TOMWDET Chapter 193.2

Ashes (part 2)

The shield was penetrated, and beneath Clemens’ feet, the ground showed a distinctly sunken penetration mark.

Various elemental molecules appeared on the exposed ground after the thunderous explosion, these tiny particles tirelessly demonstrating the remaining power after the massive offensive.

Behind Clemens, those buildings that still maintained their palatial grandeur even as ruins, whether seen directly or displayed on screens, all confirmed that this attack, which had gathered the power of one million people, had penetrated everything!

Countless monster beasts had been directly reduced to ash in this single attack.

The three Winged Tribe monster beasts accompanying the humans sincerely felt an indescribable fear spreading.

This fear was not directed at anything specific, but at the human race itself.

At this moment, they thought too much.

Had the humans, who possessed the ability to create such weapons and had developed under the constant observation of monster beasts until now, really always been within the monster beasts’ attention?

If so, why had they never discovered this? But if not, then why, before Rota County’s dissolution, were humans with transformable monster beast characteristics still regularly sent there?

Why hadn’t humans chosen to unite with monster beasts for a joint attack?

Probably because it wasn’t necessary.

In the current situation where a large number of humans were exhausted, could the three monster beasts regain the initiative in cooperation between the Winged Tribe monster beasts and humans?

The answer was still impossible. Even if it were a massacre, one million powerless people were not a number that could be killed in an extremely short time.

Secondly, what would it matter even if they achieved such a feat?

As long as humans possessed the talent to create such weapons, the nine million people hidden behind Amikbi were destined to be an existence that any monster beast would fear.

“Such an attack…” Adonis murmured.

“Didn’t this directly blast away the entire Winged Tribe Queen’s Palace, and even several mountain peaks?!” Adison’s eyes widened.

“With such an attack, why did Cyril and the others specifically bring a ten-thousand-person squad as provocation before!”

Asgari took a deep breath and held it in his chest, then gently exhaled while speaking, “Perhaps humans also couldn’t determine whether the [Tiger] was actually in the Queen’s Palace.”

“Actively forcing the opponent out, confirming the opponent’s existence and figure, then aiming the attack. These actions were simply as smooth as flowing clouds and water.”

It was too natural.

Natural like sunrise and sunset, eating and drinking.

But why?

When humans made the ten-thousand-person probing attack, the snowy owl was certain that the two old men behind them had no idea about this intelligence.

After all, even they wouldn’t have known what humans had done if they hadn’t suddenly awakened after the first explosion sound.

That said, the disappearance of those ten thousand people had still secretly attracted the attention of the two elders.

No one told them what those ten thousand people had gone to do, but the two old men, as if they had already anticipated it, immediately sprang into action.

The number of humans was truly vast.

So vast that they were like ants, disgusting just to look at.

Theoretically, such a number of humans couldn’t be commanded so easily.

They were all people with elemental power, and their strength had all been enhanced to levels that could never be achieved through so-called elemental affinity talent.

They should have been proud, they should have been complacent, even falling into internal strife.

But if anyone were randomly pulled from this million-person army and asked such questions, the inquirer would only get the conclusion: when everyone is the same, being special is just ordinary.

Everyone possessed power, everyone possessed the same power, so this power was as common as all living people needing to breathe, needing oxygen.

Fighting over power and interests?

The old Dark Pope had killed so many nobles in secret that their bodies could fill most of the Inner City.

Iron-blooded methods would indeed cause Amikbi’s political system to collapse in the short term, but that was only short-term.

The Dark Pope’s active intervention, the Grand Judge’s early reinforcement that he had anticipated.

This iron-blooded action resulted in ordinary common people remaining ordinary.

They only knew that those nobles who had once been high and mighty, oppressing others, no longer had the capital to stir up storms.

Secondly, whether willing or not, they had also learned of the existence of another world.

They learned that so many of their kind had once become cannon fodder for another civilization’s continuation.

Should such a civilization exist? If it were merely a collision between civilizations, then the monster beast civilization should indeed exist, as those civilizations preceded humans by countless tens of thousands of years.

Communication was part of progress.

But if those civilizations existed by exploiting humans, exploiting human civilization, gnawing at the foundation of human survival to continue their existence, then any person with thinking ability would not be willing to accept being exploited and harmed in such a way.

Even if one hadn’t awakened obvious monster beast characteristics and become a so-called potentially transformable human, what about the people around them?

This was still the thinking of people who hadn’t had anyone around them disappear, while the thoughts of those who had experienced disappearances around them would only be more violent.

Why should humans become monster-like existences?

Perhaps after countless iterations of civilizational systems, humans full of knowledge might become corrupt enough to care about immortality, but that would only be after countless years in the future.

The current people all thought——

Why?

Why should you keep harming me because you want to continue existing?

Why should you prevent the glory that should belong to me from being born because you want to maintain your glory?

The polite way to say it would be: Could you please go die?

And the impolite way would be: Hurry up and die!

Monster beast civilization had become something humans collectively resisted.

The existence of monster beasts was also mostly hated by humans.

Such extreme emotions might be wrong at certain moments, but for the spirits of life in this world, they were perfectly normal.

This was the roar of life erupting for survival.

Choosing to hide and cover it up would be the most ironic action.

The [Tiger] had not yet fallen, but whether it was the ground before him, or the buildings and companions behind him, they had all fallen.

Clemens himself wasn’t faring much better.

One side of his body had been directly penetrated.

Not penetrated from the center, but from one side.

His visible internal organs were blocked by large amounts of dark elements to prevent them from flowing out.

Blood that was no longer bright red, but increasingly tending toward red-black, even completely black, flowed out with the visual impression of a babbling brook.

