The Black Tide

Volume: Volume 2

Title: Chapter 104 Black Tide

Amidst the morning mist, the rising sun, and a gentle breeze, the inverted city seemed to awaken.

Dong.

Bells tolled from the Berland Cathedral. Worshippers clasped their hands, offering devout prayers under the radiant glow of the Goddess.

High atop the towering Spire of Origin, apprentice mages diligently practiced their flight spells. Yet, these exercises quickly devolved into spirited chases and playful antics, only for them to scatter in a flurry at their instructor’s stern reprimand.

The Adventurers’ Guild swung its doors open. Adventurers, stretching and yawning, poured inside, ready to order their first tankard of beer in the gentle morning light.

Everything felt so real, as if…

“Is this truly Berland?”

For the first time, Archbishop Canterbury lost his composure. He abruptly rose, his gaze fixed upon the inverted city, his aged eyes now blazing with an infinite holy light.

Within the sacred sight bestowed by the Goddess, all illusions were meant to be pierced.

However, no matter how brilliant the holy light that burst forth from his eyes, this prosperous city, inverted above their heads, remained undeniably real and vibrant.

“That is indeed Berland.”

“If that is Berland, then where are we now?”

“We are naturally in Berland as well—another Berland.”

Hathaway lifted a hand to adjust the gold-rimmed glasses on her nose. The reactions of those present were entirely within her expectations, causing her no surprise.

“Everyone, please look over there.”

She waved her hand once more. Under the influence of an unseen force, the grey mist enveloping the hall completely dissipated. Beyond the already dismantled walls, one could now gaze down upon the entire city from an elevated vantage point.

It was a city seemingly plunged into a nightmare. As all color and light receded, its silhouette, stark against the mist, appeared utterly eerie and grotesque, like a demon gnashing its teeth and sucking blood in the darkness.

Yet, this was also Berland—a black Berland, starkly contrasting the suspended city above.

“What… is this?” Someone at the round table gasped in horror.

They were the Crowned Ones, beings who had transcended human limits, nearing divinity. They should not have been struck with fear by a city cloaked in darkness.

But at this moment, even Archbishop Canterbury’s bony hands trembled uncontrollably.

His gaze swept past the darkened districts, over the ancient Rhine River flowing with blood, past the lower city where ghostly figures seemed to linger, and finally to the city’s outskirts.

There lay a sea.

A purely black sea, one that didn’t exist in reality, threatening to engulf the entire city at any moment.

And where the boundary between sea and sky blurred, a half-moon, an ominous pale blue, rose from the waters. It resembled a weary eye, gazing down indifferently upon everyone.

An Evil God.

The Silent Moon!

“Everyone.”

Hathaway lowered her eyes, as if afraid to meet the gaze of the blue moon directly, and spoke softly, “Welcome to the Shadow of Berland, a city constructed from divine authority, born as the embryonic form of a divine kingdom… the City of Shadows!”

“Impossible…”

A sea breeze, laden with the scent of decay, swept in from the distance, jolting everyone from their shock. Even the Crowned Ones found their faces uncontrollably pale.

“Impossible!”

Archbishop Canterbury roared in fury, “How can the Silent Moon be here? Under the Holy City’s surveillance, he was clearly about to meet the King of Withering. How could he appear here?!”

“Archbishop, calm yourself.”

Audrich III still rested his cheek on his hand, his expression languid, as if long accustomed to the blue moon’s presence.

“That is merely a projection.”

“But even if it’s a projection…”

Archbishop Canterbury murmured in disbelief, “At such a critical juncture, to divert power… is he truly unafraid of losing to the King of Withering? One must remember, these two beings are close in stature; even the slightest external factor could completely sway the outcome of their battle!”

“That was my initial thought as well.”

Audrich III glanced at Hathaway, signaling for her to elaborate.

Hathaway nodded gently, then clapped her hands, drawing everyone’s attention back to her.

“Everyone, I know it’s perplexing that the Silent Moon would project itself here. However, after extensive research by myself and the entire Special Countermeasures Department, combined with its previous attack on St. Mary’s Academy, we’ve reached a conclusion:

The Silent Moon may have believed from the very beginning that it was no match for the King of Withering, and so it has always been… searching for an escape route.”

“Are you saying… the Silent Moon wants to flee?”

“Precisely.”

“But how could it escape?”

Most people still found this bizarre situation hard to believe. An Evil God contemplating flight before even engaging in battle—how could such a thing be possible?

“Based on the intelligence we currently possess, the Silent Moon’s objective is likely…”

Hathaway explained, “To use its divine authority, building upon the Shadow of Berland as a foundation, to evolve its divine kingdom. Then, by leveraging the unique properties of this divine kingdom, it intends to bypass the world’s barrier… and fully descend into the mortal realm!”

Hiss—

A collective gasp swept through the hall.

A divine kingdom.

A realm evolved from divine laws, where all rules are controlled by the deity itself. If it could indeed bypass the world barrier using the characteristics of a divine kingdom… it didn’t seem entirely impossible.

“I have a question.”

Dodge suddenly raised his hand.

“Please speak.”

