Awaken!!!

Behind the Jurist's Shield, as the contamination was steadily drawn back by Ebb Tide, Tyers's expression gradually relaxed. The caster's maintenance strain was directly correlated to the operating pressure of the array. Qihe also removed the hand he had kept on Tyers's shoulder. By now, he was no longer worried that this squad captain of the Whip of Order would try to flee. To win him over and bind their shared interests, Qihe had turned a blind eye to Tyers using the layout here to conduct his blood spirit powder business—something Ruke had been deeply displeased about. In Ruke's eyes, he could accept that these women had made a noble sacrifice to mend the flaws of a divine artifact, but he could not permit that noble sacrifice to be tainted by worldly, corrupt filth. Tyers looked at the Lord Jurist standing before him. His eyes were filled with lingering dread, but beneath that dread lay a deep, hidden resentment. For during the most critical moment earlier, had anything gone awry, he would have been drained dry in an instant, his very soul sucked into the array to serve as the final handful of energy keeping it running. Without needing insight techniques, Qihe knew exactly what the squad captain behind him was thinking. The relationship among their group was simple because it was pure—a pure relationship of self-interest. Thus, there was no need to fathom any complex human nature; after all, they possessed very little of it. Ebb Tide was still underway. In ten more minutes—perhaps not even that long—the contamination would be fully retrieved. When that time came, he could dispel the Jurist's Shield, leap down, seal the remaining contamination with one hand, and crush them effortlessly with the other. No, he couldn't just crush them easily. He would torture them thoroughly. Those Succubus Eyes—he wanted them for himself. And that young man who had cast the Spear of Punishment—Qihe instinctively sensed something was wrong with him. When casting, the youth had exuded the aura of a God's Shepherd, yet he had summoned a Spear of Punishment. Reasonably speaking, quite apart from whether a God's Shepherd could even cast it... what could a God's Shepherd possibly use to fuel the condensation of a Spear of Punishment? Still, they had given him a useful idea. Once he nurtured the next "Luoya," he could also detonate the contamination source just like this, bury all those who knew anything, and emerge as the savior. Just then, Qihe saw the young man stand up. From beneath the youth's feet, an Order chain emerged. Upon seeing the chain, Qihe's gaze instantly hardened. The Order chain was practically standard issue for priests of the Church of Order, being a concrete manifestation of Order itself. Yet the chain beneath this young man gave Qihe an extraordinarily unusual feeling. It was too simple—so simple that it seemed devoid of even a sliver of spiritual power, as if conjured from thin air. Yet wasn't it supposed to be a spell? When the young man wielded it, it felt as natural, fluid, and effortless as if he were merely extending his own hand. When Qihe saw the chain extend toward the trench, his expression jolted. He immediately understood what Karen intended to do. Yet a moment later, relief washed over his face again, and he shook his head: "Heh, pointless." "My Lord... is he planning... to use Awakening?" Tyers's voice trembled now. "Likely so. He's found the second contamination source." "The second... contamination source?" Tyers felt despair surge through him. "It's futile. Beneath the trench lies a ward I placed myself. He can't detonate it. If he dares to probe inside, his soul and body will be contaminated in an instant—he might even dissolve directly into a pool of putrid pus." "That's good... that's good... My Lord... I can... barely hold on..." "You can still endure. Don't worry, it won't be long now. All of this will soon be over." Right then, the figure of a little girl poked her head out from Qihe's chest. "Did you tell him?" Qihe asked. Seeing Karen walking toward the trench below, Luoya curled her lips into a smile. She then flipped her body around to face Qihe: "Old bastard, I saw your wounds. You really are hurt badly, and there's light-attribute power lingering in them, constantly gnawing away at your body." "You would do better to look at the situation before you, for I already have it under control." "Old bastard, I don't know why, but I have a premonition. You're going to die today." With that, Luoya pushed her body further outward. But after extending a certain distance, black chains bound around her feet became visible, preventing her from fully separating from Lord Jurist Qihe's body. Even so, she obstinately turned her gaze toward Tyers, who was still straining to sustain the array: "You'll probably die tonight too." "He can't hear you." "How can you be so sure he can't? "Hehehe... The men under you, including yourself, have all betrayed Order. If they can betray even the God of Order, why would they ever be loyal to you?" "I don't need loyalty." "Hypocrite! You need *my* loyalty." "Not yours. Once this matter is concluded, I will obliterate you immediately. The next spirit of the copper coin will have nothing to do with you." "How terrifying! But do you see me being afraid?" "You will be. Any conscious entity instinctively fears extinction." "Then what about him?" Luoya pointed down toward Mr. Pavaro, who sat below with only the faintest wisp of spirituality remaining. "He doesn't seem to fear death... oh wait, extinction, does he?" Luoya flipped around again, bringing her face level with Qihe's: "Grandpa, my dear Grandpa, why aren't you speaking?" "Or does my dear Grandpa have nothing left to say?" "Hehehe. People who have lost their faith are always infuriated by those who still cling to theirs, because those people's very existence is an insult to them." "Also, Grandpa, I'm really not lying to you, nor am I trying