**Chapter 534: Spirit Summoning**
In the depths of Dead Eagle Valley, where the tomb had been blasted open countless times, Moen sternly reprimanded the Savior Faction soldiers who were hauling explosives into the tomb’s interior. The soldiers immediately offered explanations, but it was clear that Moen was not accepting their reasoning.
“No matter the situation, now is not the time to forcefully pile up explosives! Put everything down!” Moen commanded loudly, his tone brooking no argument. Hearing his words, the soldiers hesitated for a moment before one who appeared to be a captain spoke up.
“But… we have already received Lord Shahab’s orders.”
“I am in charge here! You go back and tell Shahab that if he wants everyone to survive, then he must listen to me! Put down what you have in your hands, or don’t blame me for taking action.”
Moen’s tone gradually shifted from a command to a threat. Listening to him, the soldiers exchanged glances and then began to set down their boxes before withdrawing from the scene in small groups. Before long, all the members of the Savior Faction had completely vacated the tomb, leaving only Moen behind.
After ensuring that the soldiers had all left, Moen silently continued toward the center of the hall. Shortly thereafter, he arrived at the giant stone columns and the imposing “Silence” magical array, staring at the iron cup above it, carved with skull decorations in the Northern Ufeiga style, resembling an ancient oil lamp.
This iron cup, known as the Phantom Pulling Lamp, was one of the burial items in the Rahmann Royal Tomb and was the most precious object unearthed so far. Using this Phantom Pulling Lamp as the core, Moen had constructed the large “Silence” ritual before him, summoning the undead to help Karnak hold its ground. However, given the current circumstances, this army of over a thousand undead could not withstand the full offensive of the Shadi forces. From the various battlefields filled with undead, Moen could sense the pervasive disadvantages for Karnak on all fronts, making the impending collapse of the Karnak defensive line entirely predictable.
Thus, in this difficult moment, instead of using this precious Divine Blessing Object to save the crumbling defenses of the Savior Faction, it would be wiser to employ it for something more practical.
With such thoughts, Moen waved his hand, and instantly, the magical array on the ground dimmed, the Phantom Pulling Lamp that was floating mid-air plummeted downwards. Moen stepped forward and caught the falling lamp, then placed it back at the center of the array.
Next, Moen took out a large box of bone powder he carried with him and started modifying the large magical array on the floor. After altering several inscriptions and symbols, Moen stepped out of the array and examined the newly drawn array before him. He took a deep breath and then knelt on the ground.
If Nephnis were here right now, she would recognize this magical array well; it was the spirit summoning array that Uta had taught her.
Kneeling before the array, Moen spread his arms wide and began to chant earnestly. As he sang, the magical array in front of him started to emit a faint glow, which grew increasingly intense until, in a burst of dazzling light, it vanished, and a translucent humanoid figure appeared above the array.
This was a spirit, dressed in a robe seemingly made from coarse fabric, adorned with animal skull totem designs, and several strands of bone necklaces made from animal remains hung around its neck. Among these necklaces was a strand made from small skulls larger than a fist. The spirit’s head was crowned with an ornate chief’s hat made from beast bones and bird feathers, exuding a strong New World style.
“Lord Chabakunka…”
Facing the spirit that appeared in the array, Moen bowed respectfully and addressed it. The spirit referred to as Chabakunka glanced at Moen and spoke in a hollow tone.
“What is the hurry? You didn’t mention such urgency when you requested support last night…”
“I-I apologize, Lord Chabakunka! The situation here has undergone significant changes. The revolutionary army in Dosa launched a surprise full-scale attack ahead of our expectations. The forces of those madmen in the Savior Faction seem to have leaked information, and the defenses collapsed incredibly fast. The situation has changed too rapidly; we don’t have much time left!
“The Adus Revolutionary Army is storming outside Karnak, and it won’t be long before both Karnak and this place are under their control. We urgently need to open the tomb; if we delay, there will be no time left!”
Filled with anxiety, Moen explained to Chabakunka. Due to the unexpected movements of the revolutionary army today, Moen was very anxious after realizing the external situation and hurriedly came into the tomb without even notifying his own people. He understood that once the attack commenced outside, Shahab would certainly give the order to blast the tomb, so Moen had to get to the tomb as quickly as possible. Fortunately, his actions had been swift, and he had successfully arrived. However, in his haste, he hadn’t even brought any attendants.
Suspended in the magical array, Chabakunka listened to Moen’s words and turned to glance at the tall stone door at the end of the staircase behind him, then spoke solemnly in a voice that resonated with spiritual authority.
