Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord

Hughes’ will instantly spread through the Mind Link, echoing across the Fortress within the furious roars of the Banshees stationed on every battlefront.

The masses of White Bones surged like tides, crashing against the dike formed by the Expeditionary Army. Yet at this very moment, it was as if the dike itself had risen to its feet.

The soldiers of the Expeditionary Army grinned ferociously as they lifted their guns. The Machine Souls, burning with fury, responded in thunderous roars. The battlefront that had been constantly pushed back finally began its counteroffensive!

Ash’s thick serpentine tail coiled like a powerful spring. She slammed it hard against the wall, propelling herself into the sea-like wave of White Bones.

In the next instant, the Dragon’s Breath Cannons fired in all directions. As she twisted her body, she forcibly carved out a sea of fire.

Bullets clanged against her heavy armor like musical accompaniment—this Fortress had become her stage.

The White Bones flowed into the Fortress with the White Mist, seeping through cracks like liquid. Yet when they tried to retreat, they found the mist had already vanished.

Several Banshees seized the opportunity to block the Fortress exits. Their towering figures stood like iron gates, sealing the tide of White Bones inside.

Laughing wildly, they swept their Dragon’s Breath Cannons across the battlefield, killing recklessly without even bothering to aim.

The soldiers of the Expeditionary Army fired with whatever weapons they had—machine guns, rifles—and some even tried to rush forward carrying explosives, only to be tackled down by their comrades.

“Don’t use explosives indoors, damn it!”

The only one unhappy in the chaos was Kyle.

He stared dumbfounded at Alexei, pointing at himself.

“Collect the White Bones? Me?”

“Yes. Try to gather those that are still intact and, well, ‘alive.’ They might be valuable for experimentation. Be careful—and put on protective gear.”

Alexei patted his shoulder and turned to leave.

Kyle looked at the soldiers charging and shouting, swallowing hard.

“Stop fighting! Damn it, stop! Someone come with me to the logistics department—get me some brooms first!”

He gazed hopelessly at the bone fragments crumbling to dust on the floor.

“Nora, you must understand—only our Silent Sanctum can stop the White Calamity,” Ignati said solemnly.

Hunter and the others, together with the Buriers of the Silent Sanctum, were traversing the wilderness of the Northlands. Fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—they had avoided the railway lines during their departure, so they had yet to encounter any mist.

“The White Calamity—also known as the Sanctum of Forgetting—was created by those traitors. When facing the end times, they chose to flee, splitting the Sanctum apart. They opened a passage between the mortal world and the Sea of Unawareness, shrouding everything within the White Mist.”

“You mean... the White Calamity was caused by the Silent Sanctum?”

“By the traitors of the Silent Sanctum,” Ignati replied, his tone heavy. “At the founding of the Five Great Churches, each had two sects interpreting doctrine differently—like the Candlelight Emblem, which seeks to seal knowledge and bind pollution, and the Moths Chasing Fire, who pursue knowledge by abandoning everything. We were the same.”

“The Buriers and the Forgotten. We chose to bury ourselves, to become an undying wall protecting the living. The Forgotten chose to escape, creating a kingdom of eternal remembrance above the mortal realm. Those who entered had to abandon their flesh and their past.”

Grisha listened intently, while Hunter was trembling all over, large drops of sweat rolling down his forehead.

“Uh... Patriarch Ignati, I’m just an ordinary noble of the Empire. Theology’s never really been my thing. Why don’t you all go to the Fortress first? I’ll just... head home for a bit.”

As he spoke, he tugged at Grisha’s arm, trying to leave.

Was he kidding? Everything Ignati said was top-level Church secret—who could just walk away after hearing that?

Hunter always thought religious people were a bit insane—what if they decided to kill him to silence him later?

“Lord Hughes protect me... Lord Hughes protect me...” he prayed frantically in his heart.

“Don’t trouble yourself over such things, my lord,” Ignati sighed. “All of this will soon become history.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Silent Sanctum has already lost the Bone-White Ravens. We can no longer protect our own people. So... perhaps it’s time to bury the White Calamity and the Silent Sanctum together.”

Nora’s eyes widened as she slowly turned her head—this was the first time she had spoken since the return journey began. “You mean... to perish with them?”

The Patriarch nodded simply.

“The so-called White Calamity is nothing but another Sanctum created by the Forgotten. We possess a creation known as the White-Bone Sanctum. It allows us to retain consciousness within the White Calamity, preventing immediate loss of memory—but only for a very short time, barely enough to act.”

“However, that is enough to activate the Burial Ritual. The final eruption of a Burier’s power is the strongest among all Transcendents—capable of touching the Trident Gate for an instant. And if the entire Silent Sanctum were to unite... nothing in this world could stop us.”

“Though our souls would be forever damned, if it meant erasing the White Calamity completely... it would be worth it.”

Nora stared at Patriarch Ignati for a while, then swept her gaze slowly across the other Buriers of the Silent Sanctum.

“You’ve all decided already?”

“Of course, Little Nora. You’re not the only one who wants to save those refugees!”

“I’ve long grown tired of living. This world’s rotten beyond repair.”

“Indeed. For centuries, civilization has decayed further and further. There’s no hope left.”

“The land of the Bone-White Ravens is lost. Keeping this Sanctum serves no purpose—better to bring peace to the mortal realm.”

The priests of the Silent Sanctum replied calmly, their tone not of those heading to their deaths, but of travelers going on an outing.

Hunter suddenly understood why only Transcendents had come—no Mortals.

They were a group of people attending their own funeral—why bring others to burden them?

Then, an idea struck him, and he hurriedly asked, “You said the White Calamity was created by the Forgotten, right? So why not just persuade them? If persuasion’s not your strength, I happen to know a Lord whose Expeditionary Army is excellent at persuasion...”

After all, Grand Duke Alvarez had surrendered before anyone even spoke a word—if that wasn’t persuasive, what was?

But Ignati only shook his head. “The Forgotten abandoned everything to escape—their pasts, their human flesh. Transcendents may have drifted far from humanity, but once you forsake the human part entirely, you can never regain it.”

“They have become mindless White Bones, with no past, no future, and no death. They have achieved true immortality—an eternity more complete than that of the Buriers. From that perspective... they have, in a sense, succeeded.”