Blood tax

Chapter 539 Aaron’s route
"Go there."

Overseer Ekirum pointed in the direction of a fork in the river.

Two huge rafts moved along a green and disturbing river for most of the day, and the majestic outline of the outer city at the northern exit of Zuharka came into view.The river is about 30 meters wide and bottomless. On the left bank are steep cliffs and ancient giant walls, and on the right is dense rainforest. The river beach is rugged with rocks, and ferocious and twisted monsters are hiding in the shadows, looking at them with malicious intent. A passing team.

Griffith drove away a strange fish with a throwing gun, but the disturbing ripples on the green river meant that there was an even bigger and terrifying shadow lingering nearby.If it weren't for the fact that the land route would be blocked by the army in the core area of ​​​​the trolls, taking a raft would never be a good idea.

Griffith rubbed his forehead.Then again, coming to the South to fight without reliable military support is a very bad start in itself.Surrounded by powerful enemies, he fell deeper and deeper into melee and predicament.

Erza lay on his left side, wrapped in a cloak and taking the time to rest.Being able to fall asleep in such an environment is really admirable for her courage.

Commodus asked some of his men to ride with Griffith.He himself boarded another raft with the others, keeping his distance from Griffith.Rorschach sat as still as a stone sculpture in the night. Aaron's other companion, Belia de Lovely, was sitting behind Rorschach in a black robe and dress that was incompatible with the climate, with fair cheeks and a faint smile. The blue eyes look like the doll in the cupboard.

This team consists of 20 powerful but hostile Beyonders from three camps, blended together in a strange posture of wariness against each other.Every time he reached a dangerous place or corner, Griffith instinctively simulated in his mind how to blow Aaron's head off as quickly as possible and then throw Rorschach into the river.

"Gentlemen and madam."

Aaron, who had initiated the alliance, closed his notebook and stood up.For a moment, Griffith's whole body was filled with excitement, and he almost pulled out his gun and fired a gold bullet at the Son of Prophecy.

Fortunately, his will defeated his instinct, and he suppressed his nervousness and listened to the temporary team leader clarifying the mission:

"I have long since stripped away the psychic imprint of the Outer Gods from the body of the Ekilum Overseer. Now, the last obstacle left between us and the Ancient Gods is only High Lord Ye'krik. Take him and you'll have it. Clues to the Stairway to Eternity.

"The fortress of Yeklik is very powerful and formidable, and is heavily fortified. Even if His Majesty, the brave and upright King, has a claim to them, Yekrik and his master will definitely welcome us in the fiercest way; even if we lead a group of An army attacks, and if the battle cannot be resolved in a short time, it will attract the attention of the outside gods and cause unpredictable pollution.

"Fortunately, my people found a sewer and could sneak into it... The information obtained by Yekrik was that His Majesty the King was fighting against the hands of several gods. The fierce battle last night will strengthen this impression. Therefore, as long as If we move fast enough, we can end the fight before Domon and his minions can react."

Is it true that Erza and I were surrounded and suppressed as part of the plan?Griffith suddenly felt angry in his heart, and Commodus, who was not far away, looked unhappy.If being sent to fight in the south, joining up with Erza, initiating the tide of corpses, and the bloodshed of Commodus' killing were all planned or facilitated by certain people, just to create an opportunity to raid Zul'Haka, then the Chosen One What shocking changes will happen next...

Aaron paused for a moment, then turned slightly sideways in Griffith's direction:
“In preparation for the coming battle, I declare—

“Captain Griffith serves as the defense core of this joint operation, and everyone must follow his tactical instructions.

"Captain Erza Valkyrie commands the melee team. Overseer, Cassian, you must also obey her orders.

“Wizards, paladins, and ranged troops follow the king.

"I myself will give you guidance and protection. Remember, if anyone doesn't want to go crazy or be destroyed in the process of facing the ancient gods, I am your only hope."

The two rafts were so close together that no one raised any objection to Aaron's order.Griffith noticed that even Commodus did not deny Aaron's authority in this operation.

Originally, Commodus had the upper hand over Griffith and Erza. However, after Aaron intervened, he was able to suppress Commodus. The price and compromise involved...

