The Invincible Full-Moon System Chapter 1813: Feeding Ground (2)

The Sky City stands utterly impregnable.

It served as the mightiest fortress for the spirits. All creatures drawing breath understood this truth.

From the moment of its founding, no one had ever inhaled the atmosphere outside the dome or laid a hand on the soaring spires adorning each angle. Even a pair of Voidal Monarchs had once mounted a joint assault, yet they failed to mar its gleaming surface.

Across millennia, its defenses held firm.

Folks began to think the Angels had bestowed their grace upon the Sky City. Or maybe the hallowed form of the Silent Consort lay concealed within, rendering the place holy. No force could dim its glow, just as the Black Rift failed to engulf her brilliance.

Whispers elevated the Sky City to legendary status among the masses.

Many held the view that its downfall would herald the onset of apocalypse.

Tonight, beneath the crimson glow of the Blood Moon, that ominous harbinger unfolded.

The Sky City lay violated. Its hallowed terrain lay in ruins. And its inhabitants faced ruthless devastation.

This single event alone burdened the thoughts of those dwelling below with grave implications. To the residents of the Sky City, it felt like divine payback. Nevertheless, compelled by obligation, the paladins—particularly the Sun Paladins—persisted in their battle.

Yet Rex's arrival instantly shattered that resolve.

After all, only a demon could eclipse the Angel’s divine favor.

Confronting this demon now, the Sun Paladins faltered.

An ancient urge awakened deep within the Sun Paladins.

One discarded his millennia of discipline and let his weapons fall.

He spun on his heel and bolted, joining the fleeing crowd, desperate to put maximum distance between himself and Rex.

Like falling dominoes, others deserted their ranks in succession.

"No, wait!" The blond Sun Paladin attempted to halt them, but his pleas fell on deaf ears. He ground his teeth, eyes widening in fury as the semicircle of sunlight faded away. Not due to the deserters, but from their vital essence.

It vanished abruptly, like a flame starved of air.

An unseen force prevented access to their life energy, originating from the heavens.

He glanced skyward, where the Blood Moon loomed. It seemed to taunt him. Beneath its scarlet illumination, all life energy lost its potency. The blond Sun Paladin gripped his spear tightly, unleashed a savage war shout, and rushed at Rex.

At this moment, he had to jolt the others from their paralysis.

To achieve that, he must spearhead the charge and display unyielding courage.

Wishing his boldness would ignite theirs.

Like a frenzied beast, he bridged the last gap.

He set his front foot down, tendons tensing, and propelled the spear in a deadly stab.

The counterforce proved overwhelming. He was flung back as though struck by a colossal hand. He soared through the air like a limp puppet, then slammed onto the marble ground and slid to a harsh halt against a marble barrier.

He staggered up and sought to rally the Sun Paladins for assault, but chaos had already turned to massacre.

At its core, the demon reveled in the carnage.

Then, as if detecting the dread clutching his soul, Rex, hoisting a Sun Paladin by the midsection, grinned at him—relishing his terror. A Sun Paladin’s skull exploded in a gush of gore. His comrade’s limb was gnawed and ripped free.

Yet another was hurled aloft as an offering to the Blood Moon.

The sole female Sun Paladin was pulverized into bloody pulp against the pavement.

Enraged beyond sight—the blond Sun Paladin whipped his spear in a raging sweep aimed at severing Rex’s throat—and sliced through nothing. He bellowed, flipped his hold, and thrust ahead, plunging the tip into the torso of the silhouette ahead.

Blood spurted forth, not from the strike, but from the paladin’s own eyes. Then, like ripples on turbulent waters, the shape of Rex shimmered, distorted, and transformed into the choking visage of a brother Sun Paladin—the very one he had skewered.

His breath lodged in his windpipe.

It was meant to be Rex pierced through, but truth revealed a different fate.

Rex had woven the Weaver of Madness upon him from the outset, and the sight haunting the blond Sun Paladin was his own illusion. "It’s unbearable, isn’t it?" He inquired. His tone rumbled low. "It feels like your blood burns like fire, and the only relief is more blood."

Like a lurking shadow, he now loomed behind the blond Sun Paladin.

Sickened by his own deed, the paladin collapsed to his knees.

Rex’s aura dominated all, and the instant the Sun Paladin grasped his mistake, his head was snapped off in a bite, ending him swiftly. He then scanned the area, spotting the arrival of the Shade Crawlers.

Each one raged with fury. Craving slaughter. Yet they avoided Rex’s personal hunting zone.

Rather than scouring the open paths, they pursued those concealed in structures.

Instinct likely guided them above all else.

Varya touched down at his side.

"You’re not affected by the Blood Moon?" Rex questioned without turning.

"A mutation of mine from developing the traits of a Luna," She replied promptly. No point in hiding from the Alpha. She glanced sidelong at Rex, then queried, "You don’t seem to be affected, too. I thought your birth moon is the Blood Moon."

"Who said I’m not affected?" Rex pivoted to face her.

His features contorted. Eyes protruding, jaws drooling, and a feral grimace. He radiated menace.

Even Varya swiftly looked away.

The Blood Moon impacted Rex the hardest, yet his restraint was flawless. After becoming a Scion and embracing his werewolf nature via the Invincible Apparition, handling his rage grew simpler.

Not weakening the fury, but directing it toward deserving targets.

Several forms tumbled from the structures before him.

Some plummeted through windows, others out doors. Some lifeless, others still breathing. Rex arched an eyebrow at the display, "What are they doing? Why are they not feeding?"

