Chapter 274 - The Hooded Ones Continued

"Yeah, we're saying that it was the work of those new humans that came in a few years back. We even captured a few of them already."

"Already? That was fast."

"You know the upper management, they always have a plan in place. These ones were trained for just such a scenario..."

They reached the platform while talking to one another and walked up to the altar.

All of them got down on their knees and kowtowed 3 times in front of it, like a prayer of sorts. The 3 leaders then walked next to it and started chanting in a low voice. It was in a language that Hao Xuan couldn't understand, even with the basic knowledge from Poriverse.

That meant that either the language was of no interest to Poriverse or he hadn't had the pleasure of coming across anyone that spoke it, but either way, Hao Xuan wasn't going to sit around and let them do as they pleased.

While the leaders were busy doing that, the other 14 formed an arc and started walking towards the sea of corpses.

In their hands were wooden torches that burned with a flickering blue flame. They extended their hands as far out as possible, seemingly scared of the blue flame.

The flames kept waving left and right like they were trying to chase something away. From their stiff movements, it was clear that none of them wanted to be in this place.

Fear oozed from their every move.

"Know what that flame is?" Hao Xuan asked Baracus internally.

"There are numerous azure flames, each with its own unique properties. I don't have enough information to make an educated guess at this point, but I suggest you stay away from it."

Hao Xuan nodded, "Noted, I'll try."

The person nearest to him seemed like a female, or so he guessed. He couldn't actually see the face but the small stature and the movements of 'her' hands and the swaying of hips seemed very feminine.

Hao Xuan waved his hand and Ensis appeared behind him like a shadow. In the pitch black darkness, you wouldn't even be able to tell he was there even if he was right behind you.

"Master," he bowed immediately upon feeling Hao Xuan's overwhelming bloodlust.

Hao Xuan didn't have much of a reaction to it and simply relayed his order.

"Other than the three in the middle, kill all the rest when the time comes."

Ensis followed Hao Xuan's line of sight and looked at the platform. Instantly, his pupils constricted to the size of needle holes.

"Master! Those ar-"

"Talk later, kill first," Hao Xuan whispered, cutting him off seeing that the female was within 6 meters of him.

As he spoke, the female stopped in her tracks. Raising the torch above her head she pulled back her hood and squinted hard.

Hao Xuan could see her face clearly now. It wasn't anyone he recognized but what caught his attention was the necklace that was hanging from her neck. It was giving off waves off some kind of energy that encompassed her entire body.

The energy output was so minute that he was barely able to sense it this up close.

***

This was her very first day out in the field after finishing her training.

She had never even stepped into this room before which her seniors referred to as the "Birthing Chamber". Birth of what or why? She had no idea.

All she knew was that none of the prisoners that went in ever came out. And now she knew why.

The countless corpses in front of her were the proof that every rumor she had heard in training was true.

She was summoned prematurely along with the 13 others to help out tonight. They were all given necklaces made out of bones and teeth and were told to never take them off as long as they were inside this area.

From the female's perspective, she heard a light whisper carried by the wind, startling her to the very core.

She looked towards the source of the whisper, or where she thought it came from but could see nothing there. Until she noticed something.

"Wait....what is that...?" with narrowed eyes she warily stepped forward, towards the two glowing green lights hovering in the air.

She rubbed her own eyes thinking that it was her own imagination but they were still there.

She turned around to call her seniors to come and check it out when a whooshing sound came from the front.

"Eh..?"

Before she could turn around her vision blurred for a second and she saw the most unusual thing. She saw herself standing there holding the torch. In front of her stood the pair of green lights and a black and silver blade reflecting the blue flame from the torch. And then she noticed another peculiar thing, she was missing her head.

"Oh.....right..." was the last thought that passed through her mind before her soul left this mortal coil.

Her death came so swiftly and so suddenly that she could never have expected it, but then again, few seldom do.

*Collapse*

Her body went limp and fell to the dusty ground, alerting the other 13 standing not too far away from her. They looked over and saw her headless corpse. And then a pale figure slowly stepped into her torch's light.

The light wasn't bright enough to show every little detail, but those pair of cold eyes and that massive weapon in its hand was enough to ring every warning bell in their minds.

"INTRUDE-"

The one closest to the female was the first to snap back to his senses. He threw the torch towards Hao Xuan and took out his sword while shouting, but before the sword even left its sheath his head flew up into the air as Ensis silently appeared behind him.

"INTRUDER!"

"SOMEONE IS HERE!"

Unfortunately, the rest of them were much quicker. They threw down the torches and took out their respective weapons while moving back towards the platform.

The three that were chanting next to the altar suddenly stood up. Two of them moved to the front while the last one remained standing next to the altar, continuing the chant.

"What?! How is this possible? I thought we were the first ones here!"

The larger hooded figure muttered through gritted teeth.

"Who are you? This place belongs to the kingdom of Mei!" the other, a slightly smaller figure shouted towards Hao Xuan.

Hao Xuan placed his left index finger in front of his lips as they arched up into a sinister smile.

"Sshhh, kill now, talk later."

Ensis shot towards another one of the unsuspecting victims with such speed that even Hao Xuan had trouble following his movements. His blade pierced through the intended target, cutting him cleanly in half.

The larger hooded figure staggered backwards while clutching the necklace on his chest.

"This madman! Do you know what this place is?! Stop your bullsh*t right now! You'll kill us all!"

Hao Xuan started walking towards them with wider and faster steps, eventually breaking out in a light jog.

"Oh I intend to. None of you will leave here in one piece."

"Heavenly Blare"

*BOOOOM*