Reborn To Be The Imperial Consort [BL]-Chapter 69: Thalassotélos — XI

That day, it was a massacre. In all its glory, in every sense of the word, pain, misery, hatred and twisted joy came together in an accursed amalgamation.

Like the wicked claws of fate, the unforgiving scythe of looming death, the falling tears of the weeping sky, inextinguishable fire ravaged the battlefield; turning the place into a true hell of suffering.

Sky high flames towered over the living, the dancing ambers waltzing over anything and everything, leaving nothing but silent screams and blackened cinders in their wake.

As for whether the cinders were of trees, of mute plants or the fallen bodies of people smouldering alive or dead; it was unknown.

The flames caught a dragon, the flames caught a tiger, in their fiery embrace, the waves of pyre, scorching tongues of promised death engulfed the monkey.

Round and round, death spun, round and round, misery hummed. Wickedness its trails, enemies weighed upon its scales, balance was death, imbalance an ever gruesome path taken every so often.

Bone-chilling agony screamed its woeful cry, a loud plea to be granted a swift death.

Alas, a swift death was but a mercy the unforgiving master of these flames was unwilling to impart.

Above it all, apparently detached from the pit of misery, of suffering and of pain, standing in the sky was a single man, floating in one place as he gazed down at the scene below, armed to the teeth.

His countenance likened to that of a lofty god observing the mortal world of suffering below than the merciless tyrant of flames who wrought doom ever so closer.

Hu Lijing stood in silence, his rage, his fury — a righteous river of gurgling emotions — but an ice cold concoction simmering in the pit of his heart.

The deepest darkest pit of his heart blackened by the ruthless scenery down below. His once bright eyes gleamed with the darkness of promised agony, his once handsome visage, gaunt from the countless night spent without a wink of sleep.

He observed and observed the dominance of unstoppable flames, an invincible force nothing could stop. Bar one.

With his brows furrowed, as if in displeasure, Hu Lijing watched the deaths, the splattering limbs, the burning corpses, the screaming lives, coldly, as though a high and mighty divine being who loathed to take a part in the sacrilegious suffering of the lesser beings.

His flames devoured and devoured everything in its destructive path, roaring and cruel, it rejoiced in the lives it took.

Hu Lijing rejoiced with him. His eyes gleaming as the sadistic joy of watching his enemies, the murderers of his kin met the painful conclusion of their lives.

But...

His brows drew together, unwilling perplexion clamouring in his heart as his amber gaze flitted around, searching — looking — for the shadows of the man he would dread to find amid the ranks of his foes.

Long ZhenHai... Had he refused to take a part in this war?

Hu Lijing’s lips tugged into a small, subconscious, smile. Long ZhenHai’s absence a momentary relief from the ever exhausting cycle of life and death in this long drawn out war.

With a flick of his hand, flames roared higher, their heat overpowering even the most experienced warrior. In the entirety of his war, none but Hu Lijing was the most powerful being.

He, who was born of flames, was above them all.

"Hu Lijing!!" A loud scream, an infuriatingly insolent cadence and a grating voice. "You spineless coward!"

Hu Lijing cocked an eyebrow, whirling around to take a look at the person who had been so bold to address him — up in the air — directly in spite of the havoc his flames wreaked down below.

Ah, as expected, it was dragon. One of their so-called allies who had been the first one to turn their back on the spirit foxes. The first one to voice their favour of the oracle imparted by the heaven.

The first one to become the entertainers of the twisted play the gods wanted to watch unfold to abate their boredom.

As Hu Lijing stared at the prideful dragon who was flying in his vicinity, his insolent eyes glaring at the divine fox, he felt nothing but disgust boil in his heart.

"Dragon." He spat out, voice laced in the most potent venom as his fingers twitched to break the reptilian being’s neck.

His reponse was met with silence, the tension so thick should Hu Lijing swipe his claws, he might be able to tear it apart with his bare hands.

The dragon’s tail flicked at him, spikes barely ghosting the ends of his hair before Hu Lijing stepped away.

"13 years, 13 years is how long this war has been continuing with in end in sight!" A twisted laugh, an accursed glee. "And yet, this is perhaps the first time I’ve had the fortune of seeing you out of your home! Why? Now that your kin are dying faster—" the dragon sneered, his body twisting as his scales shone "—have you chosen to step out?! Do you not wish to stay cowering with your tails tucked between your le——"

Alas, the dragon was unable to finish his jeer before an unforgiving blade of sword of Qi cut through the air and cleaved off his head.

