Chapter 452: The Primal Moon in Action

On the north bank of the Pas River Valley, near the river channel by Inpas City.

Ta Ke stared at the shabby cloth doll in his hand, momentarily dazed; the doll's once‑floral dress had, at some point, turned a dull gray‑black.

He murmured in puzzled confusion, "How could it be so fast? It shouldn't be!"

He could even feel the doll was damp, as if a firm squeeze would squeeze out a pool of pitch‑black liquid.

A metallic‑grating screech, sour‑tinged and echoing in his ears, filled the air; within a few breaths, the headless knight—who had only been oozing black, viscous liquid from a wound at his neck—underwent further mutation, his chest and abdomen splitting again into one large and two small gashes, as if a twisted, snarling face had sprouted there.

Madi Na furrowed her brows, quickly recovered, and reminded,

"There's a problem in this area; an unknown influence has accelerated 1‑92's awakening speed,"

"You all step back; it's about to lose control,"

As she spoke, she reached into her cleric's robe—adorned with wheat stalks, blossoms, and clear springs—and pulled out a handful of black seeds the size of fingernails, scattering them around the headless knight.

The seeds hit the ground and instantly rooted, sprouting upward with rapid growth.

Thick vines of eerie green, etched with strange patterns, erupted from all directions, exuding a hazy, dreamlike aura; they quickly blossomed into palm‑sized pale‑yellow flowers that emitted sleep‑inducing pollen.

The patterns on the vines flickered with a dim, uncanny light, interweaving to create an atmosphere of tranquil serenity around them.

Clap—clap—

The crisp clapping echoed in the quiet surroundings; Ta Ke and Danisi instantly turned warily toward the riverbank.

A figure cloaked in a jet‑black robe stepped onto the river under the dimming sunset and the now‑visible Crimson Moon; the water beneath his feet seemed alive, gently lifting him as pink‑tinged ripples brushed his heels.

Standing on the bank, Madi Na met the other's calm gaze, then murmured,

"The mad Suo Li Ke, who calls himself the devotee of the Primal Moon, leads a horde of half‑human, half‑monster beings toward a so‑called glorious evolution, having caused countless tragedies; directly or indirectly, hundreds have died because of you,"

"Ha, that's not a claim, it's a fact,"

Suo Li Ke chuckled, correcting Madi Na's words, then continued on his own,

"In total, two thousand and thirty‑one have died because of me over the years, but their sacrifices are noble; the deaths of a few can secure the benefit of many, a principle even the major churches endorse,"

"Humans are flawed beings; only through continual evolution can we perfect ourselves, perhaps becoming the extraordinary, yet demon elixirs are scarce, and most elixir paths are controlled by false gods,"

"Therefore, I must devise an evolutionary route unlike demon elixirs, making humanity flawless; all prior sacrifices are necessary,"

"What an incomprehensible madman," Ta Ke glared at the figure on the river, muttering a teeth‑gritted curse.

Madi Na watched Suo Li Ke's slow approach across the river, saying gravely,

"Prepare for battle; if needed, we can abandon 1‑92,"

"Abandon? But that's an extremely dangerous first‑grade sealed artifact; even without full awakening, it could easily annihilate all life nearby,"

Danisi's tone grew urgent, the veins on his sword‑gripping hands standing out.

"For us, a fully awakened 1‑92 is also a combat force; though uncontrollable, it can fully hold back a power approaching an angel,"

As she spoke, Madi Na's hair, gathered up, cascaded like a waterfall, shimmering with teal luster, brimming with vitality.

Suo Li Ke's figure, slowly treading the river, suddenly halted; even the churning water around him froze, as if the scene were captured.

"Ha, you came quickly!" Suo Li Ke muttered expressionlessly.

His body burst apart instantly, utterly destroyed, scattering shards of crimson across the river and splashing waves of water.

"…What?" Ta Ke stared, bewildered by the sudden scene, then turned his head toward Madi Na behind him.

"The Blood Clan has arrived,"

Madi Na whispered, and at her feet emerald vines sprouted, swarming into the river.

The lingering twilight was overtaken by a full moon; Crimson Moon light bathed the entire Pas River Valley, triggering a cascade of changes—spiritual growth, heightened inspiration, and amplified death.

On the opposite bank, beneath a shade of trees, Lei Ke Dun and the one‑eyed Bei Er Si emerged silently; Lei Ke Dun glanced at his companion, dubbed the "Scarlet Eye," apparently grasping the origin of the nickname.

Bei Er Si squinted with his remaining right eye at Lei Ke Dun, saying doubtfully,

"Hm, you seem to be pondering something rather rude,"

Lei Ke Dun chuckled lightly, not replying, and said,

"The full‑moon‑covered area is vast; did the Duke of Full Moon act?"

"Of course not; the Grand Duke of Full Moon wouldn't act lightly. This effect stems from a crucial magical artifact within our Blood Clan, temporarily overseen by Ma Xiu,"

"The full moon's appearance indicates they've already clashed with the Primal Moon's minions,"

Bei Er Si lifted his chin slightly, speaking calmly yet with a hint of pride.

