Chapter 589: Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The Soviet submariner captain's movement was as if a signal as the Allied soldiers around him too checked their body before making the same odd gesture. Their hands were waving in the air as they shook their body. It took Hao Ren a while before he realised what was going on. The soldiers were indeed cheering by throwing their hands in the air, they were glad that they had escaped the nightmare.
But they could not speak as their vocal cords had already stiffen and they did not know any other way to speak.
"Ugh... seems like you lot are pretty happy." Hao Ren smiled stiffly. "So... can you understand what I'm saying?"
A submariner gestured clumsily and Hao Ren knew immediately that the soldier understood him and they had regained their thoughts. Vivian was amazed by the scene and realised that they have something really valuable before them. "Wait, so this is to say that you remember what happened when you were under control?"
The submariner captain nodded as he made an indignant gesture.
Hao Ren continued. "So you have seen us moving about then? It's just that you were not able to move at your own will?"
The captain nodded again and if Hao Ren was not wrong, his stiff motions was probably a gesture of thanks.
"This is just too troublesome." Vivian turned around. "Can anyone use necromancy? It'll be easier to figure out what is going on in their minds."
At that moment, Teuton stepped up. "I'm well versed with necromancy and a few common human languages. These dead here are probably no different than your usual spirits. I can give it a try."
"Ugh, I almost forgot that you existed before you spoke." Hao Ren ruffled his hair, slightly embarrassed. "Give it a go then. But be quick, we have already made quite a ruckus, sentries will be coming soon.
Teuton nodded and came before the Allied navy crews, chanting some ancient spells with his head down. Black markings soon appeared around his eyes as the marks symbolised the darker parts of a life's cycle. He then looked up as he took half a step back. "It's done. I shall be your means of communication. Speak."
Vivian immediately threw out the first question. "What has become of the Queen? And what is happening in the palace area?"
Hao Ren did not place much hope in getting answers to the questions but he soon realised why Vivian thought they might hold key information in getting into the place. The navy men had knowledge of Nasaton beyon anyone's imagination as they were the city's most 'loyal' of servants. They were pawns that could easily be controlled compared to the Sirens who resisted at very opportunity. So the brain monster had let the dead do most of the jobs, including maintenance of the palace area and sentry duty at times. Some of the navy men were even posted to the dungeons beneath the palace and the monster was being 'locked' there. It seems like the latter was being very cautious. It did not let ordinary Sirens any chance to approach it and for the longest period of time the dungeon was only manned by the dead navy crews.
And this situation lasted until enough Sirens were thoroughly brainwashed to replace the walking dead.
And from the very beginning, the dead were being controlled directly via the domination crystal. During the time where the Sirens were not fully under thrall, the monster had used the crystal to order the dead about. It was only two years back did the Sirens replace the dead as his guards.
The submariner captain was called Ivan, and he went into the palace before as a labourer and have seen the monster with his own eyes. Through Teuton he had described what he saw and the details were pretty lurid.
Before Teuton's necromantic ability faded away, Vivian had tried to understand what was going on in the palace, and as she looked to the other side of the hall, "Based on what Ivan said, there is a water circulatory pipeline that leads straight into the palace. The entrance is just beyond that door."
"How about the soldiers?" Hao Ren looked at the dead navy crews before him. "Leave them here?"
At that very moment, the soldiers did something totally unexpected. With their leaders orders, the soldiers put their hands on their chest as they forcibly ripped the greyish crystal out!
A series of cracks rang out as the soldiers destroyed the crystal that controlled and sustained them. Fine sand flowed from the wound on their chest like blood as the soldiers quickly weakened, yet they stood firm. Ivan came before Hao Ren and motioned towards the giant door on the side of the hall and nodded without a sound.
"They need to destroy the crystal to find peace." Teuton had reactivated his necromancy ability. "Before that, they will lead the way."
Ivan nodded as his skin disintegrated rapidly and fine sand gushed out of the wounds. But with much effort, he broke his stiffening face into a smile. This was their last mission, with their own free will.
Hao Ren did not dither and turned towards the door. "No time to lose!"
A few hundred soldiers surged forward as they led the way. The party went through dozens of blast doors and tunnels as they charged towards the Siren Queen's palace. They had circumvented pathways that were easily defended and after going through many inspection tunnels and circulatory pipelines, their destination was just before them.
A sharp siren wail rang from afar. Sorma quickly reminded the rest. "That's the warning siren. The sentries must have seen what happened back there."
Shaqira increased the flow of water to hasten everyone's movement speed. "Quickly! The palace is just in front!"
Hao Ren noticed from the signboards in the tunnel that he was fast approach the 'Core Command Chamber'. He then looked around him and he saw the group of disintegrating soldiers, a mixture of feelings almost overwhelmed him. The soldiers' body were falling apart by the minute and fine sand flowed out from each wound marks, leaving a trail behind the party. There were soldiers who dropped out of the group as they withered into fine sand, leaving only their rotten uniform. The party was large when they departed, and now, less than a third remained. A few hundred soldiers had simply dissolved into fine sand after losing their sustenance.
Shaqira approached Ivan, her voice sombre. "I... apologise on behalf of my kin..."
Ivan's body too was falling apart and was almost just a skeleton. Yet he tried hard to smile as he shook his head. Teuton's voice came from behind. "They have seen how the Sirens was being gradually controlled. Even though they had lost control of their body, they knew who was the culprit of all this mess."
Shaqira looked down. "Thank you. That.... eases my heart."
Ivan nodded and moved quickly with another Allied army officer towards the last blast door.
Just meters before the blast door, Ivan's body fell apart, and turned into sand.
A British officer passing by lowered his head as he paid respects before he too headed towards the door.
Beyond the blast doors was a rest area and a dozen of shocked Siren guards turned to look at the raiding party in horror.
The first Siren was the first to recover as she raised her trident and let out a piercing shriek. A visible shockwave blasted out from the Siren as a few soldiers charged at her. Their bodies were immediately destroyed as they were torn apart by the shockwave into clouds of sand but their still intact head still darted forward and actually bite the Siren's wrist before fully disintegrating!
The cloud of dust and sudden attack had somewhat slowed the Siren's reaction. Hao Ren lead the team into the fray. "End this quick!"
A chaotic scene of battle erupted as shrieks and explosions rang out from the narrow pipeline. Everyone knew that the sentries had already raised the alarm so they had little to lose by going loud, and fought with everything they had.
The battle lasted barely over a minute, and the last siren was evaporated by White Flame's searing holy flames. The surrounding air had the smell of boiling water and floating dust. Hao Ren only managed to send a few of the sirens into his Dimensional Pocket while the rest were simply killed. That means they will be resurrected nearby soon and will probably lead a torrent of guards to block the path.
Most of the soldiers had fallen and only a few soldiers and officers remained behind them. They had ran out of strength to lead the way and most of their comrades had turned into dust in the pipeline. They too realise that their long service had finally came to an end. They made a few more steps before stopping in the tunnel.
Two Allied officers lay slumped by the side of the tunnel as their bodies were coming apart uncontrollably. A captain stiffly motioned as he tried to say something and Teuton immediately activated his necromancy spell again. But even he could not understand what the two disintegrating soldiers were trying to say.
But Hao Ren quickly caught the gestures and understood what the soldier was trying to say.
He bent down as he held the captain's hands. "You've won. The Jerry's are done for."
He then turned towards the last Soviet soldier. "Leningrad stands."
The two soldiers nodded, their faces satisfied and they returned to dust.