The life-and-death struggle seemed to have evaporated out of thin air, or it could be said that the rolling magma was blocked under the rock, waiting for a gap to appear before it would burst out.

The deliberate and extremely uncoordinated alliance suppressed the life-and-death conflict, giving Griffith a bad feeling.He raised his head and looked around, but unfortunately there was no trace of reinforcements.

There is no choice, if he and Erza don't cooperate...

After the tasks were assigned, everyone sorted out their equipment.The air that was quiet again was so stagnant that it was about to freeze.

Finally, someone muttered:
"You're in luck, Griffith."

Griffith looked around and saw a man wrapped in black robe sitting in the corner of the raft.His presence was very thin, and if he hadn't been actively exposed, Griffith wouldn't have even noticed him among the few people.

It looked a bit familiar... Griffith thought about it for a while, and finally recognized this man's appearance and voice in his memory——

This is Uros, the Beyonder of the Assassin path.He trained with Amber at Beacon, and had met Griffith during the Raven Incident.Judging from the strength of the psychic ripples, Uros was already a Sequence Seven Beyonder, but for some reason he joined Commodus's command.

"In addition to good luck, you are also very manly and popular, aren't you~" Another female assassin named Maggie under Commodus chuckled, "Hey, Uros, I don't think Amber cares about you very much, well, that's all It’s quite normal~”

Facing Griffith's gaze, Uros continued: "Your head is still on your neck now, just because of my king's tolerance and kindness. You have to remember this."

This guy is really provocative. Have I ever provoked him?Griffith raised his eyebrows slightly.Everyone else on the raft focused their attention.

Griffith stood up and walked towards Uros.He said nothing, but the dark green light of evil energy swirled around his fingertips, emitting a silent scream that entangled his soul.With every step forward, the cries and fear grew louder.

Maggie was so frightened that before she had time to stand up, she hurriedly moved back with her hands on the ground to make way for Griffith.Uros was also shocked.He wanted to stand up and face Griffith directly, but something seemed to hold his back and he couldn't stand up. In a hurry, he could only half kneel and look up at the war knight pressing in front of him.

"You, you, do you dare to kill me?" Uros screamed.Overseer Ekirum licked his tongue excitedly on the side, and Belia's blue eyes turned around, watching the movement here without any disturbance.

The truce contract witnessed by the God of Contract also protected Commodus' men, and attacking them would also bring divine punishment to Griffith.However, the contract also stipulates that harm and direct obstruction must be used.Jumping into a river by yourself is another matter...

Griffith looked down at Uros, and pressed the rolling right hand of evil energy toward the top of his head.At this moment, Uros heard countless screams, and the terrifying tentacles from the Netherworld Abyss invisibly grabbed his ankles, trying to drag him down...

Uros fell backwards in horror.He was clearly not attacked, but every nerve in his body was trembling, and his scalp was about to explode!Every cell was howling, urging him to leave here quickly and jump into the river. Even if he fed the crocodile and the giant python, he would be a thousand times happier than being eaten alive by this monster!
"Watch your attitude, Uros. Knight Ravenel is your Majesty's enemy, as well as a knight and high-ranking commander. Put 'Your Excellency' and 'My Lord' in your title."

The majestic-looking commander Paul Hausser scolded Uros.He was one of the commanders under Commodus and led three officers, William, Scherner, Huber and Griffith on the same raft.They formed a long-range fire team, all dressed as advanced assault reconnaissance troops.

Griffith stared at Uros, slowly regained his terrifying aura, glanced at Paul and the three officers who were facing the enemy, and returned to his position.

Uros, who had retreated to the edge of the raft, felt like he was being pardoned. His face was pale and he was gasping for air. Only then did he realize that his clothes were soaked with sweat.

After this episode, the atmosphere on the raft became more lively, and the team members began to chat quietly, looking at Griffith with interested eyes.

Griffith returned to his seat.After some relief, his tense spirit relaxed a little, and he was able to think more comprehensively about the doubts brought by Aaron and Commodus - why were they willing to temporarily form an alliance?
The answer seems to be very simple, that is, the configuration of the team.

