Chapter 832 - 817: After the War

Chapter 832: Chapter 817: After the War

The war was over. Oath City still stood, but it was utterly changed.

The great fires across the city had been extinguished by the rain. The streets were piled with rubble and broken timber, collapsed beams lying crisscross over the ruins, dotted everywhere with the corpses of both sides.

Two soldiers were pushing a handcart along the shattered street, the cart piled high with human corpses.

They stopped beside one body.

The corpse lay face-down in a heap of Demon Race remains, his armor shattered in several places, the blood long since dried.

The two turned him over, revealing a face still frozen in anger.

"Ah, it’s the captain of Squad Seven."

"That foul-mouthed guy?" The other soldier lowered his head, looking at the ring of Demon Race corpses around them. "Guess he volunteered to cover the retreat into the inner city... Hell of a guy."

Neither of their voices rose much. On the way here they had already lifted several bodies like this; they’d gone numb.

They had won the Battle of Oath City. The Elf Forest Patrol were still out chasing down routed Demon Race soldiers.

But for the soldiers who survived, once the brief joy of victory passed, what waited for them was a city full of fallen comrades and civilians.

Among them were not only their fellow soldiers, but even their own family; every time they heaved a corpse onto the cart, it was another blow to the Spirit.

Just as they lifted the Squad Seven captain onto the handcart as well, a voice suddenly called from not far away: "What are you doing?"

The two raised their heads and saw a man in a gray-white robe standing on a pile of rubble. Printed on the robe was a Puki coiled around a scepter—he was a believer of the Mushroom Worship Sect.

Both soldiers were followers of the Bright Church. Even now, with the Church in decline, they had never converted.

In the past, even though the Mushroom Worship Sect had been acknowledged by the Dukes, in their eyes it was still heresy and hard to treat with any warmth.

But seeing the bloodied gashes on the man’s robe, the experience of fighting side by side made them temporarily set aside religious differences and answer him.

"By orders, we’re gathering the corpses to burn them." The soldier in front answered, then, afraid the other might not understand, added, "To prevent plague."

But when the man heard this, his expression changed drastically. He hurriedly asked again, "You’ve already started burning them?"

"No, this is the first run."

The man let out a long breath, then strode toward them. "Don’t burn them, don’t burn them. Go tell your officers—nobody is to burn the bodies!"

Seeing that the two didn’t move, only stared at him in confusion, the believer had to point at the corpses and explain: "You need to put the bodies on the Fungal Mat! These soldiers, these civilians—some of them have to be Puki Masters, right? Some might even be Mushroom Lord believers! Put them on the Fungal Mat and they might reincarnate as Mushroom Race! If you burn them, there’ll be nothing left!"

The two soldiers were stunned for a moment, then exchanged a glance and quickly reacted.

"Right... right! They might reincarnate as Mushroom Race!"

In their eyes, a light called hope flared up.

The Puki Masters of the United Kingdom had a much lower successful reincarnation rate than the residents of Fungus Castle, which was why they hadn’t thought of this immediately and just handled the bodies according to past practice.

But no matter what the rate was—even one in ten, one in a hundred, even one in a thousand—that was tangible hope!

All at once, their Spirits lifted.

"I have to go tell the officer right away!"

"Why are you coming with me? Stay here and watch the cart! Don’t let any of the corpses go missing!"

"Oh right, some of the bodies earlier were missing arms or legs. Before I get back, try to find those parts. Make sure we put everyone on the Fungal Mat as complete as possible; don’t let it affect the reincarnation success rate!"

After giving his instructions, the soldier took off at a dead run, the despair he’d worn before completely gone.

...

Elsewhere, No. 9, revived yet again, found his partner who hadn’t died yet.

Shi Wu spotted No. 9 running toward him from afar and spread his arms with a smile.

Only, the closer the man and mushroom got to each other, the slower No. 9 ran.

In the end he stopped five meters away, stretched out a tentacle, signaling blood-soaked Shi Wu not to come any closer.

He reluctantly tapped the Telepathy Stone against Shi Wu’s shoulder. "How about... you don’t touch me until you’ve had a bath."

Shi Wu: "..."

...

The corpse of the Captain of the Guard and several other Holy Knights had been laid side by side under the shattered dome of the great Bright Cathedral.

Half the dome had collapsed; sunlight after the rain streamed through the gaping hole, just landing on their faces, giving their features a glow almost like holy icons.

Sofia, Bella, and Priest Samuel stood beside the remains, reciting the traditional Bright Church prayers for rest, saying their last farewell.

Their bodies had not been sent to the Fungal Mat. These Holy Knights had served the Light all their lives; even in death, they would accept blessings only from the God of Light.

When the prayer ended, Samuel staggered to his feet—his injuries had yet to heal. Sofia escorted him to a side chamber of the Church to rest.

When Sofia came back, Bella was standing in the doorway of the cathedral, staring off into the distance.

"Bella." Sofia walked to her side. "What are you thinking about?"

"Lady Sofia." Bella snapped out of it, subconsciously straightening her back. "I... was wondering how my old man is doing. I heard Mushroom City was attacked too. Though Inanna and the Puki Army got there in time, so casualties weren’t heavy..."

Her voice trailed off, as if she was afraid that the more she said, the more likely those words would become true.

"Then go back and see him. In fact, Bella, I hope you’ll go back and stay with your father for a while."

At that, panic flickered in Bella’s eyes. "Lady Sofia, are... are you trying to get rid of me? Am I too weak? I’m not afraid of sacrifice—I’ll never hold you back!"

Sofia sighed. "Bella, you’re not weak. Or rather, compared to existences like the Demon King and the Mushroom Lord, all of us are far too weak... But that’s not why I want you to go back."

"The Demon King has vanished, Link has vanished, and the United Kingdom is in this state. We won’t be making any big moves for a while. I want you to take this chance to spend more time with your father."

Bella’s gaze wavered a few times; in her eyes was both longing and hesitation.

Sofia went on, "Don’t worry. When it’s time to set out again, I’ll call for you."

Bella was silent for a moment, then finally nodded. "Then... alright."

Sofia gave Bella a light hug, but her eyes were lifted to the sky, as if she’d made some kind of decision.

...

Elsewhere, the Sword Saint, Number Ten, Alama, and Lorenzo were gathered, discussing post-war matters—and about how humans had secretly revived Link behind Fungus Castle’s back.

Of course, when it came to Link, it was mainly Number Ten asking, and Alama and Lorenzo answering.

Link had already been revived, so there was no reason to keep all the prior plans secret anymore.

Only, the more they talked, the shorter Number Ten got, until at last, right under their noses, he was broken down by the Fungal Mat.

Number Ten stayed calm throughout. As he was almost completely dissolved, he politely waved his tentacles to bid them a temporary farewell.

After Number Ten, it was the Sword Saint’s turn. A temporary Teleportation Array appeared under his feet, and he vanished right before their eyes.

Lin Jun recalled Number Ten to synchronize the latest version of the Ultimate Magic Guide. As for the Sword Saint...

...

Revived from death by Teleportation, the Sword Saint discovered that he’d been wrapped up tight again.

Familiar sealing strips, the familiar Elf Royal Palace, the familiar foot planted on top of him...

Though he had no idea why he was getting messed with again, the Sword Saint naturally adapted to his current situation.

He first checked his two short legs—and sure enough, they’d been attached backwards. When he ran away later, he wouldn’t be able to use Stepping on the Moon.