Chapter 358 The Sorrow of Shadows (Part 2)
This battle ended faster than the female commander Mirabetta imagined.
The Shadow People and the followers of the Lost Lady stationed in Sergante City were cleared away by the Sambian army without much trouble.
Even the floating city of Sacros, which Mirabetta was most worried about, did not come to support in this battle.
Although something went wrong in this plan against the Shadow People, the female barbarian Brunhitti, who was responsible for assassinating the ghost prince Ekasia and destroying the Shadow Stone, did not have the support of the floating city. The plan did not fail.
As night approached, everything in the palace fell silent.
Since Mirabetta, with the support of the ghost princes, successfully passed the Supreme Electoral Council and became the female leader of the Kingdom of Sambia, many of the original old nobles have been deprived of their positions by various means. Let all those in power become his cronies.
Although there are many people who are secretly dissatisfied with Mirabetta, due to the powerful strength of the ghost princes and the radiant Sister Telina, no one dares to stand up and resist her openly.
Now, this group of shadow people from the Eno Oak Desert, which caused great turmoil in the Kingdom of Sambia, have been completely eradicated by Mirabetta's army, which means that she is about to become Sangbia. The true ruler of the Kingdom of Biya.
This is undoubtedly a happy thing for Mirabetta.
But whenever she recalled why she had everything, she understood deeply that becoming the ruler of Sambia might just be the beginning for her.
This is just the beginning... She kept telling herself this in her heart.
In the quiet side hall, all the palace guards have withdrawn. In the empty main hall, there is only the female commander Mirabetta.
"Giggle..."
Along with a strange and frivolous laughter, a hazy figure appeared.
This is a girl, to be precise, a peerless existence that can make everyone stunned and hold their breath.
White and flawless skin, a small nose, pink lips gently raised, with a charming smile that is pure and full of temptation.
She seems to be a contradictory combination of innocence and temptation. She seems so ignorant of the world, but she also reveals a fatal temptation.
Every time he sees the Brilliant Sister ‘Pure One’ Telina appearing in front of him in this way, even Mirabetta, a woman, can’t help but feel her heartbeat beginning to speed up.
Mirabetta did not deliberately hide her expression. As usual, she looked at Telina with longing eyes and asked in a charming voice, "How are you, have you found it?"
While she was talking, she had unknowingly arrived in front of Telina.
Although their plan against the shadow people and the followers of the Lost Lady was completed very smoothly, this does not mean that Telina will not pursue the details.
Brunhitdy violated the contract she signed with Telina. She simply thought she could escape by committing suicide. Little did she know that her stupid approach had completely pushed her into the bottomless abyss.
She could even imagine what kind of humiliation and imprisonment the other party would experience.
"I have imprinted my own mark on her soul in advance. It is naturally easy to find her soul in the River Styx." Jelina expressed her sweet expression like a girl Smile, "I have to say, this is really a soul of good quality."
A fist-sized ball of light flashed out of Sister Hui Yao's palm.
She looked at the light ball, a cruel smile appeared at the corner of her mouth, and her white fingers mercilessly kneaded it into the shape of a pebble. A faint shadow of a painful soul could be seen in it.
"It's interesting. She doesn't seem to have given up hope yet?" Telina glanced at it with interest and said playfully: "I like this kind of toy the best."
"I don't know how long you can last in my hands." She said with a smile, "As a betrayer, I hope you can bring me short-term pleasure."
Mirabetta has guessed Brunci Ti's ending.
Her soul will be reborn in the abyss. After being reincarnated by Telina, she will lose most of her memories. If she has not lost herself, then she may embark on the most difficult road of 'soul redemption'.
In this process, there is a very high probability that she will lose herself and sink completely into the abyss.
“Not only did we clean up the shadow people in the Kingdom of Sambia, we also destroyed all the temples of the Lost Lady.” Mirabetta was not affected by this unexpected episode, but asked herself The most concerning question at the moment is, "Would this arouse the hatred of the Church of the Lost Lady."
"Then let them be hostile." Telina's unconcerned look made Mirabetta She felt reassured, "I'm afraid Ms. Lost herself will be in trouble soon, not to mention her hidden churches. She can't threaten us."
"Besides..." She looked very happy. It seemed that even when he spoke, the corner of his mouth unconsciously raised a striking smile, "About two years from now, there will be huge turmoil in the Underdark, and most of the incarnations of the demon lords in the Abyss may appear in the Abyss. The material world, this feast of slaughter, will become the home of the devil.”
Mirabetta nodded secretly.
