Chapter 1330: Headache worm
Michael was completely flabbergasted. As far as he knew, from all the experiences he had with the Ersatz and the zombies that had been caught up in their lies, they had always lost their sanity.
Anyone who chose to have their Artifice in their hearts would suddenly find themselves out of autonomy. They would follow only the Ersatz missions, never straying far away from it.
At least, that’s what happened during the initial period where they had just accepted the Artifice.
This happened because most Ersatz recruits were brainwashed by the assassins that had ’converted’ them into zombies.
This was done to ensure that they wouldn’t stray far away from the Ersatz ideals. Only once months and months had passed, and once they had proved themselves useful to the Ersatz, did the brain washing stop.
But that brainwashing definitely didn’t stop a few hours after their initial acceptance of the Artifice. They would still all be under the influence of the Ersatz assassin, even if that assassin was dead.
That Red Mankey... Loren, as he was called. He must have only been an Ersatz zombie for maybe a few hours. And yet
So then, how did this seemingly normal Red Mankey be able to wash away all of that brainwashing and do something that would have killed him?
It didn’t make sense. Somehow, Loren was able to break away from the chains of Ersatz and put himself in harm’s way, in order to save his brother.
Rowan watched as his brother gain back the color and life in his eyes. The blood that had stained his fur and his hands was now disappearing. And Loren’s gash in his back was completely gone, as if it was never even there in the first place.
"Brother!" Rowan called out. "You’re okay!"
"Brother?" Loren slowly found himself able to sit up from his position. He held his head, as if it was currently nursing a nasty headache. It felt like something was crushing his entire head. It took every single willpower he had not to simply fall to the ground and scream.
Michael approached the Red Mankey brothers. "You... you have an artifice in your heart. That’s what’s causing the headache."
Rowan’s eyes’ widened. He didn’t know what that meant, but he knew that it wasn’t good. "Benevolent savior. Benevolent human. Could you find it in your heart to save my brother? If you do, then I will forever be in your debt! I will be forever in your servitude!"
"It’s not that simple. The Artifice had taken a hold of his heart, completely destroying it to take its place. If I take out the Artifice now, it would only risk your brother’s life."
Rowan slammed the ground with his fists. "I can’t... I can’t lose another family member! Please.... Please... just... just save him...."
Michael pursed his lips. "There is a way for me to save your brother’s life. But it requires your loyalty."
The Red Mankey immediately kneeled to the ground. "I will forever be your slave, if that’s what it takes."
Michael shook his head. "Loyalty is not slavery. You must feel it deep in your heart, that you will accept the ideals of Reborn. Otherwise, this will not work."
Loren could barely open his eyes from the hurt and the ache and the pain that was assaulting his brain. If he continued to feel this agony, then he would want to end his own life just to have mercy for himself.
It was at this point that Michael raised his hand. "If I awaken your talent, you will become a Rebornian. And once you are a Rebornian, I will be able to change your very body into something that will be able to survive this ordeal."
The Ersatz brainwashing must be like a worm in Loren’s brain, squirming and trying to burrow itself deeper and deeper. Any attempt Michael made in taking it out, that worm would immediately detonate itself and take Loren with it.
In short, Loren shouldn’t be able to survive this. It was natural. It was fate.
However, Michael had long forgone to follow the steps that fate had laid out for him. He had become a Nascent Spirit cultivator, one that was able to change the very threads of reality itself.
He reached deep within himself, using the power of his Nascent Influence to interact with Loren’s very soul.
He may not be able to remove that Artifice, he may not be able to remove that brainwashing worm in his brain, but that didn’t mean that Loren couldn’t adapt to his new life.
Wasn’t that Michael’s very power itself?
Adaptability.
With power coursing through his veins, a golden aura emanated out of his body and encompassed the entire Sacred Tree.
For a second, everyone felt a strange comfort in their bodies. As if they were standing in front of a hearth, right in the middle of a snowstorm. It made them feel like home.
Loren’s pained eyes started to change. The golden aura that was enveloping him was now reaching into his soul, awakening something that was latent in his body.
A golden light burst out of Loren’s heart.
And it was at this moment that both Levi and Theresa couldn’t help but gasp out loud.
They fell to their knees, their jaws completely dropped to the ground out of surprise.
They’d only seen this kind of scene once in their life. Back when they were merely ten year olds. It was when the priest had called deep into the goddess of the world and beckoned for her blessing.
It was the moment that they awakened their talent.
And right now, they were seeing that very same thing. The Red Mankey’s talent was being awakened!
The most surprising part was that there was no shrine, no priest, no blessing from the goddess in order to beckon for the demi-human’s talent.
No, it came from Michael himself! That golden-haired young man, who seemed to pull off impossible feats one after another. And this time, he had done something that was completely incomprehensible.
He had shown signs of being a Supreme Talent!