Chapter 570: Demon’s Grand Orchestra
The demonic energy was being exposed to the air by the explosion of thousands of Death Worms. Among the total human population of 3 billion, Demonic Energy had spread via demon pollen into the bodily systems of about 2.7 billion mundane people.
That was a number so staggering that it amounted to almost one-third of Axel’s former home planet, Earth’s total population.
Gareth’s hand shook as he held onto the blade, having pierced the heart of Axel, who had already gone unconscious. He gritted his teeth; beneath the mask, tears fell from his eyes.
This was why.... this was the reason why he had been hesitating all this while. Trying to object to this disastrous plan in any way possible.
The thought of betrayal flashed past his mind a million times, the reason why he had tested Axel on the battlefield by deliberately not saving Sophia.
He could not help but think of the moment when Axel had revealed this plan to him, because this harrowing cruelty, executed by the demon, was not carried out in mere days or months; it took years of design and effort.
Because if one examined it closely, they would see a pattern in how the humans were falling to this demonic disease. It was the same as what had happened to the people of Santak village, the place where Axel had retrieved the Demonic Integration Plant from. [Chapter - 11]
From the slightest contact with the Demonic Energy, it spread from one cell of the human body to every other, like a parasite laying eggs on a foreign body and spreading its influence.
Following the same pattern as the cancer cells created by Cedric Stormscribe, Axel’s Runic master, within the trial. [Chapter - 79]
But for this cancerous disease to spread, a source of it needs to already exist within the mundane human body, no matter how minuscule it may be, which is why Axel had poured a large amount of blood onto the Giant River of the Great Samartan Kingdom, which was one of the prominent rivers that branched through all of humanity, reaching every major or minor city and town. [Chapter - 492]
Even though it was but a mere drop in the ocean, some trace of that blood still found a way into the bodies of about 2.7 billion people.
But that small trace of corruptive demon blood was dormant due to its small quantity, and a trigger was needed. That would make it erupt and cause it to spread like the cancerous disease it was.
For that, he had procured a massive amount of hatchling Death Worms, demonised those Beasts, and Gareth was instructed to plant them all over humanity. [Chapter - 501]
And Axel had not merely planned out how it should go, but the aftermath of it as well, where the blame for all of this would be pinned on Arclight.
Because the 6th phase Death Knight Zeledin, due to his dealings with the Suncrest King, had revealed to Leonidas that Osiris was from Arclight. [Chapter - 538]
This was also the reason why Axel had told the twin souls, Lebron and Leroy, to move out of Arclight. [Chapter - 501]
As for Neil Croft, he also should be far out of Arclight for now.
As the tears of blood slid down Gareth’s cheeks, he could feel it all, all of humanity drowning in insidious and eternal despair. The amount of negativity was too much... it was too damn much.
The forger clenched his jaws and assured himself desperately, ’It’s fine, everything will turn out alright, everything will be ok. Just like he promised, he will definitely do so... he will definitely correct it all.’
Because that was the Demon’s Grand Orchestra...
***
Meanwhile, outside of the battlefield.
The three Kings continued hurling their combined most destructive attacks towards the golden shimmering barrier.
Felt the death worms crawl out of all the lands and explode. They only realised the severity of the situation when the disease started to spread.
All three of them stopped and dashed towards their kingdoms; the horror on their faces could not be any more obvious.
Even though this demonic disease did not affect any of the seekers, as even the initial 1st-phase seeker seemed immune to this corruption.
But that didn’t matter, because the total number of seekers within humanity only amounted to less than 0.01% of the 3 billion population, which is 2.7 million.
If all of the mundane humans were gone, the human race might as well be finished.
Just as their figures were about to teleport away from the golden barrier, smoke resembling starlight fragments oozed out of the golden barrier. Reshaping into the veiled abstract female figure of the Spirit of Prime.
With a subtle wave of her hands, chains shot out, binding the 6th phase entities with such ease as if they were mortal.
Their figures were dragged back.
Even though humanity’s knowledge of the deeper secrets of the Eldarion continent was far from complete, the Suncrest King still knew what he was looking at: the abstract beauty made of starlight.
Leonidas screamed in such rage that it was as if he had lost his mind to insanity....
"PRIME NEXUS!!!!!"