Hu Lijing watched, eyes half-lidded and face unchanging as the cool blood spurted out, sullying his face, while the head fell first, crashing down the sky and the limp body followed.

Under them, the terrible maw of flames parted, grotesque fangs bared as it burned the body to bit, not leaving behind a speck of the dragon’s ashes.

"Watch your words, young one." After a long while, Hu Lijing sighed, bringing his arm to wipe the sticky blood off his face using his sleeves. "I have been infinitely kind to you. Had I not been so merciful, your death would not have been so swift considering the transgressions of your clan against mine."

He then raised his head, facing the sky as he relished in the scent of blood hanging around him, basking in the reprieve of deathly silent his vicinity had been plunged into.

Remnant of the dragon’s blood dribbled down his chin in a broken stream, surrounding him in a deathly glow, Hu Lijing stood alone, above it all enjoying the haunting symphony of death being played below him.

They were destined to lose, were they not?

Long ZhenHai, my bane, my doom, where are you?

...

"You should tell Young Master Long that you are heavy with his child!" Anxiously, the former clan leader scurried after Hu Lijing as the latter strode through the corridors of the main house. "He may be able to protect you. You do not have to fight nor lead us in this war Lijing."

At his words, Hu Lijing’s steps came to a screeching halt just in front of his study. With a thunderous frown marring his features, a veritable fury painted across his face as the nine-tailed fox snapped at his mentor.

"What sort of ingrate does Elder take me for?!" He then turned on his heels and all but kicked the door of his study open, waltzing in with the furious grace of a chained beast.

His ears rang with the hasty and tearful declaration of the young fox spirit from earlier, mind buzzing and blood reeling in his veins as the energy in his body clamoured to be freed.

Within a few strides, the nine-tailed divine fox had crossed the distance between himself and his trusty desk. Subjected to his rage, the wooden desk cracked, splinters flying around as he banged his hands on it.

Breathing heavily, the nine-tailed fox bowed his head, his heart thundering against the confinement of his ribs.

Another wave of blind rage washed over him, his anger was palpable as he let out a loud, animalistic growl. His shoulders trembled and chest heaved as he let his fury lose, allowed it to take over himself, the amalgamation of his indignation and the irrational fear of doom bursting out of his skin as he put his hands under the desk and threw it at the wall.

The sound of shattering glass and breaking wood tore a wince out of the former clan leader’s throat as he drew back, lightening his breathing as he watched his mentee rage.

Hu Lijing heaved and heaved, akin to a caged beast he let out a snarl. More than anger, his strong reaction stemmed from the fear of the unknown that lay in front of him.

The uncertainty of his future that he knew not if it was doomed or not.

He was scared. So incredibly scared that his fear came in form of a nameless range he was too worked up to ponder upon.

"What sort of ingrate does Elder take me for?!" He growled again, closer to an animal than the nine-tailed fox spirit he was. "How and why would I dare to abandon my clan in a situation like this?!" His throat tightened, voice coming out thick as he picked up a vase and tossed it at the wall, his knuckles turning white as he clenched his fists.

The six tailed fox flinched at his words, for a moment he would found himself at loss for words.

"You ought to— to protect yourself and your child! He is not yours alone..."

Hu Lijing gritted his teeth, grinding them so hard together it was a surprise they didn’t shatter then and there.

Angrily pointing at his womb, he looked up at the former clan leader, eyes wide, pupils shrunken and quivering in rage as he spat out in disgust.

"You want me to— to run away and abandon the clan for this— this— this cursed seed?!"

It was the reason of this disaster to begin with.

The former clan leader let out a gasp, his spine chilling as he took in the nine-tailed fox’s words.

"Hu Lijing... But this child is yours and Young Master ZhenHai’s...!"

Hu Lijing spat on the floor, all the lamps around the room bursting to life as he glared at the six tailed fox in a deranged manner.

"I do not care. This— this thing is the reason we are in this predicament, Elder!" He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Leave."

"Hu Lijing—!"

"Leave, Elder. I implore you to. I need time to think."