giant sword composed of crimson magma and pale blue flame.

Boosted by the gale, his speed was so fast that he nearly dragged out an afterimage in midair; in the blink of an eye, he was already before Phoenix, both hands gripping the exaggerated giant sword as he slashed down ferociously.

Boom! The whirlwind interwoven with crimson and pale blue swept violently outward in all directions, directly tearing apart the surrounding deck; the undead and pirates nearby were likewise not spared.

A massive gray-blue arm covered in patches of pitch-black markings and stitching scars extended from Phoenix's chest and abdomen, gripping the exaggerated giant sword cleaving down from overhead in a death grip.

This arm was exaggeratedly large, as if it came from a giant, shimmering with dawn-like radiance, like an indestructible invisible wall.

The flames wreathed in crimson and pale blue intertwined with the dawn's radiance, yet remained clearly distinct from each other.

Crack!

From beneath the torn deck came the sound of arcing electricity; silver-white electrical arcs leaped across the entire ship Newins like a dense spider web, flickering in and out of sight.

A panicked expression appeared on Hal Constantine's enormous demon face; he wanted to break free from his entanglement with Phoenix, only to find that the magma giant sword in his hand was gripped tight by that bizarre arm and could not be withdrawn no matter what.

"Die!"

He glared at Phoenix, uttering from his mouth a demonic word originating from the abyss, brimming with filth and corruption.

A pale face surfaced from the position of Phoenix's heart; it was stained with mottled red rust and burst into flames that reeked of sulfur, as if clenched tight by an invisible giant hand—unable to make any struggle, it directly dissipated into black mist full of corruptive meaning.

Phoenix's eyes instantly turned profound and deep; he parted his lips slightly, emitting the language of the dead that acted directly upon the spirit body.

The filthy words Hal Constantine was about to speak halted, as if countless things were sobbing, wailing, and roaring in his ears, causing his spirit to fall into uncontrollable chaos.

(End of this chapter)