Lei Ke Dun gave a slight nod, saying no more. For Primal Moon believers, the full moon offers only positive benefits, no drawbacks, so this cannot be a Blood Clan tactic against them—perhaps a cover, or a message?

As thoughts drifted, his inspiration was suddenly sparked; his figure flashed, appearing above the river, dragging a set of ancient spears, each blazing with clusters of dark crimson fire from tip to shaft.

Beneath the river, a massive red flesh sphere—stitched together from countless limbs, flesh, and souls—was hauled out of the water by thick emerald vines.

The sphere bore myriad hands, feet, and heads of varying skin tones, writhing like the legs of a millipede, densely packed; even without trypophobia, Lei Ke Dun felt a psychological unease.

Without hesitation, he hurled the dark‑red spear, which became a streak of crimson light in the air, plunging straight into the massive flesh sphere.

A wide, deep cavity opened on the sphere; the twisted, writhing limbs and heads froze momentarily, then spread out like boneless mush, flowing and shaking with the river, even the sturdy vines could no longer restrain it.

With a clang, a bright white beam flashed where Lei Ke Dun had stood, slicing the void itself, emitting a screeching, grating sound.

Lei Ke Dun's figure seemed nonexistent, untouched; he chuckled, glanced toward the far bank's side, whispered silently,

"I see you!"

In the next instant, his form turned transparent, like a statue forged from countless starlights; the statue shattered into specks of starlight that surged into the spirit realm.

"Ha, that was fast," Bei Er Si sneered, the flesh at his left eye beginning to writhe and heal.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

A few sharp whistles sliced the air; almost simultaneously, three blood‑red long arrows pierced his heart, forehead, and neck.

The arrows embedded in Bei Er Si's body; his form was flung backward instantly, no blood spilling, his silhouette thinning and crumbling mid‑air, finally turning into a paper‑like figure seemingly forged from Crimson Moonlight, shattering swiftly.

In the next heartbeat, his body re‑solidified elsewhere, and a swarm of vampiric bats, half real and half illusory, surged from all sides, attacking him.

"Hm! A boring trick."

He let out a light hum, Bells stepped forward, dense black mist surged from behind him, while the surrounding shadows and darkness writhed quickly, coalescing into illusory yet solid black shackles that interwove in mid‑air into an exaggerated black giant net, ensnaring all the bats.

He then took from his coat pocket a bottle of pale‑gold liquid, gauged a bit of spirit, and tossed it into the air.

Wha—!

The sound of glass shattering rang out instantly, the pale‑gold liquid quickly erupted in flame, emitting an intense yet non‑irritating golden radiance that flowed outward like water.

The ensnared vampire bats, upon touching the light, let out mournful screeches, a puff of blue smoke rose from their bodies, and they gradually vanished.

Bells' movements did not pause; the dense black mist behind him condensed into a pair of illusory bat wings, briefly granting him flight, and as the massive bat wings flapped, his body instantly turned into a after‑image and vanished from the spot.

The next moment, his silhouette abruptly appeared on a treetop, both hands formed phantom claws, nails sprouting an extra segment etched with mysterious symbols and patterns; the two hidden vampire bats on the branch tried to flap away, but he tore each apart with a single claw.

Across the river, Matina, after seeing Leiketon's silhouette vanish, decisively seized the emerald vines that had trapped the Headless Knight, and hurled the briefly restrained Headless Knight into the water.

Having done all this, she turned her head toward Tal and Denis, who were concentrating on vigilance, and said:

"You first go cooperate with the Blood Clan to eliminate those emerging Primal Moonlight Cultists; I'll stay to monitor 1‑92, prevent indiscriminate attacks, and take care of the situation here."

"Yes, Lady Matina!" "No problem!"

Tak and Denis responded in unison, then turned toward the area where the Crimson Moonlight was most intense.

Matina glanced at the direction they left, then walked straight toward the opposite riverbank; beneath her feet, thick emerald vines erupted from the ground like long green bridges, easily supporting her body as she crossed to the far bank.

Ho— ho— ho—

Beneath her, a massive slab of assorted limbs and heads formed a huge flesh mass that emitted chaotic, hoarse, meaningless syllables.

The sounds resembled a continuously tuning broadcast, searching for the right rhythm, attempting to connect with an unknown entity.

Without the vines' restraint, the flesh slab spread over the entire river surface, extending upstream and downstream.

The condition did not last long; the river suddenly turned into a bottomless, dark void that seemed to swallow even light, and the floating flesh masses twisted and gradually lost color.

The heads growing on the flesh became soulless‑eyed, the constantly shaking limbs grew stiff like rusted machinery, while black, viscous liquid seeped from the folds of the flesh.

Decay, madness and mutation filled the entire river.

Matina ignored the river's changes beneath her; after the emerald vines carried her to the far bank, her body suddenly swelled, her hair thickened, and coarse brown short hairs sprouted over her once‑smooth skin.

In an instant, her body expanded into a terrifying giant bear five or six meters tall.

(End of Chapter)