"Those fucking Death Worms!!! You were the one shielding them from our senses!!!!"
"HOW CAN YOU DO THIS? WHY MUST YOU DO THIS?"
"JUST WHAT DID ARCLIGHT GIVE YOU, TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS?"
"WHY MUST YOU DISCRIMINATE AGAINST MY HUMANITY, AGAIN, AND AGAIN AND AGAIN??"
"ANSWER ME YOU MONSTER!!!!"
But no matter how much the King struggled to break free of the chains, he could not do so... at every moment, he could feel the billions of humans being lulled into eternal slumber by the demonic energies’ insidious, encroaching quality.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" screamed the Sun King. "TELL ME.... WHY!!!!!"
But the ethereal figure of Prime did not answer; she only snapped her fingers swiftly.
A soft wave of power spread out from her, and in the moment that wave hit the bodies of the three kings, they collapsed, losing their consciousness.
The abstract female looked into the distance towards the fleeing figure of Zabiur Ulpranak, who was far beyond the Human Lands at that moment, deep in the trenches of the seas.
Then her eyes gazed at the bleeding figure of Axel; her eyes flashed with a mix of sadness and pity, and as if answering the lingering question of the Sun King, she whispered,
"Because this is..... the only way."
***
All of Axel’s demonic subordinates were still pouring their demonic energies onto the dying, unconscious figure of the Absolute Runecaster.
Eventually, the moment when all their demonic energy reserves ended, the eight demonic thralls of the Demon of Despair chanted in unison once more.
"Demon Hal Vasa,..."
"Demoras Gal Rasa,..."
"Vorus Mal Kaza,..."
"Xenor Phul Drazah,..."
"Kaelor Tan Vraka,..."
"Zulmar Ghul Saga,..."
"Demorax Mal Vasa!"
The instant this chant finished, Axel Nomrad’s bloody body trembled ever so slightly.
The ethereal figure of the Spirit of Prime whispered, hovering right above, her voice almost enchanting but tired,
"Activate the ritual of Ancestral Demonic Ascension"
[Activating the forbidden bloodline evolution ritual of Ancestral Demonic Ascension.]
[Processing all data, processing all conditions.]
[Sacrifice necessary for the ritual has been detected]
[The negative emotions of all 2.7 billion humans, as well as the corruption of demonic energy running through their veins, have been designated as the ritual’s sacrifice.]
[Designating the correct process of extraction....]
[Initiating Extraction....]
Rumm!!!
Rummmmm!!!!
Rummmmmmmm!!!!
A strange sound seemed to buzz endlessly throughout the heavens; from every unconscious human afflicted by the Demon Disease, a dense black smoke began to ooze from their bodies.
That Black smoke was all the negative emotions held by each soul. Now being forcefully pulled out by an invisible force.
The various seekers of humanity who were desperately trying to awaken the unconscious humans and cure the mundane people by any means possible hurriedly stepped back, seeing ominous black smoke rising from the unconscious bodies.
The amount of black smoke coming out of one body might be insignificant, but when the number of them reached a staggering 2.7 billion.
All the smallest of black smoke gathered together to form black clouds made of the purest negativity, which blocked the brilliance of the sun.
Those black clouds naturally flowed towards the battlefield, with small chunks coalescing into larger ones. As if condensing slowly but surely into a gigantic expanse of blackness.
[Determining the conversion process of all the accumulated negative emotions into the sin of despair.]
[Initiating conversion....]
As all of the pitch-black clouds condensed right above the bloody battlefield. Streaks of black lightning rumbled nonstop...
The Demonic thralls of Axel had already moved to the edges of the battlefield out of caution, knowing that what was about to happen would be extremely violent.
Rrrrr-rumble... Brooommmm...
Suddenly, droplets of pitch-black liquid began to pour down, but amid the falling black rain, those black droplets seemed to burn in a blackish flame.
As black drops of condensed attribute of the purest essence of ’Despair’ hit Axel’s bloody body, skewered with weapons.
His body caught on black flame, almost as if it were about to burn down.
The abstract visage of the Spirit of Prime, hovering just above Axel’s burning figure, suddenly disassembled into starlight fragments and glittering smoke.
Still, those glittering particles did not return to the three Black Pillars, but entered into the burning body of Axel Nomrad.