Yama Rising

Khuree was engulfed in darkness in the wake of the gods of death’s descent. Meanwhile, just outside Khuree, a large carriage was charging away at top speed away from the Mongol Empire.

A large hydra was pulling the carriage behind it. The hydra itself was approximately 10 meters tall and 15 meters long. Each of its nine heads burned with intense netherflames. The beast was massive, but it was also surprisingly quick on its feet. In fact, it was so fast that it almost appeared to shuttle between the mortal realm and the netherworld as it ran. Copious amounts of Yin energy billowed behind it in the wake of its charge.

The golden carriage behind was covered completely with a black cloth, concealing the contents within and isolating it completely from the Yin energy around. The carriage’s four wheels were supported by spokes of bones, while the entire carriage was bound together by iron chains. Meanwhile, countless runic symbols of Yin Talismans surfaced and faded away endlessly all around the carriage.

A cloaked knight was galloping away on his own skeletal war horse in front of the carriage. It was evident to all that this was none other than Peter the Great, one of the three Russian gods of death!

Furthermore, there were a hundred other red-cloaked knights wielding spears and shields galloping on their war horses around the sides and the back of the carriage as well. Each of these knights appeared to be formed from fragmented body parts that were held together at the joints by the eerie green netherflames burning all around them. That said, each and every one of these knights were also Judge-class Yin spirits at that!

Apart from them, there were approximately 10,000 gold-armored cavalry armed with short swords and massive shields riding closely behind. Anyone familiar with the Russian Underworld would be able to tell that these are none other than Duchess Catherine’s imperial guards! And even then, they were located at the very tail end of the formation!

Peter the Great leaned forward at the forefront of the charge. For the umpteenth time now, he glanced back with complex emotions undergirding the gaze in his eyes.

Resentment Crystals… 1,900 pounds of Resentment Crystals!

The results were better than anticipated! This was undoubtedly the largest Resentment Crystals Mine to have been discovered in history! And so long as they could make it back to the Russian borders, then everything they had done to date would be completely worth it!

“Speed up.” He turned back to the carriage driver, who promptly gnashed his teeth, “It’s already going at full speed… ‘Death’s Skull’ is already pulling the carriage at the fastest speed it can possibly muster. After all… these Resentment Crystals are constantly ebbing away at every bit of Yin energy that draws near to the carriage. We… we can’t push it any harder…”

“Speed up!” Rumyantsev’s echoed the command of Peter the Great without any hesitation, “We’re already in the Selenge Province, and the Republic of Buryatia is located right beyond that. That’s where the First Legion of the Russian Underworld is garrisoned! Three other legions have also been assembled at the borders and are waiting to receive us, together with the Tsar himself! We’re talking about 40 million Yin soldiers backed by the full force of military formations. So long as we can get there, everything will be resolved!” [1]

At that time… we’ll finally be able to return victoriously and officially begin to develop Forbidden Arts!

“We have another replacement ‘Death’s Skull’ waiting for us in Sukhbaatar, the final city of the Mongol Empire in the Selenge Province. There are also 30,000 troops there waiting to receive us. Even if this entire army of escorts perish, we have to reach Sukhbaatar at all costs!”

“Yes!”

With that, the entire army fell into silence once again. It was a grave situation that gripped the souls of all soldiers involved. This was the boldest and most significant decision undertaken by the Russian Underworld in the entire history of their existence. Everyone was high-strung, and nobody was in the mood for casual banter.

Rumyantsev gripped tightly to his own reins, directing it forward as he caught up to Peter the Great, “Duke Pyotr, the extreme eruption of Yin energy from the direction of Khuree earlier…”

“Don’t ask so much about it.” The netherflames in Peter the Great’s eyes flared up at once, almost as though it was a blazing banner for the rest of the troops behind. He stared ahead into the darkness with an abstruse gaze in his eyes. All he could do was to forge ahead with endless willpower and determination.

