Chapter 104
Famine? Panic!
"It's over. Everything is over."
The moment the Horseman of Famine crawled out from the depths of the earth, Lia knew the tide had turned.
Granny Irene was dead, the last temple of the Lady of Harvest had collapsed with a deafening crash, the remaining Holy Knights were few and far between, and the believers were about to face the merciless revenge of the Horseman of Famine.
This land would be completely reduced to barrenness, and the shadow of hunger would once again shroud the world.
At that thought, large tears spilled from Lia’s eyes.
At the same time, the laughing figure of Famine turned his gaze toward the girl kneeling and weeping outside the temple.
"What a repulsive stench. Are you the last priestess of that wretched goddess?"
The Horseman of Famine, towering over ten meters tall, slowly approached Lia, his bone fingers rubbing together with an ear-piercing screech, mockery and scorn gleaming in his eyes. "Let me think—how should I torment you to vent the rage in my heart?"
Lia, head bowed and crying, stared at the Sickle of Harvest by her knee. The lifeless glaze in her eyes gradually brightened.
That's right. She was the goddess’s final high priestess. The goddess’s will still needed her to carry it on. Granny Irene would never want her to fall into despair.
She turned her head to look at the Holy Knights still fighting against the locusts and the undead. Her fists clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
I can't give up yet!
"I must not give up! For the glory of the Lady of Harvest!"
Once again, she raised that old and worn sickle high. A golden radiance instantly suppressed the swarming locusts and undead.
The Holy Knights let out a roar of encouragement, and in the shimmering light, Lia’s figure resembled a saint descending upon the battlefield.
The arrogant Horseman of Famine let out a painful howl under the divine light.
"Argh! No—help! Ah… just kidding."
The shrieks of the Horseman of Famine suddenly twisted into derision. With two bony fingers, he effortlessly pierced through the holy light and gripped Lia’s slender body in his palm.
The sickle in her hand once again fell to the ground.
Accompanied by a crisp "clang."
This divine artifact, which had endured for three thousand years, finally broke under the pressure, snapping cleanly into two.
The cheers of the Holy Knights came to an abrupt halt. In the dead silence that followed, only Famine’s grating laughter remained.
"Just a broken divine artifact, and you thought you could suppress me! Keh keh keh—"
"Keh keh keh keh keh keh…"
But just as he reveled in his little performance, another sinister laugh reached his ears.
"Who’s there!"
The Horseman of Famine turned his head abruptly and saw two figures had somehow appeared behind him.
He had no idea when those two had arrived, but there was no fear in his heart.
Because neither of them bore any trace of divine power.
"Master, is that your target?"
The silver-haired girl pointed at the massive skeletal figure and asked.
"Keh keh… one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse from ancient times—Famine. At his peak, he was nearly at the level of a quasi-divine being. Even after being sealed for over five thousand years, he still retains the strength of a high-tier wizard. Besides, don’t you want to try dissecting a powerful creature from the ancient era?"
Theodosius’s words made Lucy’s eyes sparkle.
The monster standing before her no longer seemed like a demon but a stunning piece of art.
That kind of look made the soulflame in Famine’s eyes flicker uncontrollably.
His instincts screamed that these two were discussing something extremely dangerous.
But having been sealed before the height of wizard civilization, Famine couldn’t comprehend the spirit-force and knowledge-driven models of witchcraft and magical energy.
Still, adhering to the principle of respecting the strong, Famine cautiously offered,
"You are no deity, but I acknowledge the power in you. I can share half of the goddess’s followers and this land with you. What do you say?"
Theodosius only smiled more cheerfully.
"Little skeleton, it seems you haven’t figured things out yet. What I want isn’t the natives of these Old Lands or this barren earth but the soulflame within you."
Upon hearing this, Famine, who had already made multiple concessions, flew into a rage.
He had merely wanted to recover for a while after being sealed for so long and get a grasp of the current world.
But he hadn’t expected this guy to truly look down on him!
It let out a roar, and countless locusts spewed from its throat.
Still clutched in its hand, Lia's expression changed drastically as she cried out a warning, "Be careful, those locusts can eat—"
Before she could finish, the scene before her forced her to swallow the rest of her words.
That seemingly ordinary gray-robed old man suddenly raised his hand, and the entire world seemed to fall into utter silence.
Countless silver threads instantly locked onto the Horseman of Famine.
And the swarm of locusts pouring forth collapsed in droves like wingless stones, falling lifelessly to the ground.
Only then did the Horseman of Famine realize the sheer stupidity of his action.
In these more than three thousand years, the world had become something completely unfamiliar to him.
The gods had fallen, yet upon the land had risen another kind of terrifying power, one rivaling the divine.
In the face of this power, the rule-based strength he had once prided himself on now resembled the bow and arrow of a primitive man.
While what they were facing—were the guns, cannons, and tanks of modern soldiers.
"No! Please have mercy! I am willing to submit to you!"
Bewilderment, fear, and panic consumed his mind.
At that moment, Theodosius had already led Lucy to stand before him.
"Demons differ from gods. Though they too wield some power of laws, they do not grow stronger by spreading faith."
Lucy curiously examined the giant creature before her.
"Then what do they rely on?"
"Certain special methods, such as harvesting negative emotions—fear, death, or perhaps..." His gaze turned to the skeletal giant. "Or the spread of famine."
"I have great use for this demon’s soulflame. You’re in luck today. Now take out your scalpel, and let’s see what secrets one of the ancient Four Horsemen might be hiding."
Lucy eagerly donned her plague doctor mask and gloves, then pulled out the "Nightwalker No. 3 Scalpel."
"Let me think… where should we start…"
He looked toward the skeleton’s chest, where a vibrant red heart throbbed within a cage of stark white bone. "Let’s start here!"
"What are you trying to do?! Stay away! Don’t! Help—"
A cluster of silver threads sealed the Horseman of Famine’s skeletal mouth, silencing him completely.
Lucy showed no hesitation in the face of the Horseman’s struggles and muffled cries.
Under the magical protection of Master Theodosius, Lucy skillfully removed each rib with her scalpel, gradually revealing the frantically beating heart beneath.
Theodosius’s gaze burned with intensity as well.
He had read Lucy’s notes on live dissection techniques and theoretical models. Even he was deeply intrigued by this emerging school of study.
"Master, could you loosen your control on it a little? I need it to attack so I can better observe the operation of its magical veins."
"Is that so!" With a wave of his hand, Theodosius dispelled the silver threads sealing its skull.
"So this is how one can observe magical energy flow!"
Watching Lucy pinpoint the exact location of the enchanted organ, then unflinchingly slice it open to expose the intricate web of magical veins within, Theodosius offered genuine praise.
Even he couldn’t locate magic inscriptions with such speed and precision.
"What a perfect skeleton... Master, may I have a portion of the bones?"
"Of course. What do you want to use them for?"
"A Flesh Construct," Lucy answered honestly.
Lucifer was still only a soft-bodied organism up to now.
"I haven’t found the organ responsible for controlling the laws."
"It should be the soulflame, but that part I need for myself—it’s too useful to give away."