“This is… the tomb of that king?”
“Yes, this is Rahmann’s resting place. Rahmann’s soul lies within, but this tomb is constructed from cold stone, which is exceptionally sturdy and has strong resistance to mystical interference; only using the master’s ritual can it be opened. The ritual is now prepared, but we are missing the most crucial item, making it impossible to proceed. Thus, I must rely on you to open this tomb…”
Moen continued addressing the spirit named Chabakunka, who silently surveyed the situation before shifting his gaze back to Moen and the Phantom Pulling Lamp at the center of the magical array. After a moment, Chabakunka spoke slowly and intently.
“Offer your body, and with this Divine Blessing Object as the core, I shall descend in your form! Ascend with great power!”
“Understood…”
Listening to Chabakunka’s words, Moen nodded earnestly. He stood up from his position and spread his arms toward the towering spirit before him. At the same time, the Phantom Pulling Lamp, which had been steadied on the ground, began to rise slowly in midair under an invisible force, merging into Chabakunka’s spirit. As this occurred, the lamp gradually transformed from solid to ethereal, becoming semi-transparent.
After merging with the Phantom Pulling Lamp, Chabakunka charged toward Moen, the illusory spirit swiftly integrating into Moen’s body. Following this, Moen slowly opened his eyes, their depths revealing a completely different brilliance from before—his body was now entirely at the service of Chabakunka.
Having taken control of Moen’s body, Chabakunka briefly tested the movement of his joints and then walked forward at a leisurely pace to the center of the magical array. He took out a sigil from Moen’s clothing, activating it to create a spark, causing the bone powder that constituted the magical array to pool around Chabakunka, mixing with soil and dust to cling to the skin of the possessed Moen, covering his exterior with a layer of gray-brown “skin.” With Moen’s features covered, Chabakunka’s own visage emerged.
Restoring his original form with the gray earth, Chabakunka moved forward, shortly arriving at the towering stone columns and the staircase leading to the stone door. Here, there stood an altar surrounded by various sacrificial items arranged in a pattern. However, the main focus of the altar was entirely empty, with six copper pillar lamps lining the front.
Chabakunka examined the sacrificial items surrounding the altar and glanced up at the stone door at the end of the staircase. After his senses swept across everything in sight, he finally fixed his gaze upon the empty space on the altar and slowly spoke.
“Missing a vessel, a pseudo vessel…”
Saying this, Chabakunka began to chant, waving his hand as several glowing spirit summoning arrays appeared around him. From those arrays, countless undead surged forth, howling and spiraling in midair, quickly amassing to over a hundred souls.
Ignoring the displeased sounds emanating from the surrounding spirits, Chabakunka waved his hand again, and immediately, the wails of the floating souls transformed into terrified screams. The souls, which had been scattered in midair, were seemingly drawn by an invisible force to a single point.
In their agony, the souls twisted and stretched, pulled into thin threads that intertwined to swiftly form a long, semi-transparent scroll floating before Chabakunka. He glanced at the scroll and waved his hand to send the soul scroll drifting toward the empty position on the altar, where it began to hover and unfold.
Then, with arms extended, Chabakunka gazed at the scroll and, in a booming voice in Northern Ufeiga, began the ritual. As his chanting echoed throughout the vast tomb, one of the six copper lamps on the altar flickered to life.
As the ritual proceeded, the copper lamps would light up one by one; when all the lamps were lit, the sacrificial ceremony would conclude, and the stone door of the tomb would creak open.
Thus, in the unoccupied tomb, Chabakunka undertook a long-unseen sacrificial ceremony of the Baruch Dynasty. As the prolonged ritual progressed, more and more lamps before the altar began to glow. By the time the fifth lamp was lit, a pair of eyes in the shadows had already locked onto Chabakunka, who was conducting the ceremony.
In the vaulted section of the tomb, amidst the towering stone columns, a woman, clothed in black and veiled, was stealthily lurking.
Nephnis, who had entered the tomb not long ago, was quietly observing the ceremony below. Doro, utilizing Nephnis’s perspective, could also see the scene unfolding beneath.
‘This guy… is conducting the royal sacrificial ceremony of Baruch! How can he perform the ceremony without the sacrificial text? What is that spirit scroll on the altar? Who is this strange fellow? What happened to Moen of the Underworld Coffin Cult? Where is he?’