Those pupils belonging to a monster beast showed irrepressible shock.

And disbelief.

——Su Li

——Wasn’t there supposed to be only one?

This thought was normal. Even Clemens was the only monster beast who had grown to his current level since the appearance of transformed monster beasts.

Could such a degree of power be mass-produced?

No, of course not.

Humans were still weak.

In his sight, those guys whose physical strength had been mostly drained were already lying powerlessly on the ground, becoming lambs to the slaughter.

But…

He no longer had the strength to continue massacring.

Just to ensure he could still stand here, he had already used all his strength.

When such an attack rushed toward him, there was simply no way to make truly effective defense.

Even the [Tiger]’s ability to form corresponding defense at that moment was only because he had previously sensed danger from the Super Mobile Elemental Cannon.

This sense of crisis prompted Clemens, who hadn’t personally entered battle for over a thousand years, to react accordingly the moment the attack was launched.

But he was still a step too late.

Clemens was certain he had only blocked half of the attack’s power.

The remaining half had directly torn his body to this extent!

Moreover, this injury couldn’t be healed through a monster beast’s powerful physical self-recovery.

Those colors symbolizing different elements gathered on his wound, causing bone-cutting, flesh-carving pain that existed constantly.

Without removing these elements, his body would never be able to recover, and would always maintain this state of ruin that wouldn’t continue deteriorating, constantly bringing him that unbearably wretched appearance.

Clemens wanted to wail, wanted to roar.

But his throat had also suffered obvious damage under that attack.

With half his body penetrated, Clemens could even see the white bone on the side of his face from the corner of his eye.

Humans…

Humans!

Gritting his teeth, filled with bone-deep hatred.

No matter how much he wanted to destroy everything before him now, he couldn’t do it.

One reason was that he still hadn’t recovered his mobility, and another was that deep in Clemens’ heart, doubts that would shake his very self had arisen.

He… might die?

Die at the hands of those humans as insignificant as ants?

When facing Su Li, he hadn’t even felt this way, but now facing thousands upon thousands of “Su Lis,” Clemens couldn’t help but feel shaken.

The composition of transformed monster beasts always contained undeniable human characteristics.

No matter how much one ignored it in cognition and belief, this dual reinforcement from both physiological and psychological aspects couldn’t be completely disregarded.

It was clearly the part abandoned by monster beasts.

It was clearly the part always despised by monster beasts.

Yet it was humans, symbolizing this part, who could achieve the ability to trample powerful monster beasts underfoot…

Clemens could even hear human conversation carried by the wind…

“Ha, hahahaha, hahahahahahaha!” Castor laughed like a madman.

He indeed should laugh. Once, he had been nothing more than an ignorant fool who just wanted to conduct elemental affinity transfer experiments.

Now, even if he didn’t compare himself to a meteor, he could create light comparable to a meteor’s brilliance and radiance.

“Su Li… Lord Su Li!”

Su Li’s name and title had never been so deeply engraved on his body and heart.

“Now is a future that the me from over a year ago could never have imagined. But now, under Lord Su Li’s influence, I have successfully reached that future!”

“Truly incredible.” Cyril’s eyes also held amazement. “Even when seeing the Super Mobile Elemental Cannon, knowing this thing could definitely achieve remarkable attacks, I never imagined this thing could achieve this level of terrain alteration.”

The area where the Winged Tribe Queen’s Palace was located was a mountainous region.

Moreover, that palace had been built on the highest mountain among the nearby ranges.

Now, that place symbolizing the highest-level area of the Winged Tribe monster beasts had completely formed a sunken appearance like a straw split open from the middle.

High ground?

It simply no longer existed.

In fact, even the Queen’s Palace ruins had been reduced to ash under that attack.

More precisely, not even ash remained.

“It’s hard to tell whether humans are incredible enough, or whether the monster beast still alive now is more shocking.” Dean Asa said slowly in a tone of amazement.

“Perhaps both.” The Dark Pope’s voice carried undisguisable trembling.

Anyone who saw this scene would never forget it for life.

This was a miracle achieved by human hands.

The sense of participation and achievement, the satisfaction after realizing such destruction.

All of this was like sensations brutally stuffed directly into the brain, filling the observer’s mind with the most violent aesthetics.

“Su Li… it really is Su Li.” Euphia recited thus. “Such thinking, such possibility, and the presentation of such scenes…”

“Would he also be so… so moved?”

“I think none of us can answer that question.” The Lion’s Club leader’s hands shook like he had epilepsy.

“But even if we can’t answer, we can imagine what Su Li would say upon learning of this scene.”

That young man would surely just open his eyes, green as mountains, rivers, and lakes, with downturned eye corners and an upturned smile at the corners of his mouth.

Then tell them: “Well done.”

Just thinking of such praise made the human side uncontrollably breathe faster.

Everyone hated Egbert, but everyone was also Egbert!

His praise, his attention, his lingering gaze…

The attention he devoted to this world!

Mark’s whole body trembled uncontrollably as he said, “I will forever be grateful to have met Su Li.”

Qi said loudly, “No one wouldn’t be grateful, right? This whole world should open celebrations for his arrival!”

Willard excitedly agreed. “Exactly right!”

Ophelia looked up at the bright night sky reflected by the ground’s radiance and said softly, “Though I don’t want to admit it, such a person is the most feeble candle flame that lit this human generation, yet one that can never be ignored.”

Mavis smiled gently, looking at everything before her. She only repeated words Su Li had once said: “Faith itself gazes at the stars.”

Even though that young man’s appearance wasn’t before their eyes, it seemed as if he was watching everyone…

Bright, dazzling.

As if saying…

“Let us be grateful that we still live today in this world that is not beautiful at all, but is still striving to be beautiful.”