Aaron and Commodus were indeed powerful men.They control the power of magic and dreams, possess amazing lethality and unmatched strong control skills, and are a terrifying threat to any enemy.

However, the problem is that the ancient god of trolls must also have amazing attack power, and there are endless tricks, confinement and confusion methods!

Aaron and Commodus are fast at killing monsters, but what is certain is that neither of these two people can hold up in front... The ancient gods are just as fast at killing them!
Compared with them, Griffith's status is unshakable!Strong vitality and extremely strong resistance are all necessary forces to fight against high-level mysteries.Anyone with a little bit of brains knows that such a defensive core is indispensable when taking risks.

If the situation is unfavorable, Griffith, who is at the front, will most likely suffer first, and the others will at least have time to escape and prepare.

Griffith was thinking about something when Belia, who was beside Aaron, came over.This girl is slender and holds a small lantern in her left hand. The flickering black candlelight always emits illusory black lines.

"Good day, Mr. Knight."

Griffith felt his heart lifted by the soft voice.The lantern dangling in Belia's hand is the sealed object "Shutter Island". Once the target is captured, it will absorb the darkness and create unobtrusive dolls to fill their gaps in reality.

Griffith had seen its mystery before and knew the countermeasures.He nodded as a greeting.Then, he looked in Aaron's direction and noticed that the Son of Prophecy was confirming the route with the Troll Overseer.

Belia sat down elegantly in front of Griffith as if she was visiting, and spoke softly:
“Not everyone can accept the change of stance;
“Uros is brave, well, so are dogs.

“Only by learning to compromise and unite can one become a leader.”

"Thank you for your advice, miss," Griffith said. "How did you and Aaron end up in this underground world?"

Belia did not answer, but instead lowered an invisible spiritual barrier around her.This barrier blocks out sounds and breaths, and excludes everyone else.Then, she continued to ask: "There is a troll magician by your side who can help you enter Zulhakar, right?
"Don't expect his loyalty anymore. Knights, sorcerers, like Rorschach, serve more secretive existences——

"Hermit."

This girl knows so much... Griffith realized that Belia was talking about Kiraka, who had just surrendered to him.Just when he was about to ask something, Belia had already whispered to herself:
"The original plan of the Arcane Council, in accordance with the practice of thousands of years, is to determine the outcome by the hand of God, and the authority of the loser will be dedicated and handed over to the god behind the winner. Extraordinary characteristics are concentrated in high-level beings and then redistributed; Those who benefited were rewarded by the gods.

"Every sacrifice is a game played by God in the real plane.

"Look, Mr. Knight, this ceremony is not fundamentally different from the situation you encountered in Odessa."

Griffith nodded slightly.Wait for the girl to say the word "but."

"But this time is different," Miss Belia continued, "the power of magic has surpassed other sequences, the benefits of the ritual are becoming more and more limited, and the cost is unbearable.

"I have found and deciphered several ancient civilization ruins. Mr. Knight, have you noticed that the stronger the power of magic, the faster the end of reincarnation will come!

"The fight between you and Aaron is meaningless. To save the world, we must change our thinking!"

"Change your mind?"

"Do you know what is buried under the Canaan Nebula Temple? In addition to that slow colossus, there are even worse secrets!" Belia lowered her voice, but couldn't restrain her trembling with excitement, "We found out——

"A more controllable, stable source of psychic energy. The Arcane Council and the Holy See of the Seven will be replaced!"

"Is this energy source so powerful?" Griffith asked, "Powerful enough to subvert the order of the world?"

"No, there is no need to go to this extent. Isn't it enough for mortals to have coal, nitrate, sulfur and other fuels?" The doll-like girl showed a little complacency on her face. She stood up, lifted the spiritual barrier, and asked The knight curtsied, "This world does not need so many demigods and supernatural beings.
"Aaron's plan has been realized, and everything has come to a successful conclusion. The use of psychic energy will be restricted to a few, selected, and strong-willed people. You are undoubtedly one of them!"

(End of this chapter)