to unsettle your mind. I genuinely feel you won't be seeing today's sunrise." "Did you speak with him a great deal?" Qihe asked. Luoya turned back around, looking at Karen below. "Yes. I sat beside him, and we talked a lot. Since the moment I was born, I've never spoken this much to a normal living person. "Oh, I forgot to count you, Grandpa. But in my book, you've long been a dead man walking." "I see. Next time, I will use magic to alter my appearance. Young girls always fancy handsome young men. Next time, when you see me, you won't call me Grandpa—you'll call me older brother." "Blegh..." Luoya leaned face down, making gagging noises. "Grandpa, you really are revolting." ... The chain beneath Karen's feet had already plunged into the trench, while he himself remained stationary. Little John stumbled over, still oblivious to what was actually happening. He saw a colossal transparent shield ahead and a mushroom cloud being compressed overhead. Instinctively, he sought out Karen, for only Karen could provide him a sense of security right now. Oh, right, and the orphanage—I'm not going to an orphanage... Wait, when was it decided I was being sent to an orphanage? "Woof!" The golden retriever barked to stop Little John, forbidding him from advancing any further to disturb Karen. Purr spoke up bluntly: "Sit down and stay still!" "Oh, okay." He accepted the talking cat quite easily. Just as "Luoya" had remarked when probing his memories, ever since Karen had prepared to kill him on the spot after he joked around in the office, he had harbored deep reverence and dread toward Karen. Little John sat down and tapped his forehead with a hand. Shrouded in such dense contamination, he felt a bit lightheaded and suffocated. Mr. Pavaro watched this, saying with a touch of sorrow, "I still think we should leave right now." He looked up toward the black mushroom cloud overhead, which had already shrunk to less than half its original size and was still being compressed. This signaled that the time left for Karen and the others to flee was dwindling rapidly. "We can try. Who knows, maybe there will be a miracle?" Purr remarked. "Relying on a miracle..." Pavaro didn't quite know how to respond. Discouraging words were inappropriate right now, but words of encouragement would sound utterly hollow. Purr didn't bother to explain further. Of course, one couldn't rely on miracles for everything. The issue, however, was that Karen possessed far too many identities and titles, all dazzlingly brilliant. Miracles didn't happen every time, but if one did, it would surely favor someone like Karen. He possessed far too many traits that miracles favored. Alfred stood beside Karen, watching his young master, whose eyes were closed. "Alfred," Karen said, his eyes shut. "I am here, Young Master." "If I fail, we die." "To die at Young Master's side is my honor." Karen gave a faint smile. Then, the sensations transmitted from the tip of the chain began to synchronize with his consciousness. Karen's expression instantly warped with excruciating pain and struggle. He involuntarily crouched down, then sank to his knees, bracing his hands against the ground before him while craning his neck upward. For he perceived an overwhelming resentment—so thick that his soul sank into it, seized by profound despair. His physiological reaction mirrored the suffocation of drowning, driving Karen to tilt his head back by instinct, as though that alone might bring his head above the "surface." Once again, Karen had miscalculated. The first miscalculation had been the Jurist's return time, because he hadn't known that what was being consecrated here was a divine artifact. This time, he had miscalculated because he had never experienced what kind of "swamp" was used to nurture the spirit of a divine artifact—how utterly terrifying that swamp truly was. Yet Karen felt no sense of defeat. When the scales of power were completely disproportionate, miscalculating in a few areas was only natural. If he were powerful enough, there would be no need for anticipation or predictions at all—just like when he had handed the list to Grandfather, and all that remained was paying house calls to make them sign their names. Regardless, managing to engineer the current situation was already quite an achievement. Karen harbored no psychological baggage. Alfred watched Karen kneeling on the ground. He didn't step forward to support him; instead, he silently cupped a hand over his mouth. Immediately, a rhythm issued from Alfred's lips. It was a deep cadence, carrying a palpable weight of oppression, yet moving along with the beat, one could discern a glimmer of hope. Mr. Pavaro stared in utter astonishment. He truly hadn't expected such a spectacle to unfold before him; the tiny sliver of spirituality left in his body seemed inadequate to help him comprehend it. Little John craned his neck. He saw Karen kneeling in agony, and beside him, Alfred beatboxing the rhythm, his body swaying to the tempo as his leather shoes tapped steadily to the cadence. For a moment, Little John felt his throat go dry. He was a playful child, a boy whose juvenile nature was fully uninhibited. In this very moment, a powerful urge abruptly welled up inside him: *I want to join in so badly!* Purr's feline jaw dropped. "Meow." *(Has he lost his mind?)* "Woof!" *(And so, his faith was born.)