The Record of Unusual Creatures

Calaxus and the pope may not have understood the concept of space armaments, but those scary-looking, humongous mechanical weapons and the stunned look on the Lord of the Mountains’ face was enough to assure them that these weapons could deal heavy damage to Lockmarton—they would definitely be more powerful than some giant fireball attack from a group of magisters.

“This scale…” The Lord of the Mountains sighed after a long silence. His eyes glistened brightly as he spoke in a trembling voice, “When you did you start…”

“After I came to this world and understood the threat coming from Lockmarton, they began to make preparations out there.” Hao Ren explained while making slight adjustments to the timeline. The truth was, the MDT and Nolan had already started placing those cannons right after he and Lily reached Collow. Nevertheless, it would be easier for everyone to accept that the weapons were put in place after the threat from Lockmarton was confirmed. “You should know by now that I am not from Collow, but from the ‘outside world’. In all my adventures across different worlds, I have seen many things similar to Lockmarton, so we are very familiar with dealing with them.”

“It does look like you are very familiar with this part…” Geddon mumbled thunderously like the giant he was. “These devices make me uncomfortable. I must say that they can deal with more than just Lockmarton.”

Hao Ren spread his arms and smiled. “I’ll be frank. If I want to take down Collow, I can set up these weapons anytime.”

A tiny smile began to spread on Geddon’s face as well. “Lockmarton seems to be your priority right now. Alright, your weapons have convinced me that your plan is feasible. Ah, now I’m getting excited too to see Lockmarton suffering under those cannons. There’s just one thing I want to confirm… Are they really as powerful as they seem? I can only recognize some of these weapons… They are a little different from the weapons we used last time, so a demonstration will be helpful.”

“Of course.” Hao Ren poked the MDT. “Why don’t you explain our products?”

The MDT bounced to life just before Hao Ren’s finger touched it. “Enough with the poking!”

It then activated its holographic projector again and directed some of the weapons for a firing demonstration.

When the demonstration ended, Hao Ren spread his arms. “As you can see, they are stable and reliable weapons, designed to highly precise and immensely powerful. Most of the smaller cannons can sustain thousands of hours of high-frequency firing and will continue firing up to specs until the energy core melts. The larger caliber cannons are powerful but don’t be deceived by their looks. These guys can track fast-moving targets and fire at very high frequencies. To be precise, they can track targets moving below the speed of light in real time or engaged in unencrypted superluminal traveling…”

Nangong Wuyue poked Lily with her tail. “Since when did the Landlord become an arms dealer?”

“The Landlord is a maniac, don’t mind him.”

“Huh? I never noticed before, but what happened to your tail?”

“Shut up!! Can’t I be a little useful to others sometimes?”

Indeed, Hao Ren was suddenly entering his “arms dealer” mode and went on and on until two minutes later before he finally sobered up and said, “Cough, cough, all in all, these weapons are quite reliable. They are at the very least more powerful than what you can manage here, and they are immune to Lockmarton’s mental attacks.”

“I am now even more convinced that your plan is well thought through and brings us more hope than ever,” Geddon said solemnly. “There is only one problem left—Lockmarton will not your trap willingly. Even if someone opens the prison door, it will not make its escape immediately, but rather feel surprised and wary. How are you going to convince it that its sudden release is not a trap, but an opportunity to escape?”

Hao Ren chuckled. “Of course it will not run away at first. I have a plan for that too, but first, I will require your assistance…”

…

Against the background of eternal dusk in the Nightmare Realm, the bells in Fidelinopolis began to chime.

The first bell to chime was from the oldest and tallest bell tower, Dawnstar Tower. The bells in the churches followed, and then the ones in the commoner’s area, the commercial area, the public square and so on… All the bells in the city began to chime. The ancient mechanical structures creaked as the bells were tolled. Every chime sent reverberations throughout the city, which then rippled outward into the plains.

The bell-tolling ceremony of Fidelinopolis was held at the beginning of every War against Chaos—the pope and all 12 cardinals would bear witness to the ceremony, which signaled the beginning of Chaos. When all the bells chimed at once, the city’s strongest knights and warrior priests would board the enchanted warships and travel through cross-continent portals to join the frontlines in countries around the world in their battle against the forces of Chaos. When the battle ended, the surviving soldiers would prepare a roster of their names and bring it back to Fidelinopolis. The monks would sound their bugles from all the bell towers to declare the end of the War against Chaos and the beginning of the time of Peace.