As a believer of the Succubus Queen Malcanthet, she is undoubtedly the most trustworthy person for Telina. Naturally, she roughly learned about the future turmoil in the Underdark Region from her mouth.
The real purpose of Telina's seclusion in the Kingdom of Sambia in advance is to complete the Succubus Queen's plan against the Demon Prince Demogorgon.
“Although in this battle, the floating city of the shadow people did not come to support.” Telina played with Brunhiti’s soul stone, “But Brunhitty’s betrayal still caused We have caused a lot of obstacles. If I hadn't consumed a lot of soul crystals and summoned a group of abyss demons, I wouldn't have been able to capture the Temple of the Lost Lady so easily."
"What do you mean?" Labeta showed a look of astonishment. She looked at Sister Hui Yao calmly, trying to find the flaws in her that were exposed due to excessive consumption of power.
"I need a soul." Telina said her intention.
“We have a large number of powerful souls. We only have two years left. The cyclical and gradual approach is still too slow. It will have a great impact on our next plan. I cannot let other sisters take the lead.”
Mirabetta understood what Telina meant.
Although she has been providing souls continuously since she became the leader of Sembia, these are humble males, the lowest level of civilians. What they need is someone with good talent and power. The soul of a professional.
In this case, they need to find a way to start with the army or adventurer mercenaries.
"Leave this matter to me." Mirabetta nodded, "I will try my best to collect more powerful souls for you."
Without the restrictions of the ghost princes, as a The ruler of the Sambia Kingdom wanted to steal souls quietly. Although it was troublesome for her, it was just trouble.
"Then what should we do next..." she asked thoughtfully.
"Next, I think we can wait for a while."
Sister Huiyao stuck out her tongue and licked her lips, with a huge contrast on her pure and sweet face. Full of charm.
"You have been busy for so long and finally got rid of these annoying shadow people. Don't you plan to relax completely tonight?"
At that fleeting moment, the Kingdom of Sambia The majestic and solemn female commander-in-chief, whose normally calm and heroic figure suddenly seemed to be touched by an invisible force, began to tremble slightly in an indescribable way. This tremor did not come from fear or cold, but was more like some kind of strong emotional impact, quietly surging under her skin and gradually spreading to every inch of her body.
On her cheeks, the skin color that had always been calm and indifferent as a glacier was now incredibly smudged with an intoxicating blush, like the magnificent clouds reflected in the sunset, which was dazzling. This bright red color seems to bloom from the passion and contradiction deep in her heart, with a strange charm and mystery that makes people unable to take their eyes away.
Her eyes, which had always shown clarity and wisdom in the past, also experienced a dramatic change at this moment, just like the starry night sky being shrouded in thick fog in an instant, becoming hazy and profound. The brilliance of reason seemed to be washed away by the sudden torrent of strong emotions, and was replaced by waves of confusion and infatuation, as if he had fallen into a dream world from which he could not extricate himself.
Although her willpower is extremely strong, at this moment, the mood of the Sambian female commander is swaying like a candle in the strong wind, making her originally resolute expression soften. It adds a bit of rare charm and charm. All this happened in just that brief moment, but it was enough to make the whole world fall silent, hold its breath, and watch the amazing transformation of this female leader.
"Yeah, I'm also beginning to miss...the happy times we spent together." Mirabetta gasped softly.
Seeing Mirabetta's fierce reaction, Sister Huiyao's sweet laughter was like a simple girl taking cheerful steps in the sun.
Her delicate body twisted gently, and she was about to make the next move, when she suddenly felt a hot energy filling the air.
Then she felt a sharp blade thrust into her chest mercilessly, crushing her beating heart.
The sharp blade was like a red-hot iron, turning the blood from her wounds into hot torrents that spread throughout Telina's body.
Sister Glory tried to fight back, but found an unknown force field energy emerging out of thin air, rendering her unable to use any divine, spell-like, or supernatural abilities.
Inexplicable despair filled Telina's heart.
She staggered away from Mirabetta, her eyes widened in disbelief, and looked at the female commander whose expression suddenly became indifferent.
"This is...the glorious blade of the Lord of the Dawn. It seems that you are well prepared. You must have been planning for a long time."
She suppressed the fierce feeling in her chest. The pain burning in the soul, gasping for air, looked down at the light blade burning with hot flames, and asked calmly, "You...why did you do this?"
"Why?" Mirabetta replied in an almost roaring voice, "Why did I do this! Don't you still know?"
"Although my future destiny has been determined from the day I was born, In the Warlock family, even if you don't have Warlock blood, you can at least be a noble lady with no worries about food and clothing." She stared at the dying Sister Huiyao fiercely, "I used to be a noble lady, and I had everything in my dreams, until you. The appearance of the girl completely ended my carefree life.”
