The Last King Of Darkness

"No! It still leads to destruction!" Rod said in a low voice.

The pages of the Book of Knowledge froze in midair. "How could mental domination destroy the world?"

"It’s the Outer God Insect Queen. The hive will of its brood can even control some of the weaker monsters; for living beings, that’s an irresistible force. And behind the Insect Queen looms the figure of the Primordial God—that immeasurably terrifying and twisted power, very similar to the bizarre Ancestor. I can’t be sure if it is Him, but awakening this consciousness is absolutely not a trivial matter."

The Book of Knowledge hesitated. "Could it be Darkening?"

Rod said in a low voice, "Let’s try."

However, no Miracle appeared. When he entered the Dream Realm once more, he saw only endless darkness. All things were in absolute deathly stillness, and faintly, a boundless colossal shadow could be seen shrouding the sky above.

[Sky Demon Destruction]

Rod’s heart sank to rock bottom. Mephit’s three Soul Ripples all foretold destruction; not a single one could be used.

Could she truly be the Son of Destruction?

Is killing her the only choice?

For some unknown reason, Rod’s instincts stopped him from doing so. A faint tactile sensation tugged at his Soul, awakening his slumbering Spirituality. The feeling was very strange, as if a long-hidden Spirit had been called awake.

"No, this isn’t right. There must be a way!"

"Is it that Humanity is insufficient?" the Book of Knowledge guessed. "If there were enough Humanity, perhaps it could awaken Mephit’s will and restore her original emotions."

Just then, Asa suddenly shouted wildly, "I saw it, I saw it—Mephit, our Cause of Destruction, our star of hope, our flame of light and fog of darkness, our salvation and our annihilation... Seizing her is the key to our final Victory!"

It paused for a moment, then shouted.

"Polluted Humanity—she cannot consume Humanity; she must eat corrupted Humanity. Only rot can make the Spirit Flower of her heart bloom!"

Rod’s eyes flew wide. His gaze instantly turned to the extreme distance of the Dream Realm. There lay a filthy lake—those were the innumerable fragments of corrupted Humanity from the soul of the Human Demon. After the Human Demon’s soul was Devoured, this Pollution, which was hard to Purify, had been placed in the Dream Realm and carefully preserved to prevent any leakage.

The Book of Knowledge had originally planned to figure out how to deal with them after its master became a True King. It had not expected them to be of use at such a moment.

"Are you sure, Asa?"

"I’m sure!" Asa yelled madly, destiny’s Golden Light bursting from every seam of its binding. "This is my most perfect, most exquisite, most powerful prophecy—there is not the slightest error! By virtue of this prophecy, I will rise to yet another tier, seize destiny by its ponytail, and make it submit to my control!"

Rod suppressed the excitement in his heart and brought Mephit before the corrupted Humanity lake. Almost by instinct, Mephit’s Soul began to boil. An invisible suction arose, drawing up that filthy, murky, viscous liquid. That dense yellow dragon of sludge ran straight through her Soul.

No one knew how long had passed. The entire lake had dried up, leaving behind only an incomparably vast pit. Mephit stood where she was, still breathtakingly beautiful, radiant and beyond mortal measure. A powerful Source Law rose within her Soul; her three Soul Ripples were unshackled all at once, and terrifying Ripples spread outward from around her!

"Unbelievable!" the Book of Knowledge shouted. "The power of three quasi-Kings shines upon her simultaneously. They are clearly demarcated yet coexistent, as though she had three Souls. This is three Source Vessels!"

At last, Divine Light appeared in Mephit’s silver-white eyes; her consciousness was returning, and her pupils finally found focus. "Rod... is that you?"

Rod answered at once, "It’s me!"

"Where... am I? What is this place? Why do I feel my consciousness sliding into madness? A compulsion to annihilate everything is rising within my mind. I—I want to raze the Royal City, extinguish the Holy Fire, slaughter everyone, and shatter all the roots of my torment."

Rod’s heart jolted. Mephit still had not escaped the pull toward destruction. Could Asa’s prophecy be wrong?

Asa flapped its pages frantically, destiny’s Golden Light flashing in agitation. "No, this is impossible! How could this be?"

Mephit’s Spiritual Energy aura began to spiral out of control. She murmured, "Torment, isolation, fear, wariness, loathing, hatred—why, why, why? In this world, I have never received love... Then yes, it should all be destroyed!"

An even more formidable destructive power rose from her Soul. Asa suddenly cried out, "It’s the Supreme Will! She is not the Angel Envoy of the Primordial Divine King Atos; she is the Angel Envoy of the Supreme Will! I can smell an aura akin to Malice, yet far vaster than Malice. The Supreme Will planted the Cause of Destruction within her Soul. It is twisting her mind, master!"

Rod’s eyes widened. Invisible Ripples spread from Mephit’s Soul. Even the Dream Realm’s defenses could not block this influence; it seemed to originate from her very being.

But what am I to do? Even the Dream Realm cannot isolate this. This is the seed within her Soul, a part of her Soul. How can I cut it off?

Mephit’s gaze grew turbid, and an unprecedented despair surfaced on her face. This was the first time Rod had seen such an expression on her. Suddenly, something in his heart was struck. A nameless awareness told him what she needed.