Outside the tomb, on the other side of the desolate Dead Eagle Valley, Doro, cloaked in a long robe, hid behind a withered bush while watching the entrance to the blasted tomb below. She utilized the vision of Nephnis and her zombies, observing the situation inside the tomb. The circumstances within perplexed Doro, who had just arrived.
Using her electromagnetic flying carpet, Doro traversed the expansive undead security area at breakneck speed, covering more than thirty kilometers to reach Dead Eagle Valley, the resting place of the Rahmann undead tomb. Upon arriving here, Doro immediately concealed herself and dispatched zombies to scout the interior of the tomb.
Given that the flight speed of Doro’s electromagnetic carpet far exceeded that of her birds and zombie puppets, she couldn’t use the birds for reconnaissance while flying, so she had to wait until she arrived in Dead Eagle Valley to send her zombies into the tomb. Because of this, she was completely unaware of what had transpired in the tomb until then.
When Doro’s mini spy entered the tomb, what she saw was an unfamiliar old man with gray-brown skin conducting the Baruch sacrificial ritual, and he was about to finish. The Savior Faction’s Shahab and Moen from the Underworld Coffin Cult had not appeared in the tomb, and the Phantom Pulling Lamp she had been contemplating was nowhere to be found. This situation left Doro feeling quite bewildered.
Nevertheless, sensing that the old man was nearing the completion of the sacrificial ritual, Doro contemplated intervening. While she didn’t recognize him, he was clearly protected by shadows and wore the same clothing as Moen, capable of wielding the spirit scroll, indicating a link to the Underworld Coffin Cult. Regardless of what they were planning with their ritual, it was best to interrupt them.
Having made up her mind, Doro began dispatching more zombies and Nephnis to infiltrate, intending to deliver a substantial blow to the old man. However, just as all the zombies and Nephnis were in position and ready to act, a hint of hesitation crossed Doro’s mind.
‘This old man… I have almost no information on him. Would it be too reckless to strike directly? What if something goes wrong? Previously, all the undead on the battlefield lost control and scattered… could it have something to do with this old man? But if I don’t act now, his ritual will be completed soon. If I wait, there won’t be another opportunity…’
In front of the mysterious old man, Doro, who disliked striking at the unknown, suddenly found herself hesitating. Just then, a scene outside of Dead Eagle Valley caught her attention, prompting her to momentarily hold back.
At this moment, outside the tomb in Dead Eagle Valley, a group of individuals was hastily proceeding under the blazing sun. Shahab, the supreme commander of the Karnak Savior Faction, wore a grim expression as he led dozens of his subordinates angrily toward the tomb, walking from the blasted entrance toward the deep hall of the tomb.
At the front of the group, Shahab gazed at the figure in the hall, who had their back turned to him, and recognizing the familiar clothing, he shouted furiously as he walked.
“Underworld Coffin Cult imp! What is the meaning of this? My men are fighting for their lives on the frontlines waiting for your undead support! What the hell is going on with all of them losing control!? Are you playing with me?”
As he continued cursing, Shahab entered the tomb hall, while Chabakunka paid no mind to Shahab’s shouts, continuing with the ritual. At this moment, five of the lamps before the altar had already been lit.
“d*mn it! Speak to me, you Underworld Coffin Cult imp! Your undead are still out of control attacking my troops! What do you want to achieve? Answer me! Otherwise, I’ll chop off your limbs and stuff you with cow dung!”
Seeing that the figure before him remained silent, Shahab continued to berate him, his words becoming increasingly filthy as various “cultured” phrases flowed from his mouth. At this moment, Chabakunka’s body paused slightly, and the atmosphere around him turned tense.
“May you be forever cursed by the Lord. May your family drown in camel urine. Is your mouth sewn shut? Do you want me to tear it wider for you to speak, you… uh…”
Suddenly, Chabakunka, who had been conducting the ritual, paused his actions and turned to look at Shahab, who was still some distance away. When Shahab saw the unfamiliar face darken as it turned to him, he found himself momentarily frozen, wondering where Moen had gone.
Just as Shahab was lost in thought, the darkly ominous Chabakunka slowly spoke.
“Silence.”
With that, it was as if an invisible brush had begun to paint, creating a massive earth painting that radiated a powerful wave of “Silence” spiritual energy. Above the beams, the Soul Whiskers affixed to Nephnis suddenly bristled, triggering her to react like a startled cat.
In her astonishment, Nephnis sensed the familiar aura radiating from the earth painting.
“This is… the Wilderness Spirit!”