Something has happened back in Khuree…

This was something that both Rumyantsev and Peter the Great knew in their hearts. The extreme eruption of Yin energy earlier had shattered the boundaries between the Yin and the Yang. This was something that could only be done with the concerted efforts of at least five Duke-class Yin spirits. However… only Catherine the Great was supposed to be located at Khuree.

Even if they counted the Harken and Aristotle, how could they possibly make up five Duke-class Yin spirits?

As expected… It’s never a good thing to mess with Hell. But...

They gazed intently into the distance with unbending will.

So long as we manage to return to the Russian Underworld, everything can be resolved without a hitch!

There’s only a few hundred kilometers remaining… He turned back for yet another look. The sun was already beating down from high above them, yet they remained completely unfazed by it. Just like that, they continued to plough ahead, straddling between the netherworld and the mortal realm as they hurtled down the avenues of the mortal realm, passing by pedestrians, cars, buildings and an entire city, until a bridge appeared right on the horizon.

It was the Orkhon River.

Both Rumyantsev and Peter the Great couldn’t help but heave a sigh of relief. After crossing the river, they would finally enter Sukhbaatar, followed by the Russian satellite state of the Republic of Buryatia. They could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel!

But just then, they both turned back abruptly.

They looked straight behind, only to notice a cloud of Duke-class Yin energy hurtling towards them.

They were familiar with this source of energy.

It was none other than Catherine the Great.

Nethergale swept around them endlessly, carrying the cries of endless moaning ghosts. That said, they didn’t stop for a single moment. After all, time was precious. Besides, Catherine the Great wasn’t shouting at them. She was simply charging straight towards them.

“Go!!!” There was a shriek, followed by the sound of a sonic boom tearing straight through the air as Catherine the Great arrived right beside Peter the Great. Peter the Great turned to the side and hissed loudly, “What’s going on? What’s happening back in Khuree? You’re supposed to be keeping the Emissaries of Hell busy! What are you doing here?”

“It’s impossible…” Catherine the Great gnashed her teeth, “Mythic Spirits…”

“What?!”

“Over ten Alkebulan Mythic Spirits have descended upon us! How am I supposed to keep them busy?!” Catherine the Great barked back with a quiver in her voice, “Aristotle has been captured. Hell has complied with the terms of the agreement. They haven’t lifted a finger once, but they must have somehow triggered the march of a dozen or so Mythic Spirits!”

Dead silence.

Seconds later, Rumyantsev gasped in horror, “Haa…”

Killing with a borrowed knife… Rumyantsev couldn’t believe that this was the very same Hell that would have relied purely on its brawn rather than its brain.

Is this… a glimpse of the direction that Hell is developing in future? Is this a sign of Hell’s foreign policy and the times to come?

He couldn’t figure out what exactly it was. But the one thing he knew for sure was that if they didn’t manage to make it across the borders of the Mongol Empire right now, everything was over.

How could this have happened?!

They had considered every single possible variable out there, but the one that slipped their mind was in respect of Hell’s attitude to the conundrum placed before them. Unfortunately, things had now devolved into a race against time!

“Hurry…” Peter the Great seethed with rage, and immediately bellowed at the top of his voice, “At all costs… FULL SPEED AHE--...”

Just then!

The world went silent.

Peter the Great paused mid-sentence and glanced around in horror. A split second later, the land around them suddenly began to quake wildly.

Almost simultaneously, countless sources of Yin energy suddenly appeared out of nowhere, filling their surroundings with Yin energy that seemed to conceal the terrors within. It didn’t take longer than moments before the entire lands were shrouded in dark clouds of Yin energy. Then, finally…

Boom, boom, boom!!!

Over ten colossal figures crashed down onto the ground like ferocious meteors, sending the billowing Yin energy scattering everywhere! Within moments, the surroundings spanning hundreds of miles in radius were cast into darkness.

Yin energy flowed everywhere like the majestic seas. Peter the Great immediately tugged at the reins of his horse, together with every single other Yin soldier that was with him. At once, the entire Russian Underworld convoy came to an abrupt halt. They could all barely breathe. The Yin energy roiling around them was so vast and dense that it even surpassed that of their own Tsar! Meanwhile, the sudden movement of the Mythic Spirits once again caused the alarms of every special agency in the mortal realm to go off once more!

