蝴蝶影院

However, they could predict that the circumstances were dire. Given that many Yajinians in Nur’s Ring had already become captives of Hell Energy, they might surrender immediately at the appearance of demons… This had happened before, so it wouldn’t be surprising if it happened again.

Previously the Night Guards had fought a civil war with the defensive forces of Nur’s Ring and attempted to infiltrate Hell to destroy the factory built by the Mek Tribe and the demons, but they failed. Now, Nur’s Ring itself had virtually no defensive ability left. Facing the rampant demons, what they could accomplish was a moot point.

Operating with the Night Guards allowed Duanmu Huai to sigh in relief. Perhaps because these Night Guards were veterans who’d survived countless battles, they were stronger mentally, not succumbing to fear like some scrawny scientists. As a result, Duanmu had companions to chat with on the road. They were curious about Duanmu’s origins and the history of their Empire– as traditional warriors, they had a keen interest in the origins of their race.

As Duanmu Huai fought the demons on the road, he shared the state of the Empire with them. Naturally, once the Night Guards learned the once thriving Human Empire had been destroyed, they couldn’t help but sigh. However, given their civilization was also on the brink of annihilation, they prioritized their worries.

Finally, under the protection of Duanmu Huai, the battered group of Night Guards safely returned to the base, and they opened the portal to Nur’s Ring.

With the vista flashing before their eyes, Duanmu saw a magnificent city in the next moment.

“This is it, Your Honor, the Judge.” The leading Night Guard spoke out.

“This is Nur’s Ring……..”

Before he finished speaking, he stopped, falling silent. Duanmu Huai lifted his gaze to the city before them.

“It seems, we are late after all.”

In front of Duanmu Huai was a magnificent city – or rather, it used to be.

Now, it was entirely shrouded in a decaying, somber gloom.

It was clear that this city was once built amidst lush green forests, consisting of tall structures with round arched tops. But now, these structures were in shambles, showing signs of attacks everywhere. In the distance, they could even see a giant mecha, frozen in the act of piercing a giant demon with a long spear. The whole city was silent. Duanmu Huai had never visited Nur’s Ring before, but he could imagine it had once been a different place.

“We must find His Majesty the King!!”

The Night Guards at this moment had an ashen complexion. Although they had anticipated that their homeland may fall completely into the hands of the enemy, they were not prepared for the shock and sorrow that overwhelmed them when they saw the sight with their own eyes. Very quickly, however, the leading Night Guard gathered his composure, rallied his spirits, and led the way towards the Royal Palace with Duanmu and the others.

However, very soon after they entered the city, they realized something was wrong.

This city didn’t appear to have been attacked recently. Rather, it seemed as if a long period, maybe decades, or even longer had passed. This wasn’t particularly strange, as the concept of time in the subspace was chaotic and disordered. Therefore, when they came out from subspace, they may appear at any time point: past, present, or future.

Just like now.

When they entered the palace again, they only saw ruins and debris covered in dust.

“How could this……..”

Seeing an empty throne and lifeless holy statues around them, the Night Guards fell to their knees, crying silently over their misfortune.

Duanmu Huai just stood there, carefully studying the surroundings.

“—!!”

Just then, the formerly empty throne began to radiate dazzling light, and a glowing ghost, crowned with a royal coronet, appeared on the throne. Gazing at the Night Guards in front of him, he failed to conceal the sorrow and sighs in his eyes.

“Your Highness!!”

Upon seeing this ghost, the Night Guards quickly knelt halfway, lay down their weapons, and respectfully saluted him. The ghost, known as the king, had a solemn and sorrowful expression.

“I never imagined I’d see you again, my children. I once thought, you all had been permanently devoured by the malevolent Hell, and also…”

When he said this, the King turned towards Duanmu Huai, who was standing in front of him. Upon recognizing the skull and blood-red cross symbol on Duanmu’s armor, the King paused.

“Your Majesty, this is the angel of the great God! His Honor, the Judge!”

The Night Guard quickly spoke up at this moment.

“In Hell, his timely appearance saved us from the demons! If not for him, we might not have made it back to Nur’s Ring safely!”

“Astarte……”

Upon hearing the Night Guard speak, a trace of excitement also emerged in the eyes of the Ghost King. Duanmu Huai merely shrugged.

“Don’t worry too much, the empire has also been destroyed for several thousand years already, it’s not much different than your current situation.”

“Really………”

In response to Duanmu Huai’s reply, the king showed a weary smile and then nodded.

“Indeed, as you have witnessed, Nur’s Ring…… has been destroyed. The demons breached our defenses and destroyed all life………”

“Please issue your command, Your Majesty!!”

The Night Guard once again lifted his head to look at the king.

“No matter what your command is, we will accomplish it, even at the cost of our lives!”

“If it’s related to the demons, I’m willing to help.”

Duanmu Huai looked at the king and spoke. He had already detected that this might be a key thread in this hidden advanced mission. If he could complete this main task, he might receive rewards much greater than those given for a simple advancement!!

“…………”

Sure enough, after hearing Duanmu Huai’s words, the king hesitated before falling silent for a moment, then finally spoke again.

“This isn’t normally something I should be asking, but… this concerns my subjects. Therefore, I hope you will heed my wish —— I hope you can go to hell, find the Yajin Energy Factory and completely destroy it!”

Speaking these words, the king clenched his fists in frustration.

“Those damned demons, they not only destroyed my kingdom, they even sealed off the Elemental Spirits and enslaved the souls of my subjects……!!”

Upon hearing the king say this, Duanmu Huai immediately understood his meaning.

In the world of Star Ocean Online, capturing souls is a common occurrence. Especially, if you don’t have faith in any deity, when you die, your soul will likely fall into the hands of the Chaos Evil God. Therefore, in many worlds, everyone worships a certain deity. In this way, when they die, their souls will go to be with the deity they worship.

In Nur’s Ring, they originally worshipped an entity called the “Elemental Spirits”. According to the Night Guard, when the Yajinian people die, their souls would return to the “Elemental Spirits” and find peace.

But now, the demons had imprisoned the Elemental Spirits, which meant that the souls of the Yajinians had all fallen into the hands of the demons. Considering what these demons would do with the souls of the Yajinians… there was no need to ask. It definitely isn’t anything good.

“I just want to ask you, to help free the souls of my people…”

Nur’s Ring had already been destroyed, and rebuilding Yajinian’s civilization was basically a fantasy. Now, the last wish of this kingdom’s final king, was to free the souls of his subjects from the endless slavery and torment of the demons.

As expected, when the king made his request, Duanmu Huai saw a message appear before him.

[Activate Hidden Task “Peace of the Soul”]

[Task Goal: Destroy the Yajin Energy Factory located in Hell and free the imprisoned souls!]

[Human souls must not be defiled by Chaos!]

Sure enough!!

Seeing the system prompt in front of him, Duanmu Huai clenched his fist in excitement.

Before transmigrating, the player hadn’t mentioned anything about the Yajinians. He probably hadn’t found this task storyline, but for Duanmu Huai, it was different. A hidden main task within this secret advancement task, could ensure he reaps big rewards!

Not to mention, this task doesn’t conflict with the advancement task. Killing demons is one thing, and destroying the factory is another, they can be done together, right? Duanmu Huai had grown a bit tired of just killing demons, and now having a goal could spur him on even more. This was definitely more interesting than wandering aimlessly in Hell, hitting random targets!

With this in mind, Duanmu Huai regained his focus and looked at the spirit of the king in front of him and nodded.

“Rest assured, I will definitely free those souls from the demons!”