Chapter 2: New Century (Epilogue)
**Chapter 661: It’s Already Too Late**
Andor’s young prince, Tolanda, witnessed the entire Pure-blood’s Transformation Ritual, and he felt a sense of dread. He couldn’t comprehend how the old man had suddenly turned into a monster, nor how the young man had coughed up black blood. The monster’s scream gave him an indescribable feeling of nausea. It was like stuffing a handful of live cockroaches into his mouth, and he could even feel them squirming in his mouth, throat, and stomach.
With these doubts plaguing him, Tolanda finally met the King of Kairid. It was said that Kairid had two kings—brothers, one was the King, and the other was the Pope. Their powers were intertwined. In the dim light of the palace, both Legendary-grade beings wore silver masks, and their clothes were identical. The only way to distinguish them was by the weapons they carried. The Kairid King wielded a sword, while the Pope held a scepter.
“Your Majesty, I…” Tolanda’s words were cut short.
“If the King of Andor has come seeking aid, then I regret to inform you that we cannot provide any assistance to the Andor Empire. As you should have seen on your journey here, the abominations are still being produced.” Kairid King Dubois’s voice was cold and hoarse, as if his vocal cords had been torn. In reality, his mouth had been sealed with cauterized silver. The more powerful one’s strength, the more severe the restrictions on their senses.
The young man’s fate was tragic, but as rulers, Dubois and Pope Lux were even harsher on themselves. They knew perfectly well that if the two of them became contaminated, their country would be doomed.
“But… I heard that the abomination unrest in Kairid has already been suppressed…” Tolanda’s face was pale. He hadn’t expected the Kairid King to be so ruthless, refusing him outright without even mentioning any conditions.
“It has been suppressed, but suppression is not eradication. If it hadn’t been suppressed, you would have seen evil cultists running rampant in the streets. And when you reached the royal palace, you would have found two hideous monsters sitting on the throne instead of the King and Pope. Does that make my meaning clear?” Dubois said with a self-deprecating laugh.
The infiltration of evil gods was pervasive, and they could only do their best to contain it. However, this had already consumed almost all of the Kairid Empire’s remaining military strength. The Pure-bloods had to patrol the city day and night, guarding against any potential crisis.
“So that’s how it is…” Tolanda slumped to the ground powerlessly. He hadn’t realized how tenacious these abominations were. His father, however, was unaware of these details.
“Is there absolutely no way you can send aid?” he asked, clinging to a sliver of hope.
“No, I cannot take such a risk.” Dubois shook his head firmly. “The Goddess has already done enough for us. The only thing we can do is maintain the status quo. And the Andor Empire should handle its own affairs, rather than stubbornly fighting powerful sea monsters just to save face.”
Toland was speechless. His only bargaining chip was himself, and it was the least valuable one. He was neither a powerful knight nor a mysterious mage, nor did he possess any special skills. Growing up pampered by the King of Andor, he had only learned to indulge. Fortunately, he was intelligent. Everyone believed he was merely a discarded pawn. But only Tolanda understood. His father still loved him, and he knew his father also loved his elder sisters, Xena and Winnie. In this manner, he had sent them away from their troubled kingdom. As for his two elder brothers, they could not leave due to their responsibilities as heirs to the throne. They had to stay with their father at the palace gates, ready to die in a pool of blood. This diplomatic mission was doomed to fail from the start. Without any exchange of benefits, a prince or princess was, at best, a mere vessel. His father had merely attached some grandiose excuses, such as seeking revenge against the Wintery Empire or claiming that the Kairid Empire should naturally help the Andor Empire. Having been King for decades, and with Andor enjoying peace and prosperity, how could his father be such a foolish dreamer?
Perhaps, his father’s only mistake was choosing to confront the Naga. Tolanda thought sadly. But there was no other way. If they didn’t confront the Naga, the Naga would conquer Andor. And then what? His father would die, and they, the princes and princesses sheltered behind the lion, would also die. This was merely the final struggle and defiance of an aging lion facing an aggressor.
“Your Majesty of Kairid, no matter what, I wish to offer some help to my father, even if it costs me my life. I implore you, please tell me what kind of beings these abomination cultists are.” Tolanda knelt on the ground, bowing low, discarding his princely status and humbling himself to the dust.
Dubois remained silent. Pope Lux, however, gently tapped his scepter on the ground and slowly spoke. “Abominations cannot be seen, heard, or smelled. To witness their appearance, listen to their voices, or consume any part of them will result in contamination. We categorize contamination into three levels.
Level I contamination: The contaminated still hold firm to their original beliefs and possess clear consciousness, with normal physical conditions. However, they frequently hear the whispers of evil gods. Contaminated individuals at this stage can be purified by priests, but we choose to directly transform them into Pure-bloods for a permanent solution.
Level II contamination: The contaminated begin to doubt their original beliefs and gradually accept the faith of evil gods. They start exhibiting evil characteristics, such as tentacles, strange eyes, and bloodshot eyeballs. They are constantly enveloped by the whispers of evil gods and gradually sink into depravity. This transformation is irreversible.
Level III contamination: The contaminated have completely fallen into becoming followers of evil gods and possess the ability to spread contamination. At this point, they are no longer human and can transform into abomination cultists at any time, causing unrest, just like the old man you saw on your journey here.”
Lux took a deep breath and continued, “Physical means are of little effect against these abomination cultists. The best way to kill them is to burn them to ashes, whether with magical flames or Qi-based flames. Fire can purify everything. Of course, this applies only to the abomination cultists we have encountered so far. It’s uncertain if something that is not afraid of fire will appear in the future.
“Thank you for your teachings! The citizens of the Andor Empire will surely be grateful to you.” Tolanda’s heart was rocked by a storm, but he maintained his outward composure and politeness.
“It’s a small matter. If possible, I hope humanity can survive this gradually emerging catastrophe.”
Toland left the Kairid royal palace, almost stumbling. Upon returning to the post station, he closed the doors and windows. Without even taking off his clothes, he immediately found a scroll and writing materials to write a letter to his father. In the letter, he detailed the terrifying nature of the abomination cultists. He pleaded with his father to focus his efforts on dealing with these abominations.
A week later, on an early winter morning, this letter, after several exchanges, finally reached King Castro of Andor. He was standing on the city wall, his gray eyes appearing even more somber through the gunsmoke of war. The wrinkles on his face were deep and intricate, as if in a mere week, he had transformed from a relatively spirited middle-aged king into an old man on the brink of death. Below the city wall, a combined army of Orcs and humans was fighting a desperate battle against the Naga legions. And the day before he received this letter, scouts had returned reporting that the elite army sent to suppress the abomination cultists had been completely annihilated. The current extent of the abomination cultists’ development was unknown, as most of the scouts had died, and even the one who returned alive ultimately failed to escape the gradual mutation.
Now, Castro knew. The scout was already at Level II contamination, and reaching Level III was inevitable.
“It’s already too late,” Castro sighed. His gaze flickered to the left side of the city wall, where the figure of the Naga Empress appeared in the azure ocean currents, walking step by step towards him. This time, he did not flee. His rough hands tightened their grip on his sword hilt.
