Chapter 678: Siege (2)

It was a rhetorical question. Of course he understood what it meant.

“The ball is in your court.” Peter the Great gazed intently at them, “I respect the Emissaries of Hell, just as much as I respect Hell itself. Therefore, I would sincerely urge you to choose carefully.”

Qin Ye fervently held the Harken down. He could sense that the hair on its body was already flaring up once more, and if not for the fact that he was still holding it down, its Yin energy would quite possibly have already erupted and filled the entire Khuree, and then some. Qin Ye looked up at Peter the Great silently, “And how should we do that?”

A lavender-coloured runic symbol appeared on the surface of the blades. It was the colour of death - dreamy, and yet dangerous at the same time. There were a total of 17 blades pointed straight at them, and the runic symbols clearly came together to form the figure of an illusory purple idol.

“And why wouldn’t I dare?!!” Peter the Great barked back, exploding with boundless Yin energy. At once, the Yin energy from his body swirled together to form a dark vortex, assimilating his bones completely as though they were constellations in a dark night sky. It was the eruption of Duke-class Yin energy!

Then, with a shrill whistle on his part, the entire city appeared to respond with the cries of countless ghosts. It was no different from hell on earth. As the illusory image of the god of death slowly became clearer and more vivid, Qin Ye’s entire body trembled softly.

Rather, it was more of an innate physiological response to the presence of a god of death at the door.

“But we’ve invested far too much in these operations to even tolerate the possibility of failure. Since you’ve already given your nod of approval, then you shouldn’t be playing any more games with us!”

Yama-King versus Yama-King! God of death versus god of death!

Two colossal monsters dozens of meters tall stood on the ground facing off against each other, leaving cracks on the ground in the wake of their approach. The space between these creatures tore apart completely, revealing a scarlet rift that… slowly expanded.

“Are you really going to make a move against me?” Peter the Great’s voice boomed like thunder, completely inaudible to mere mortals, “If two true Yama-Kings like us break out into battle right here and now, the Mongol Empire would be completely wiped off the surface of the map. You should know that I harbour no malice and ill-will towards Hell. All I ask for is some assurance on your part! An assurance that you won’t do anything that will threaten our end of the deal!”

“Since you’d given the nod, there’s no backing out of this agreement! By Tsar’s name, I shall defend the rights and dignity of the Russian Underworld, even unto death!!”

As he spoke, flares of karmic flames burst out from the darkness, before dissipating into the night sky like the falling leaves of autumn. The Yin energy around gradually came together to form the Harken’s illusory appearances, and it licked its lips coldly, “Dignity? There’s not an underworld in this netherworld that dares act with such disrespect to Hell!”

“By Hell’s Dictum, all rabble shall disperse! An instance of infraction, a lifetime of requital!!”

Qin Ye wiped the blood off from the corner of his lips indifferently and patted the Harken’s hind legs. The Harken turned back and stared intently at Qin Ye, and Qin Ye likewise gave the Harken an unrelenting look. Seconds later, the Harken grunted and transformed back into a little dog that fell straight into Qin Ye’s arms.

Peter the Great sighed softly, “Then why didn’t you send it in front of me? Why did you have to send it so furtively in that moment when I tore a rift through space?”

Peter the Great grew silent.

Seconds later, the mighty vortex of Yin energy promptly dissipated, and Peter the Great once again reappeared in his gorgeously dressed form, bowing courteously to Qin Ye and the Harken, “I’ve been presumptuous.”

He snapped his fingers, and the 17 blades pointed straight at Qin Ye and the Harken immediately retracted back into their sheaths. The illusory god of death also vanished at once.

“Please remain here and enjoy this glorious closing ceremony.” Peter the Great’s figure gradually faded away. Meanwhile, countless Yin soldiers appeared around them, “These lands… will soon devolve into chaos. If you remain here, I’ll at least be able to guarantee your safety. But if you even take a single step out of this place… then, I cannot say for certain anymore. After all, swords have no eyes…”

They were all knights.

They all wore silver armor, all of which were covered in cracks and blood in every possible spot. But instead of making them look unsightly, these flaws only appeared to accentuate the terrifying aura emanating from their bodies. Furthermore, Qin Ye could sense that there were dozens of Hellguards among them, and the rest were at least Soul Hunters to boot!

“Hey…” As soon as he left the formation array, Peter the Great abruptly turned back and gazed deep into the depths of the array, “Watch them closely.”

“Yes!”

Back in the heart of the formation array. Qin Ye remained completely still, staring icily at Peter the Great’s back as he departed from sight.

“No.” The Harken licked its lips, and then gnashed its teeth, “This is where their bottom line ends. The Russian Underworld would never instigate an all-out war with Hell. That said… why did you hold me back earlier? I may be grievously wounded, but I still have sufficient strength to pull a fast one against him.”

“He’ll learn what despair truly means when he sees the appearance of a dozen Mythic Spirits across the horizon.”

He turned and gazed deep into the distance, “Then perhaps it might be better to watch the grand finale play out silently.”

Dong…

A scarlet rift had opened up in the sky, and it was still growing larger and larger, almost as though it was hell bent on tearing apart the entire canopy of the skies. The rift revealed a scarlet sea of blood beyond. And right from the heart of this rift poured out countless shadowy figures that surrounded the entire city!

“This is the end of an underworld…”

“Why not? It is regrettable that the Mongol Underworld is far too weak. The Laws of Yin-Yang Coaction would directly affect the existence of their underworld, and they don’t have a heritage as deep as ours that would allow them to tide through this period of darkness. The march of the Yin soldiers of the Russian Underworld… would undoubtedly spell their end.”

As the Harken spoke, copious amounts of Yin energy coalesced in the air within the city, transforming into six colossal creatures that shrieked and howled as they commanded the Yin soldiers numbering well over 100,000 that stood at their feet. The soldiers charged straight for the scarlet rift outside.

It was bleak and tragic. It was almost a heart-rending call to arms, summoning the Mongol Yin spirits for one final hurrah in a desperate attempt to protect their own sovereignty.

This was hardly an evenly matched battle.

Rather, it was a one-sided slaughter.