Mirabetta still can’t forget the day that changed her destiny.
Jelena, a mean bitch, secretly manipulated her mother into ordering a killer to kill her in the forest.
Then she controlled the killer and let him rape her and loot all her things.
At this point, her fairy-tale-like life as a noble lady came to an end under the ruthless strokes of fate. In the past, the gorgeous balls, exquisite dinners, study rooms full of books, and afternoon tea in the garden under the warm sun were all like bubbles of fantasy, instantly dissipated in the cold wind of harsh reality. Instead, there is the other side of life, a world where dirt accumulates, an abyss where hunger gnaws at the soul like a wolf, a dark corner filled with pungent odor, and a cruel chapter of life woven by endless abuse. The once warm velvet quilt has now become the cold stone slabs on the street; the exquisite food and wine in the past are now just the luxury of a bowl of hot soup.
In order to find a possibility of survival in this ruthless world, in exchange for a bowl of hot soup that can temporarily drive away hunger and cold, or to get a shelter that is enough to avoid wind and rain. She had to put down her dignity to find a place to live, and even "sold" herself cheaply to those old vagrants who had experienced many vicissitudes of life, were old and equally destitute...
"I think you must have misunderstood." Telina said, "I saved you. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be where you are today. You would have died in a prison full of urine."
"If I had saved you "Your legs are broken." Mirabetta sneered, "And if I give you a pair of crutches, will you also cry and thank me?"
She had long known secretly the methods of the Sisters of Radiance. In Telina's eyes, Mirabetta was just one of countless girls who had the same experience.
It was precisely because she survived in the end that she was chosen by the opponent.
Jelina was silent for a moment, using ineffectual magic to stop the spreading injuries on her chest, "It seems you already know some truth."
"But this doesn't That's not the reason for you to kill me." She said calmly, "You are a believer of my mother. Even if you die, you will be branded as the Succubus Queen, so killing me will not do you any good, and you won't. I don’t understand this.”
“Really?” Mirabetta looked at Sister Huiyao with mocking eyes.
She slowly took off her clothes as if performing a solemn and mysterious ceremony. The skin covered layer by layer gradually appears under the moonlight, as if it were carved from white jade, delicate and smooth with a faint warm luster. Her body was like a beautiful painting, revealed bit by bit as the clothes slipped off.
On that piece of skin as white as snow, close to the chest and close to the ribs, there is an extremely strange bright red tattoo. This tattoo is like a hidden gem, quiet and eye-catching. It is a red lip pattern penetrated by sharp silk threads. It is so lifelike that it seems to jump out from the surface of the skin at any time.
This red lip tattoo has smooth lines and lifelike shape. Its bright and vivid colors strongly impact people’s visual senses, releasing an almost coquettish charm. The red lips were slightly open, as if they were about to reveal some unspeakable secret, or to show the world the endless stories they contained.
Observers will be deeply attracted by this red lip and cannot look away, as if they can feel a shocking beauty from it. It is a power that transcends conventional aesthetics. It is both tempting to explore deeply, and also makes people feel a little scared, because it seems to contain a powerful magic power that can lead people step by step into the deepest and darkest temptations. deep.
Seeing Mirabetta's mark clearly, Telina's face became quite ugly in an instant.
She finally couldn't control her expression and screamed like a shrew, "Impossible! This is absolutely impossible. How could you know the most taboo pleasure ritual of the Succubus Queen? This is impossible, this is impossible, this is absolutely not Really!"
"Who told you that?" She asked angrily with the last bit of strength in her body.
"This is not important anymore, dear Telina."
Looking at the furious look of Sister Huiyao who was on the verge of death, Mirabetta felt extremely comfortable in her heart, and she took the initiative She leaned close to his ear and whispered:
"You only need to know...from today on, I will be the radiant nun of the Succubus Queen and the true ruler of the Kingdom of Sambia, that's all. .”
"As for you..." Before she could finish her words, Telina was completely reduced to ashes in the flames erupted by the glorious blade.
…………
The flickering torches in the corridor gave off a dull, eerie light.
The ghost prince Lamorak opened his eyes. In the muddy darkness, he felt that his whole body was cold. Being a ghost was a feeling that he had long forgotten.
A severe headache made the whole world start to shake as he tried to remember what had happened.
There was a buzzing in his ears, as if someone was breathing deeply or roaring into his ears. Every inch of his ribs was filled with pain, and his brain was as groggy as his eyelids.