Varya deemed his question odd.

But given the elapsed time, she figured the Mortal Realm had evolved.

"They are asking your permission to feed, Your Highness."

"Tell them to eat and don’t mind me."

Varya emitted a brief, nearly scoffing howl. The Shade Crawlers then dove into their catches, relishing the warm meat and crimson flow. As Rex strode by, he observed them extracting the victims’ hearts and setting them apart.

Rex glanced at Varya and gestured toward himself. She affirmed with a nod.

He had lately discovered that the heart offered the finest morsel, granting the complete essence of the slain through consumption. Per werewolf tradition, solely the Alpha may partake of hearts.

Even if the Alpha sated himself, no one else touched the hearts.

Typically, hearts got discarded if the Alpha felt full.

The rampage pressed on. The White Mask and the serpent ravaged from south to west, while Rex and the Shade Crawlers claimed north to east. No patch of ground escaped the flooding gore.

Wails and sobs echoed through the night, yet they delighted the invaders.

Far preferable if the populace endured quietly. That might spare the invaders their ecstasy.

Rex, with Varya trailing near, rounded into an eastern nook.

Two Shade Crawlers prowled around a cluster of over a hundred souls shielded by four paladins whose armor oozed molten lava. Rex identified one as among the quartet who had observed him from above before.

Likely the Gatekeeper of Lava.

He bore severe injuries. Yet battling Shade Crawlers ought not to overwhelm him.

Indeed, the Black Rift had stormed the Sky City and started overwhelming it, but his power surpassed the Shade Crawlers by far. Even Emperor Dominar paled in comparison. Still, whenever the Shade Crawlers lunged, he merely parried.

Deflecting assaults and shoving them back. No fatal blows landed.

Rex smirked at the scene.

Truth be told, the Gatekeeper of Lava could overpower Rex at present.

Ignatius had delivered just one devastating blow by cracking the Sky City’s barriers. Nothing beyond. Should the Gatekeeper of Lava strike now, Rex might ultimately fall. Even empowered by the Blood Moon and the White Mask’s boosts, defeat would merely drag out in agony.

But who would risk striking him presently?

To all onlookers, Rex enjoyed the support of a being surpassing Kei Xun in might.

Striking him would spell certain doom.

Roar—!

A Shade Crawler yelped in agony as its limb encased in lava, solidifying into stone. With a brutal swing, the Shade Crawler sailed across the ground and smashed into a forge.

Simultaneously, the Gatekeeper of Lava’s eyes flared wide upon locking stares with Rex.

Rex remained still and then emitted a growl.

Obeying his command, the remaining Shade Crawler whined before retreating.

"Who the fuck are you?" the Gatekeeper of Lava demanded in rage.

Rex offered no reply. He merely cocked his head a bit, then shifted his eyes beyond the Gatekeeper of Lava to the ashen, frightened visages cowering in back. A gradual, icy grin curved his mouth, exposing the gore-smeared, razor fangs.

"For someone trying to save them," He stated. His words stretched into a hushed murmur that slithered like a hunter coiling to strike, "You hurl profanities too casually, particularly at the one who determines if they draw breath... or perish."

As if the realization struck late, the Gatekeeper of Lava drew himself upright.

He plunged his armament—a dual-bladed lava sword—into the earth.

"Why...?" He questioned after gesturing for the other paladins to ease their guards. "Why are you going this far? You’re not a Spirit, but the voidal monsters are your enemy, too. They are our common enemy. Our two realms might need one another."

Evidently, he swiftly deduced Rex hailed not from the Spirit Realm.

Then again, a werewolf wasn’t wholly unfamiliar.

Rex yearned to probe deeper into his remarks on voidal monsters, but time pressed. He faced Varya and indicated a fellow bleeding from his mutilated limb, "Go there—and kill him for me."

"Yes," Varya advanced toward the cluster without pause. "Do not resist."

The Gatekeeper of Lava stood stunned.

He had merely posed a query. He even sheathed his blade, yet Rex responded thus?

He moved to seize his sword, but Rex lifted a single finger, halting him.

"If anyone tries to stop her," Rex’s killing intent surged like a crimson tide. "Everyone dies."

Many behind the Gatekeeper of Lava originated from his sector. He knew their faces—so he sought to shield them. But he recognized Rex’s threat as genuine. Even as the man begged for aid, he averted his gaze.

Varya seized him by the skull with her talons and hauled him off.

She pulled the wretched soul deliberately, tormenting the Gatekeeper of Lava.

Some stifled sobs, but stayed mute, hands over mouths.

Even as she drove her claws into his throat and wrenched his head from his body, neither the Gatekeeper of Lava nor the group stirred. Though raised in the Black Rift, she understood the Sky People well.

Never had she imagined slaying before a gatekeeper in such manner.

Honestly, this stirred pride within her. And... excitement?

Regardless, aligning herself under Rex as Alpha proved wise.

"I’ve killed him, Your Highness." She turned back to Rex.

Rex inclined his head and regarded the Gatekeeper of Lava, "That’s for cursing me. The next time you displeased me, I will kill twice as many as the last one until there’s nobody left. Do you know how you should act?"

The Gatekeeper of Lava nodded.

He wished to speak, but chose silence.

Even his inflection might provoke further deaths from Rex.

"Good," Rex invoked his Blood Moon Echo, hauling nearby cadavers with streams of blood, then piled them into a macabre seat. "Now, we can talk."