This was the first time Fidelinopolis tolled its bells before the War against Chaos ended.

It was a declaration of the beginning of another war.

Compared to the bell-tolling ceremony when the War against Chaos began, the bells sounded softer this time. This was because six of the twelve cardinals had sacrificed their lives in order to transport Fidelinopolis to the Forgotten Abyss. What remained of them, including the pope, will join this final decisive battle. The people on the bell towers and on the stage conducting the ceremony were either young probationary monks who were not selected for battle or the weak and old.

The army leaving the city for battle as the bells chimed was altogether a different sight to behold.

Hao Ren, Vivan, Lily, and the others stood on a relatively undamaged part of the city walls, looking down at the huge army that marched across the plains. All the knights were in full armor; the soldiers were in high spirits; the monks all wore determined looks on their faces. Everyone was equipped with weapons and shields. Lances and magic staffs glowed with the power of magic. The army’s flags flapped strongly against the wind, signaling the courage and resolution of its soldiers.

The army was otherwise silent as they marched.

There were no drums and no pep talk or slogans on repeat. This was an army that was ready to return to the ashes. They had only one target, and that target was at the end of the plains. They marched silently on their way, having made their peace with their imminent deaths. Only their footsteps roared thunderously as they continued on their journey.

A few giants crossed the city walls and joined the scene.

Geddon, Lord of the Mountains; Golash, Lord of the Flames; Zeno, Lord of Thunder; Alftina, Lord of the Wind…

The 10 Wardens led the army. After thousand years, they were finally back in the battlefield, fighting alongside their mortal brothers.

Before the main army left the city, a final special unit made its appearance.

This was a troop of floating armor and empty robes, donned by faintly glowing shadows. They followed behind the Wardens, marching silently like an army of the dead.

In fact, that was exactly what they were — their power came from the dead who were buried in Fidelinopolis, as the pope had mentioned before.

In the last 10,000 years, countless devoted and tenacious followers were buried in the deepest parts of Fidelinopolis. These Spirit Braves had fought for peace in the world while they were alive, and did not stop fighting even after they died. About a third of these spirits were invited to the Forgotten Abyss to join the Warden’s army in the Eternal Battlefield, while the rest of them stayed at Fidelinopolis to protect the city. In this “city transportation” plan, nearly sixty percent of the spirits who were left in the city had sacrificed themselves to gather enough power for the transportation to complete behind Lockmarton’s back. The Spirit Braves that Hao Ren saw now were the only ones left.

In the illusory world of the Nightmare Realm, they would be able to wield their power just as they once lived in this final battle.

As the soldiers gradually marched away into the plains, Hao Ren rolled his shoulders and reached for the MDT in his mind. “All set?”

“All set!” the MDT replied promptly. Despite being so close to Hao Ren, they still chose to communicate through their mental link. “I wouldn’t slack for this major showdown.”

“Alright.” Hao Ren’s face was as blank as that of a general who was inspecting his troops. “Starting from now, I give you access to my personal storage space. Tell Nolan that she can proceed to the designated spot and fire up the main reactor.”

“Understood.”

“I say, do you really need to put on such a huge show?” Vivian interrupted his mental conversation. “If you’re wrong, dealing with the aftermath is going to be a b*tch.”

“I won’t be wrong. I have touched the Tablet of Commandments left behind by the goddess of creation. I don’t understand everything on it, but I did get something about Lockmarton. Lockmarton is no ordinary demigod. It is far more complicated compared to any normal First Born or guardian giant…” Hao Ren replied. “Besides, even if I’m wrong, everything still works out. The risks involved will be a lot less. We can talk about the aftermath later. I can always go back and write up some…”

“Okay, you have a point.”

The conversation in his head ended as well. Hao Ren looked up at the horizon, where the Scorched Plains met the sky.

The army’s front line was already approaching the horizon.

A storm was brewing in the clouds of the yellow skies.

Lockmarton must have noticed this army and begun to gather its power.

The minions in the Nightmare Realm will not let the army reach the Spiral Hill so easily. From the way the weather was changing at the horizon, it seemed that the army’s first clash with the enemy was about to begin.

What followed would be a gruesome and agonizing journey ahead.