Malevolent – Chapter 50 – Cruel and Desperate Truth

“Huff, huff, cough cough cough!”

On the scorched earth,

After violently spitting out two mouthfuls of fresh blood, Xestila, having already lost one arm, weakly fell to her knees. If not for her sword supporting her, she would have already collapsed to the ground.

After catching her breath, the weakened Xestila looked around in confusion.

What entered her eyes was a scene of unspeakable horror.

Thick smoke filled the air, with remnants of fire in the sky illuminating endless despair.

Corpses were scattered everywhere, the bodies of soldiers intertwined with mechanical debris, like fragments torn apart by merciless force. Broken mechs lay on the ground, their massive metal bodies sliced in half by laser beams, sharp metal pieces scattered all around, with the surrounding ground pockmarked with countless craters. The remains of combat vehicles were even more shattered by explosions, wheels and parts strewn about haphazardly, occasionally producing metallic clanging sounds.

In the sky, the once imposing fighter aircraft had all been shot down, their wings and burning wreckage plummeting to the ground, transformed into heaps of scrap metal. The light from explosions illuminated the entire battlefield, with smoke and gunpowder filling every corner, the air permeated with the smell of burning and decay.

The surviving soldiers lay painfully on the ground, severely injured, with the constant erosion of the Myriadface Avian’s curse power causing their bodies to collapse and rot.

Many surviving warriors consequently let out low wails of agony, moans filling the entire battlefield. Their breathing was rapid and heavy, their faces contorted, as if struggling with death in their final moments.

The entire battlefield had fallen into deathly silence, all that could be heard were the warriors’ lamentations and the humming of flames burning around them.

“How, how could this happen…”

After witnessing this tragic scene, Xestila bit through her lip in agony.

Although she knew the Vassal Tier was powerful, she never imagined her troops would be so utterly defenseless.

They couldn’t even hold out until the “Radiant Cleansing Artillery” finished charging.

Was it because the formation was arranged too densely? Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been devastated like this by that monster in one attack…

However,

Xestila had no time to feel regret now, because a piercing scream suddenly reached her ears.

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—”Aaaaaaahhh! Stop, stop it aaaahhhh!! No, no!”—

?!

Hmm, that voice!?

“Le… Lena?”

After hearing her deputy’s voice, Xestila suddenly raised her head, looking toward the source of the sound.

And then,

Xestila saw that chilling enormous figure,

Accompanied by sharp, eerie, bizarre screams,

The Myriadface Avian descended from the sky like a reaper from darkness, its giant wings flapping, stirring up gusts of wind, kicking up dust and debris all around. Its silhouette in the air was like doomsday arriving, its azure eyes locked firmly on Xestila, giving her a heavy sense of oppression.

At the same time,

Xestila also noticed her deputy, tightly gripped in the Myriadface Avian’s talons, almost at her last breath. The deputy’s body could no longer move, her breath faint, almost at death’s edge.

“Lena!!!”

“Lady Xes, Xestila…”

After hearing Xestila’s voice, Lena shakily turned her head toward her and slowly reached out her hand.

“Sa, save me… I, I don’t want to die…”

At this moment,

Faced with death, Lena had almost lost the ability to think. Regardless of whether Xestila had the ability to save her or not, she reached out desperately, as if grasping at straws.

And just then,

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The Myriadface Avian’s ferocious head rotated a full one hundred and eighty degrees, coldly staring at Xestila, a mocking voice emanating from a dead human head.

“Save? Your commander doesn’t have the power to save you.”

Then, countless dead human face-skins on the Myriadface Avian’s talons suddenly came to life, like resurrected souls, the mouths of the face-skins suddenly opened wide, revealing razor-sharp teeth, and began to violently feast on Lena.

“Ahhh—!!!”

In an instant,

Heart-wrenching screams pierced the heavens.

“No, nooooo!!!”

Xestila helplessly roared.

Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do now, she could only watch this blood-splattered, incredibly cruel scene unfold before her eyes.

Those dead faces devoured the deputy’s flesh without mercy, wolfing it down ravenously, the disgusting chewing sounds clearly audible, each bite tearing at flesh and bone, blood spraying everywhere.

Lena’s eyes were filled with indescribable terror and pain, yet no matter how she struggled, her life rapidly faded under the consumption of those face-skins.

“Sa, save me…”

After making one final plea, Lena’s pupils dilated, and she completely lost all signs of life.

“Lena…”

What welled up in Xestila’s eyes was intense hatred.

However, due to the spread of fear and the oppressive aura of the Myriadface Avian, her body remained rigid, unable to move.

The Myriadface Avian continued to enjoy its prey, even though Lena had already lost her life, it didn’t stop. Those torn fragments drifted in the air, like phantoms from a nightmare, flowing with the blood, carrying an unspeakable sense of horror.

Finally,

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Lena’s body was completely torn apart and devoured, all that remained in its talons was the female deputy’s face-skin.

And with the surge of dark blue curse power, the face-skin was directly absorbed into the Myriadface Avian’s talons.

Then,

On the skin of the Myriadface Avian’s chest, Lena’s face clearly appeared, still bearing her terror and despair.

Looking at the face-skin on its chest, a flicker of satisfaction passed through the Myriadface Avian’s gloomy eyes.

“Not a bad expression, nao-nao-nao-nao-go~”

Some strange, sharp, bizarre calls continuously emanated from the bird head.

After a series of eerie calls, the Myriadface Avian’s head suddenly turned, staring intently at Xestila’s face.

—”Marshal, I believe your face will make an even better collection piece than your deputy’s.”—

As these words were spoken,

This enormous monster began walking step by step toward Xestila.

Staring at the monster steadily approaching her,

The fear in Xestila’s heart spread wildly.

Previously, Xestila had always believed she was mentally prepared to be killed by Corrupted Beasts on the battlefield. However, after witnessing her deputy’s horrific death, Xestila’s resolve wavered.

Faced with the threat of death and pain, Xestila’s spirit gradually collapsed,

That face which had always maintained a resolute expression began to visibly distort, fear and despair rapidly spreading across Xestila’s features,

“No, no, don’t come closer!”

The woman’s desperate pleas echoed across the battlefield.

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After witnessing this scene, the pleasure and excitement in the Myriadface Avian’s eyes grew even more intense.

For the Myriadface Avian, the ferocious, fearful expression humans showed before death was what brought it the most pleasure. Preserving these expressions was its cherished collection.

It was precisely for this reason that the Myriadface Avian deliberately tortured her confidant in front of Xestila, to shatter the courage in her heart.

The hopeless, helpless expression after a mental breakdown,

That was what made it worth collecting~

“Nao-nao-nao-nao-go~”

Accompanied by a series of strange calls, the Myriadface Avian’s talons slowly reached for Xestila…

…

Within a matter of minutes,

The Myriadface Avian’s excited calls faded away. And along with them disappeared the woman’s shrill, ferocious wailing…

After dealing with Xestila, the Myriadface Avian slowly raised its head, looking into the distance, in the direction where Hein had fled with Ailiya and the others.

After such a long delay,

It was time to complete the task assigned by Lady Ulutiel.

Moreover,

The three young Divine-Graced Maidens? They would surely make excellent collection pieces, wouldn’t they?

“Nao-nao-nao-nao-go~”

After emitting another series of strange sounds, the Myriadface Avian suddenly spread its wings and flew toward the high skies…