Chapter 726: The Resurrected Corpse
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 726: The Resurrected Corpse
"My King... in the end, it must be you who acts."
Divine Will’s eyes were filled with sorrow—a sorrow stemming from the deepest reaches of his soul.
He was the most loyal of subjects, the most devout of followers. To him, the fact that such a trivial matter required his King’s intervention was the ultimate insult. It was a humiliation far greater than having a mere insect leap at his face.
But he had no other choice.
This was for the Demon Race.
And for his King.
"Please... manifest your authority."
The deep gray curtain expanded once more, temporarily isolating Muen and the other three offensive fronts.
Divine Will knelt on one knee, his posture one of absolute reverence.
"What... what are you talking about?"
An retreated warily. "I told you, I’m not your 'King' or whatever! You’ve got the wrong person!"
"You are certainly not the King yet. At least, not now."
Divine Will lowered his head and spoke softly.
"Therefore, the one I call upon... is not you."
*
Somewhere deep beneath Gutons Fortress.
The Obsidian Throne, fashioned from thorns, stood as majestic and solemn as ever. It had remained unchanged since the distant past of the river of time, and it seemed it would remain so into the eternal future.
But the lifelike, grotesque, and frenzied stone statues surrounding it had, at some point, changed their posture.
They were all prostrate.
Like subjects, they knelt in worship.
At that moment, upon the throne, a magnificent robe of colored feathers swayed slightly.
This was a sealed space guarded by terrifying rules; there was no airflow, let alone wind. Therefore, the movement of the finery was not caused by any external disturbance, but because...
The skeleton on the throne had moved.
The skeleton, draped in the luxurious robe, slowly shifted from its reclined position to sit bolt upright.
She sat like a true monarch, hands resting on the armrests, looking down haughtily at her kneeling subjects.
A faint glimmer seemed to flash within her deep eye sockets, and then—
Vrrr—!
Accompanied by a piercing hum, a crown rose!
It was a crown unlike any other Crown Bearer’s.
It was not brilliant, nor did it emit any soft glow. The patterns carved upon it were a blur—the sun, moon, stars, and all things in creation were fractured and ruined.
Yet, the moment it appeared, the entire city of Gutons Fortress began to shake violently, as if some ancient magical beast beneath the city was shifting its massive bulk.
There was, of course, no magical beast beneath the city.
This tremor was born solely from the power of the crown itself!
A power sufficient to make an entire city tremble!
This was a Crimson Crown.
And the moment it floated into the sky, the entire Abyss was dyed the color of blood.
Even the Holy Light and the Black Sun seemed to dim under that crimson reflection.
"What the hell is this now?"
Muen slammed a fist against the gray curtain, his face turning even paler.
Even if he hadn't reached that level, and even though he had never heard of a crimson crown, he instinctively felt that things were bad.
Extremely bad. It was that feeling when a high-energy BGM suddenly starts playing, signaling the premature arrival of a final boss.
Dammit, are the Demons really the standard villain template for a Soaring Phoenix novel?
You beat the small fry, the old guy shows up. You beat the old guy, the ancient geezer shows up. You beat the ancient geezer, and now even the dead ones are popping out!
It was the perfect stepping-stone progression for a protagonist to level up.
But he had never heard of a plot where everything was squeezed into less than half an hour!
What kind of cheat code lets you finish half a book's worth of content in thirty minutes? I want that right now!
No wonder Ariel exited the stage so quickly. Is this the protagonist’s instinct for self-preservation? I have to respect it.
Muen gritted his teeth, continuing to drive the Black Sun to grind against and attack Divine Will.
But he knew that the current situation was no longer something he could control.
Still... how could a man say he can't handle it?!
"To hell with your 'Divine Will'! Just die!"
Black flames roared, continuously tearing through the obstruction of the gray curtain. Muen finally managed to take a step forward, throwing a punch—
"It is useless."
Muen’s punch hit nothing but air, as he was quickly submerged in an endless crimson tide, rendered unable to move once again.
Divine Will looked at him, his expression utterly calm.
"It is completely over."
*
"This is..."
The Judgment Archbishop’s brow furrowed. She waved her hand, and more Holy Light crosses fell mercilessly.
She had pierced Grand Duke Divine Will’s Domain again. At this rate, she would only need three minutes to completely erase this "soul fragment."
However...
The blood-red light expanded, swallowing all the Holy Light crosses. The Goddess’s judgment had pierced Divine Will’s defense, but it failed to fall into the city.
That crimson light was far more terrifying than she had imagined.
"A blood-colored crown... what on earth is that?"
The Judgment Archbishop had read through all the ancient texts in the Holy City since she was a child, yet she had never heard of the existence of a crimson crown.
While the crowns of Crown Bearers were still shrouded in mystery, this crimson crown defied all common knowledge.
Was there something she had never—
"Retreat for now."
The Judgment Archbishop suddenly heard a warm, mellow voice, and her expression immediately turned respectful.
"His Holiness the Pope."
"Retreat..."
The Pope appeared on the other side of the Gate of the Holy Domain, calmly looking down at everything happening in Gutons Fortress.
Even the surging crimson light failed to cause the slightest ripple in his expression.
"Since that person... or rather, the corpse they left behind has acted, it is impossible to settle things with Grand Duke Divine Will today."
"I understand, but..."
"Let him be."
"No, we can't!"
Liya suddenly interrupted the Judgment Archbishop, her voice filled with anxiety.
"Muen is still there! Divine Will doesn't matter, but Muen..."
"Don't worry," the Pope said. "Bad seeds don't die easy. That kid won't die that easily, and that annoying old bastard won't let him die either."
"But..."
"There are no 'buts.' The fact that the boy got himself involved in this might be a karma he is destined to bear. The mess that old bastard left behind is not something our Church is obligated to clean up. We have already done more than enough."
"But, but... how does that conflict with saving Muen?"
Liya puffed out her cheeks, still unable to set her mind at ease.
Seeing his own "cabbage" unconcerned about the end of the world but worried sick about the safety of that yellow-haired pig, the Pope couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
"Then let us watch until the end," he said. "If I’m not mistaken, that move is about to come."
"That move?" the Judgment Archbishop asked, puzzled.
"Just watch..."
The Pope stood with his hands behind his back and said:
"If I am right, we are about to see a glimpse of the source of all this."