“You just said that even with the Silent Moon’s authority, it could only evolve an embryonic divine kingdom based on the Shadow of Berland. That is a far cry from a true divine kingdom, and as it stands, even this embryonic form isn’t fully under the Silent Moon’s control. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to sit here right now.”

Dodge stared intently into Hathaway’s eyes, unconsciously crushing his wizard’s hat into a crumpled mess.

“Fundamentally, the Silent Moon’s plan is unfeasible. If divine kingdoms were so easy to evolve, those Evil Gods would have descended with their true forms long ago.”

“You are correct.”

Hathaway habitually pushed up her gold-rimmed glasses. The reflection in the lenses revealed the fatigue accumulated in her eyes.

Despite her evident exhaustion, she still stood perfectly straight in her ten-centimeter heels, her tone grave.

“As Mr. Dodge stated, the Shadow of Berland remains under our control. For the Silent Moon to wish to descend by means of a divine kingdom is undoubtedly a fool’s dream.

However—”

Hathaway’s tone shifted, “If this place were to fall into the Silent Moon’s grasp… and it were to then, in turn, corrupt the true Berland, turning hundreds of thousands of people into its sacrifices…”

Hathaway left the sentence unfinished, but everyone understood the inevitable outcome.

At that point, amidst the flowing blood and wailing souls of hundreds of thousands, the divine kingdom would fully evolve. The Silent Moon would then become the second Evil God in history to successfully descend.

For all of humanity, this would spell utter catastrophe.

Just as it did that first time.

****

At this moment, the eerie blue moonlight grew even more menacing.

“Wahh—”

A shrill, infant-like cry pierced the air.

Black tides surged violently, and countless terrifying, slender shadows emerged from the sea.

Their bodies were covered in scales that reflected a cold glint, and their thick, powerful serpent tails thrashed in the waves, seemingly capable of tearing through steel.

On their scale-covered faces, expressions of insatiable greed and fanaticism were revealed, as if they were heading to a feast of flesh and blood.

“Snake-people…”

The sea suddenly parted, as if an invisible celestial blade had descended, carving a chasm-like mark across the surface.

From that abyss, colossal monsters, the size of Godzilla, rose upright. The moonlight outlined their monstrous silhouettes on their carapaces.

“Moon-beasts…”

The crying abruptly ceased. A more resonant, whale-song-like sound echoed above the city of shadows, like a sacred hymn from a deity. Yet, no one could pinpoint the source of this sound; they could only vaguely glimpse a vast, approaching dark shadow deep within the sea.

“A Catastrophe-grade monster, the Sea Demon Leviathan. It has also followed the Silent Moon.”

Like a gambler revealing their chips one by one, as each terrifying monster, capable of unimaginable disaster in the outside world, appeared, everyone finally extinguished the last flicker of hope in their hearts and accepted the reality.

The Silent Moon… was serious.

They were facing an Evil God, desperately struggling in its final moments!

****

“Do Evil Gods also feel fear?”

In the stern and silent atmosphere, someone unconsciously posed the question.

“Heh, they are called Evil Gods precisely because they feel fear, aren’t they?”

It wasn’t Hathaway who answered, but Audrich III.

He finally shed his languid demeanor, rising from his throne and extending a hand, as if to firmly grasp the city that belonged to him.

He lowered his gaze, and in his eyes, a majestic sun seemed to rise, so potent that even Archbishop Canterbury dared not meet his stare.

Beneath his feet, in the silent city of shadows, countless clamorous sounds suddenly erupted.

“Quick, quick, Level One defensive alert!”

The entire city hummed violently. Massive steel plates, propelled by precise magical instruments, rose with a roar, forming impregnable city walls.

Upon these walls, the Royal Knights, clad in silver armor, stood ready. New weapons called ‘Magic-guided Cannons,’ developed by the Royal Research Institute, replaced the older magic ballistas. Their cold muzzles gleamed ominously, aimed squarely at the approaching monsters.

Behind the city walls, more crowds scurried about, mobilizing supplies, preparing fortifications, and digging out a second line of defense.

Even the impeccably dressed noble lords, with their gleaming family crests pinned to their chests, though their faces were ashen white and their bodies trembled as if they had just streaked naked through a deep winter’s night, still gritted their teeth and refused to flee. While cursing the damned Silent Moon, they directed their subordinates to bring out their treasured possessions, piece by agonizing piece, their hearts aching with reluctance.

There was no other choice. When Audrich III, under the guise of cracking down on smuggling, immediately sealed all outward passages from Berland, they too became passengers on this isolated ship.

If Berland sank, they would all go down with it!

Therefore, the Silent Moon must be utterly destroyed!

“A rare and beautiful sight, wouldn’t you agree?”

A smile played on Audrich III’s lips as his peripheral vision caught the scene below.

But then, his expression grew solemn.

Step by step, he strode with resolute purpose to the far end of the great hall.

His gaze swept past the city of shadows, past the walls, past the monsters and the black sea, and met the cold, menacing blue moon with a calm resolve.

“My lords, behold, this is why I summoned you.”

Audrich drew the sword from his waist. Under the silent gaze of those present, he pointed it at the cruel, fearsome Silent Moon, delivering a declaration as thunderous as a sudden lightning strike:

“The war has begun!”