He vaguely remembered that he left the floating city of Sacros. Even without Agrela's help, he successfully opened an entrance to the world of the magic network through his own efforts.
Facing the lost lady Shar, he did not foolishly choose to confront her head-on like Brenas did, nor did he cowardly accept his fate like Agrila, but chose to escape.
In his opinion, only by escaping to the realm of the Magic Web, the territory of the magic goddess Mystra, can he escape the control of the Lost Lady.
Then he can hide here until he can figure out a way to break free from the control of the Shadow Web.
He has always believed that the magic he mastered was a mysterious and powerful force that countless arcane seekers struggled to understand throughout their lives.
As long as you give him time, he can use the power and knowledge brought by arcana to help him solve all obstacles.
Although he found a way to the world of the magic network, an accident occurred that even he himself was not aware of.
For a moment, Lamorak thought he had woken up from a deep sleep.
The water drops falling on his forehead reminded him of the ‘Coiled Viper’ hotel in Sergante City.
The vaguely disturbing sound took him back to a certain room where he stayed when he visited the Sambia slums.
The salty smell in the air mixed with saliva, rot, and dried excrement reminded him again of the 'Bidding Harpy' Inn in Ascatella, whose name sounded like it was taken from local legend. , actually got its name from its tight beds.
However, Lamorak realized that his cheek was pressed against the cold stone, not the comfortable mattress of the Harpy.
He stroked his body with his hands and blinked.
He felt damp fur, mold, and human filth mixed together.
He could almost hear the decades of prisoners' prayers going unanswered.
"This is a cell." Lamorak said and sat up, thankful that he could still move.
He sniffed, frowned, then focused on a dim red glow, the only source of light in the corridor.
Lamorak tiptoed towards the light source, but felt that his steps were shaky, like the feeling of being tipsy after drinking the wine brewed by Feather Valley.
Ignoring this feeling, Lamorak began to check the exits.
A row of blades and rods, folded and put together like a genius child's puzzle, forms the cell door, which is opened or closed by a moving lever mechanism.
Lamorak had a hunch that in the future this might be recognized as a marvel of ingenious engineering.
The door is complex and magically constructed, just like the ones Lamorak saw in the floating cities of Netheril.
This made him instantly realize that the person imprisoning him was probably related to the Netherese.
Just as he was thinking wildly, the cell door suddenly opened, and a figure shrouded in black robes floated in like a ghost.
When Lamorak saw the terrifying face of the black-robed figure clearly, he couldn't help but exclaimed, "Laroque, why are you here?"
"Why am I here?" Laroque Replied in a deep voice, "In fact, I should ask you why you are here."
"What is going on?" Lamorak's heart was filled with fear.
In a trance, he realized that the world of the magic network he had stepped into was actually one of Larocque's lairs, which made him instantly feel desperate.
"It seems that you have figured it out." Larocque's deep voice echoed in the cell, "Prince Lamorac, if possible, please forgive me. In fact, I have no ill intentions towards you."< br>
"Then why are you still locking me here?" After hearing these words, Lamorak struggled to get up, as if he had found the last glimmer of hope.
"I said it was to pay off debts, do you believe it?" Larocque said slowly.
“Repay the debt?” Lamorak was stunned.
"Indeed, repay the debt." Larocque replied seriously, "Everyone owes similar debts. This is life, Prince Lamorac."
"Debt, responsibility, gratitude , repay...doing things for someone. Maybe, actually for ourselves? Because in the end, the person we owe is ourselves, not others. Whenever we owe something, we must pay it back to ourselves. Debtors and creditors, what matters is whether the account in our hearts can be settled. Since we came to this world, we have been given life. From then on, our behavior of paying debts has not stopped, to ourselves and for ourselves. We ourselves, in order to finally settle the account.”
"I don't know what you're talking about." Lamorak said, his lips trembling like chaff from fear, "I...I...I don't know what I owe you."
"This It doesn't matter anymore, dear prince." Larocque said in a gentle voice:
"I know that you are suffering, but I stand by and watch the joke like a bad old woman. Let it end and give you relief."
Lamorak suddenly felt that his body was as cold as ice, and every time he took a labored breath, it would cause a burst of heartbreaking pain.
Just when he was about to open his mouth to plead, he felt an invisible magic rope blocking all words.
His feet lifted off the ground and the rope sank deep into his skeletal throat.
Then rising, he kept spasming, kicking, and struggling...
But all that was left for him was rising, rising, rising...
At the end of his life As he was dying, he seemed to hear the laughter of children playing, coming from afar... The puppets on strings, shaking and shaking, little puppets, with their heads down and their feet up...
... ……
(End of this chapter)