It was an emergency. It was an emergency that no mortal still alive had ever witnessed in their lifetime! It was an emergency that threatened to tear apart the fabrics of the mortal realm!

“Damn it!!” Peter the Great roared in anger as he stared straight ahead.

His surroundings had been strewn into complete darkness, and he could only see the pale Orkhon Bridge stretching out underfoot. Apart from that, he could also see two glistening netherflames staring down at him like the blazing sun amidst the endless darkness.

Only one… Peter the Great hesitated for a moment, and then gnashed his teeth, “Charge!!”

We cannot afford to let anyone stop us now!

Our success will make the Russian Underworld great again!

He personally led the charge. The bones in his body levitated slightly, and copious amounts of Yin energy poured out of his body like a raging tsunami sweeping straight across the bridge. Meanwhile, countless skeletons surfaced from the depths of his sea of Yin energy, hissing and snarling viciously at their enemies.

“You’re nothing more than a mere Mythic Spirit…” As he accelerated, the skin on his body began to tear apart. He made a grabbing motion in the air, and an obsidian, transparent longsword appeared in his hands. Within moments, the sparks of netherflames around him ignited and gathered around his sword. Then, with all his might, he thrusted his sword forward.

“How dare you stand in the way of a Duke?!!”

Even the air in front of him cracked like shattering glass. The netherflames in his eyes danced wildly as he roared, “DIE!!!”

However, a split second later, he forcefully retracted all of his Yin energy right back into his body. The resultant backlash caused him to let out a muffled grunt as he staggered back several meters, but he forcibly held out the sword in front of his body.

It was because the two clumps of netherflames… had suddenly split up, transforming into dozens of eyes.

They’re here… They’re all here! How could this happen!

Despair instantly filled his heart.

Why?!

This is the final stretch. We can even see the light at the end of the tunnel! Why did this have to happen to us in the darkest hour before dawn?!

“Peter the Great… It’s been so long.” The series of blazing eyes lit up like the streetlights lining a boulevard of death. The Mythic Spirit located closest to Peter the Great spoke, “I’m curious. What might this carriage be loaded with?”

Catherine the Great glanced up at the endless darkness in the vault of the skies. Her hands trembled - It’s too late… We’re so near, yet so far.

We’ve paid such a huge price, and opened our borders to the harvest of so many mineral deposits… but for what? A riot led by 13 Mythic Spirits?

She was numb from the despair in her heart. She even longed to pass out, only to wake up to find out that this was all a dream gone wrong.

“It’s you…” Peter the Great stared intently towards the end of the bridge. A familiar figure holding a dog in his arms walked out placidly and stood three meters in front of him.

“Surprised?” Qin Ye smiled, “Or are you going to tell me that an Abyssal Prefect that was placed under house arrest isn’t worthy to speak with you, a high and mighty god of death?”

“Prefect Qin…” These words were like a tight slap to his face. However, Peter the Great repressed the rage in his heart and clenched his fists tightly, “What do you want?”

Then, he proceeded to speak so softly that only Qin Ye could hear his next few words, “Spare me this once, and I assure you that the Russian Underworld will shower you with lavish gifts and favour! The East Continent will still be Hell’s to lord over!”

“Heh…” Qin Ye smiled, “Oh, but I’ve already fulfilled all of my obligations under the agreement. Hell hasn’t once interfered in today’s matters. What else do we have to talk about?”

“Besides, I’m not the one who wishes to have a word with the Russian Underworld right now…”

As he spoke, a figure suddenly flew right out of the darkness around and landed right before Peter the Great’s feet.

It was Aristotle. And he was clearly still unconscious.

“The Mythic Spirits have come to a consensus earlier.” Qin Ye stared intently at Peter the Great, “What do you say to trading the Resentment Crystals for this one particular special advisor of yours?”

1. Selenge Province is located north of Ulaanbaatar (Khuree), while the Republic of Buryatia is part of Russia, located just northwards of Selenge Province.