* Wisps of dark mist wafted from Karen. This did not originate from Karen himself; quite the contrary, it meant his body and soul were currently enduring terrifying contamination! When you forged a pact with the abyss, the abyss returned the favor with gifts of its own. Like bulging veins—except these "veins" were pitch-black—they gradually began surfacing across Karen's skin. "Aaaagh..." A pained wail ripped involuntarily from Karen's throat. ... Up on the high platform, Luoya watched the scene below with great intentness. "Tsk, tsk, feeling sorry for him?" Qihe asked. "I suddenly feel he's truly good-looking, even like this." "Rest assured, when the next you is born, I will alter my appearance to match his." "Grandpa, you don't understand. It's a feeling. Being good-looking isn't just about appearance. Some people look handsome, but the moment they open their mouths, speak, converse, or walk, they give the impression of a collapsing building. "Yet with others, when you speak with them, your emotions are naturally stirred. Their words and expressions strike a chord in your heart in an instant." "Who told you all this?" "The big sisters here. I often chat with them in my dreams. They have people they love too—some have secret crushes, some have long been married, and some even have children. "They loved talking to me about what it feels like to love someone." "Then look forward to watching with your own eyes as this young man turns into a pool of foul, putrid pus." "Even if he turns into a puddle of pus, he still won't be as revolting as you are right now, Grandpa. Hehe." Qihe began to draw his hands inward, signaling that the Ebb Tide spell was nearing completion. Behind him, the heart in Tyers's chest, which had been hanging on a thread, slowly settled. He even had the leisure to curse silently: *Ruke, why haven't you arrived yet? You're doing this on purpose!* ... Outside, Adjudicator Ruke finally began to move. He saw that the situation had been brought under control. Though he knew that stepping inside and showing himself before them now would certainly earn him a reprimand, he didn't care. Their faction had never possessed any warmth to speak of anyway. Yet just as he was about to mist his body to accelerate forward, he halted dead in his tracks, staring in utter disbelief at what was unfolding in the air before him. ... The black lines across Karen's skin grew denser and denser. From a distance, it looked as if his entire body had been slashed open with countless cuts. Though no blood flowed, the sensation was much the same. It felt as if he had become a thin balloon filled with water, while on the outside, a flurry of razor-sharp blades slashed frantically at him. He couldn't tell which slash would finally burst him, or whether he could even endure until the next blade fell. Alfred continued his "performance," utterly lost in it, completely devoted. The birth of his faith was the ultimate testament to his loyalty toward Karen. He believed Karen would stand back up—believed it unconditionally. Even if they died, he believed that for Karen, death would not be an end, merely the threshold to a new beginning. Kevin sprinted over, arriving before Karen. Seeing how agonized Karen was, he blinked his eyes. Purr hopped down from the golden retriever and glared at him. "Stupid dog, do you have any ideas?" The golden retriever shook its head. Purr asked again, "Kevin, do you have any ideas?" Kevin shook his head. Purr practically screamed, "Raniedal, do you have any ideas?" Raniedal shook his head. "You really are a useless evil god!" The golden retriever wagged its tail, stepped forward, and reached out its tongue to lick Karen's forehead. Then it crouched down before Karen, resting one paw over the other, tongue lolling out in a doggy grin. And right at this moment, the contamination within Karen reached a critical threshold. Yet just when Karen himself felt he was about to be swallowed by this horrific concentration of contamination, everything receded like an ebbing tide. Not only did the agony begin to vanish, but the sensation of suffocation swiftly faded as well. The golden retriever looked at Purr: "Woof!" *His body was personally modified by me—it was originally meant to host my own divine presence.* "Woof!" *Who am I? I am a great god! I am the great Raniedal!* "Woof!" *They all call me an evil god, so an evil god I shall be! Tell me, what place in this world could possibly be more contaminated than the body of an evil god?!* "Meow?" *(Then why was he in so much pain just now?)* "Woof! Woof!" *Just like how practicing the Spear of Punishment gave him resistance to ordinary spiritual attacks, contamination works the same way. Get contaminated enough times, and it won't hurt as much as the first!* At this moment, Karen began to slowly rise to his feet. The black chain extending from beneath his feet and plunging deep into the trench began to branch out, splitting into chain after chain that sank into the corpses floating atop the trench, and into the pale bones faintly visible beneath the surface of the water. The dense web of chains that branched out was white! Seeing this, the golden retriever's jaw dropped as well. It rose slowly to its feet, barking at the scene before it: "Woof! Woof! Woof!" This required no translation, for it was barking purely out of sheer excitement. Watching all of this, Mr. Pavaro felt his heart abruptly flood with deep emotion for reasons he couldn't name. He instinctively clasped both hands over his chest: "Praise Order!" Alfred began to speed up his rhythm. He continued his ecstatic performance, except now two trails of tears trickled from the corners of his eyes. As Karen's eyes slowly opened, the branched white chains began to emit a faint white glow, like a caress, like a whisper. The resentment from before was their weeping. In this moment, Karen felt as if he were wearing a white coat, sitting in a clinic's consultation room. But seated before his desk was not a single client, but a dense, countless throng of clients. *I am sorry.* *I cannot provide psychological counseling to every one of you, and perhaps you have no need for it anyway, as it has long lost all meaning.* *I do not have the power to save you. What lies before us cannot be altered, and your fate was sealed long ago.* *All I can do* *is unlock your shackles,* *and then* *let this city* *hear your weeping!* At this moment, Karen finally stood tall and straight. He spread his hands wide and spoke: "Awaken!"