Deep within the cannibalistic underground city, the refining apparatus hummed in a low, constant drone that felt as though it would never fade. Only a single dim yellow light burned on the wall.
The space was actually quite vast, with an open central plaza and numerous tunnels branching off. It could have been brightly illuminated, yet in these early pre-dawn hours, only one lamp was lit.
For in this entire underground city, only two people remained: Alphonse and his son.
The shouting from outside still filtered in faintly.
Ever since Alphonse had made that grotesque request with such fatherly tenderness, Gilles had stood with his head bowed, motionless and silent, doing everything he could to avoid his father's gaze.
*Creak!*
The massive bed tilted with a groan. As if teasing a young child, Alphonse remained seated but leaned sideways, cocking his head until he found Gilles's eyes.
"Are the Great Spikes still not conducting the induction?" Alphonse asked warmly, every bit the loving father.
In their preparations for this coming battle, father and son had naturally thought of using the Great Spikes; after all, they had done so before.
For over a month now, the Third Fixed Exploration Site had indulged most of the descending Great Spikes to the best of its ability, hoping they would turn into a massive nuisance for their foes.
However...
"No," Gilles whispered, shaking his head slightly and seizing the chance to avert his gaze once more. "The Great Spikes have changed over the past month. They no longer seem intent on completing the induction. Once they hit the ground and eliminate any immediate threats, they immediately break away from the scene... It's as though their current priorities are survival and regrouping."
A trace of disappointment and anxiety colored Gilles's voice.
He had not seen Alphonse for more than a month prior to this, so he had no idea whether his father harbored other schemes. All he knew was the part he had been entrusted to carry out, and that part had evidently accomplished little.
"I see." Alphonse nodded, not appearing particularly disappointed, and spoke slowly: "It seems Azure's location has already been accurately pinpointed. The Conquerors' armada will arrive through a safer, more reliable method."
The instant the words left his mouth, Alphonse locked eyes with Gilles once again.
This cut short the response and questions Gilles had been preparing to voice.
Freezing in place, Gilles shuddered. Right before Alphonse's eyes, he turned his gaze away, staring blankly at the colossal refining apparatus.
Through the semi-transparent walls of the container, the thick, viscous fluid and the hundreds of source-nourished corpses tumbling slowly within seemed to whisper a grim reminder to Gilles: *Among us are your brothers and sisters, your children and grandchildren. And perhaps soon, you will join us.*
A person's degree of fusion could not be passed down by blood, but extracting life source energy through this gruesome method still benefited from kinship. The Alphonse family passed down its mantle only to a single heir per generation; the fate of most of its other offspring lay inside that very apparatus.
To borrow a phrasing from Huaxia, they had all been turned into a medicinal catalyst, serving as the final link in the process of refining life source energy—filtering, fusing, and converting it...
This made the body's rate of acceptance considerably higher.
"No, Gilles, what are you thinking? Please don't imagine such things. It breaks my heart," Alphonse said, rising to his feet and detaching the tubes connected to his body. "I am your father. We have spent over ninety years together, striving side by side to forge an eternity for the Alphonse family."
With that, he laid Gilles onto the massive bed and hooked the tubes directly into him. "Feed, Gilles, feed, my son. Take everything that is precious; it's all for you."
The vile fluid inside the tubing surged violently.
Gilles struggled in agony, but he could not break free from his father's grip. This was the first time he had ever been hooked directly to the tubes; in the past, when he and Denis had absorbed energy, they had lain beside Alphonse and taken it indirectly through him.
"I don't think I can bear this method of absorption, Father," Gilles choked out, craning his neck as blue veins bulged across his throat.
"It's all right, Gilles." Alphonse leaned over, gently stroking his son's forehead, and comforted him: "You won't have to endure it for long. You're already growing younger and younger, just as young as I am..."
Gilles's pupils quivered, seized by a mixture of terror and bewilderment.
Then, from behind his head, Alphonse suddenly picked up a pair of scissors.
"Do you still remember when you were little, and I used to cut your hair, Gilles?" he asked warmly.
*Snip, snip.*
Alphonse began patiently, tenderly trimming Gilles's hair.
As locks of hair drifted to the floor,
Gilles finally understood.
In that moment, he saw the sheer absurdity, the laughable foolishness—and the monstrous savagery lurking behind it all. He had looked upon that savagery for far too long and grown accustomed to it, accustomed to taking part in it.
He simply hadn't expected that his own turn would finally come... This plan came from his father; it was not a matter of choice.
"For the family, Gilles," Alphonse whispered into his ear.
***
In the pre-dawn hours, a faint glimmer touched the sky.
The towering snow-capped peaks in the distance dwarfed the nearby hills, where withered yellow weeds grew beneath sparse trees.
If not for the Xilang Peak Incident three years ago and Han Qingyu's return for vengeance today, another genius trial would have been underway here at this time of year.
"Maybe the plan is to kill Alphonse right as the sun comes up," the warriors of Stream Vanguard thought and muttered among themselves.
They had just wrapped up their first wave of assaults on the perimeter and were taking a brief rest.
Moments ago, Alphonse's private forces had fallen back without putting up much resistance.
As a result, the ground they now occupied was the very trial grounds where Han Qingyu and his companions had once competed—specifically, the gentle slope where Han Qingyu and Wu Xu had first crossed paths.
Of course, the warriors knew none of this. Nursing fresh wounds, their expressions remained flushed with the blazing excitement of charging and slaughtering, ready to pull off something massive.
Like hacking the first-generation Star of Azure to death with a flurry of blades!
That would be an undeniably badass feat.
"These people seem so fanatic, and they carry so much hostility," Yin Caixin whispered beside Rusty Sister.
"Of course. They come from the City of Iniquity, after all," Rusty Sister said, not looking worried in the least.
The ferocity and malice these warriors had brought from the City of Iniquity hadn't faded over the past few months. Once battle broke out, they were still thugs through and through. If Han Qingyu decided to lead them to murder and arson, they wouldn't hesitate for an instant.
In contrast, as the hour of vengeance drew near, Han Qingyu appeared exceptionally calm—almost excessively serene.
This had nothing to do with whether he was powerful; the notion that true power brought peace of mind had never been accepted by their circle, seeing as they knew an old man who was both overwhelmingly powerful and notoriously bad-tempered.
"Qingzi is always like this. Whenever a major moment comes, he strips away all emotion, like a cold-blooded creature. It's been like that since before he even joined Azure," Wen Jifei said.
Han Qingyu was quietly watching Howard emerge from the woods to the side.
They remembered this man: Alliance councilman, lawyer, bad guy.
Three years ago, after the Xilang Peak Incident, Howard had presided as the chief interrogator during Azure's interrogation of Han Qingyu and the others, which was where they had met him.
"The Council President said that even if our encounter wasn't exactly friendly, it still counts as an acquaintance. For these past three years, I've remained quite neutral—though I don't know if you'll believe me..." Howard said, glancing at Wen Jifei.
"Neutrality is just hypocrisy and running away," Wen Jifei retorted. "Why are you here?"
"On behalf of Council President Kemore, in his personal capacity, to make the Alliance's final effort."
Saying this, Howard turned to Han Qingyu.
Chapter 565