Chapter 324: Crucial Information
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.com.
In his final moments of consciousness, Belazov caught sight of a figure standing at the edge of the debris. The figure, tall and slender with a somewhat pallid face, was reflected in his eyes. Along with the stranger, he saw a dark chain hovering in midair, at the end of which was a shadow demon, known as the “jellyfish.”
In a brief moment of clarity, Belazov recalled a sequence of events that had been veiled from his memory. He recognized the figure and remembered seeing him at various critical points: standing on the shore when Belazov arrived at Dagger Island, walking beside him in the “secret chamber,” and being present in the cabin when he returned to the Seagull.
Belazov’s eyes widened, and his burnt skin seemed to crack. He wanted to shout, to speak, but all he could produce was a faint hissing noise from his chest. Simultaneously, the tall, slender figure with the pale face finally lowered his gaze to the dying general.
“I concede, I was careless,” the man spoke calmly, with no emotion in his tone, as if addressing a decaying log rather than a person. “When you were wandering the ship, I assumed you were merely inspecting the various stations. General Belazov, I must admit, your performance was quite convincing.”
Belazov stared at the stranger, fury simmering within him, but he could no longer control his once-powerful body.
“What a shame, you were on the verge of becoming a ‘Messenger,'” the tall, slender man shook his head regretfully. “Introducing the Nether Lord’s glory to the city-states, liberating the tormented commoners from their corrupted shells, and ushering in the first paradise in this defiled and twisted ‘reality’—such a magnificent opportunity, and you squandered it… Just a little further to go.”
“He…retic…” Belazov forced a faint sound from his chest, his teeth and bones grinding together. “You… will not… touch…”
“Conserve your energy, General,” the tall, slender man stepped forward, gazing down at the dying man amidst the wreckage. “Embrace your demise peacefully, and the Nether Lord’s blessings will grant your pitiful body new life. You have forfeited your chance to become a Messenger, but the compassionate Nether Lord will not abandon your anguished soul…”
With this seemingly enchanting murmur, the tall, slender man slowly extended his right hand, and the jellyfish floating behind him ascended and squirmed, emitting a progressively bright red radiance from its vapor-like form. The crimson light reflected in Belazov’s dimming eyes, and his body grew cold—his consciousness seemed to vanish, no longer responding to the outside world.
“It required more effort than expected,” the tall, slender man shook his head, finally showing some emotion. “Damn it, if it weren’t for that queen… Tsk.”
Eerie, viscous slithering and sliding sounds began, and the seawater around the debris generated abnormal black foam. Within the foam, odd mud-like substances emerged and steadily spread toward Belazov’s body.
Yet, just before the mud-like substances could touch his body, they abruptly halted. Even the turbulent seawater nearby seemed to freeze and stagnate.
The tall, slender man gazed in astonishment, instinctively trying to reconnect with the “jellyfish” to harness the spell’s power and complete the ritual. But in the next moment, he saw the previously unresponsive general stir.
“Your resilience is truly remarkable,” the tall, slender man furrowed his brow, “Wouldn’t it be wiser to accept your fate peacefully, General Duncan?”
“No,” the muscular body lying in the wreckage’s center, nearly charred to a crisp, opened its eyes again, calmly staring at the Annihilator, who shared a symbiotic relationship with the shadow demon. “Continue, ‘if not for that queen’, what were you going to say next?”
The tall, slender man blinked.
Something was amiss!
He didn’t know what had transpired, but all his instincts screamed with alarm. A dreadful sense of impending danger flooded his soul. He stared intently at the body that had reopened its eyes, instinctively wanting to retreat, but found his legs momentarily disobedient!
Soon after, the tall, slender man noticed the peculiar transformation in General Duncan’s body—his breathing was steady and robust, his voice deep and composed, and his eyes brimming with vigor. The man who had been on the brink of death moments ago now seemed fully revitalized!
The general even sat up!
“‘If not for that queen’, what were you going to say next?” Duncan rose to his feet, his imposing height allowing him to look down on the cultist before him. He stared into the man’s eyes, his tone solemn and composed, “The queen you mentioned, is it the Frost Queen ‘Ray Nora’?”
As he spoke, his gaze fell upon the jellyfish hovering in midair, which had already begun to react.
The shadow demon could detect things ordinary people could not. Although the jellyfish lacked sensory organs, it seemed to “see” the truth within the scorched body. It trembled, its quivering growing more intense, with tendrils of black shadow escaping its edges, prying open the passage between the deep sea and the real world.
Duncan felt a twinge of regret: if not for this shadow demon, it would have been easier to maintain the facade of a dying general and gather more information.
“Who are you?!” The Annihilator finally grasped the situation. The intense sense of incongruity and the persistent danger signals from the symbiotic demon alerted him to the gravity of the situation. Even if he couldn’t deduce what had occurred, he was certain the soul within the body before him was no longer the original. “If you’re just passing through, I have no intention of instigating conflict with you…”
“Resorting to civility now?” Duncan raised an eyebrow, sensing the cultist before him was more cunning than those he encountered in the graveyard. “Then you might as well tell me what you and your comrades have planned, and how it involves the ‘the Frost Queen’?”
As he spoke, he glanced up at the jellyfish hovering in midair, “Don’t even think about escaping.”
The vaporous jellyfish trembled violently, and the black fissures surrounding it shattered and dissipated, emitting a sharp tearing sound.
The demonic chaos was simple-minded, but driven by instinct, it seemed to “heed advice.”
The tall, slender man realized his symbiotic demon had attempted to open a hidden passage, causing a delayed fear to grip his mind. But he had no time to communicate with his demon now, as the “intruder” occupying the general’s body cast a calm but cold gaze at him.
“I… am merely a nameless pawn,” he raised his head, looking into Duncan’s eyes, his face trying to muster a smile, “I don’t know the entire plan, you…”
“Then who knows the whole plan?” Duncan asked impassively, “And where are they hiding?”
“My comrades… they…” The tall, slender man spread his hands, his face displaying a strained smile, “They will be honored because of me—”
Duncan’s brow furrowed, and before he could react, a surge of intense energy erupted from the cultist’s body. The next moment, his entire body swelled like a balloon and exploded into a fireball! Duncan barely had time to raise his hand; dark green flames formed a barrier, blocking and neutralizing the flames and impact. By the time the explosion subsided and the surrounding sea calmed, the cultist had been reduced to ashes.
Only a dissipating black cloud of smoke remained—the jellyfish rapidly disintegrating and vanishing after losing its host.
Duncan stared at the scene, taking time to process it, but could only sigh at the few fragments near the wreckage, “These depraved individuals are truly tenacious… What am I saying? They wouldn’t have fallen for a cult if their minds were sound.”
He shook his head.
The cultist had been obliterated, and there was no point in lamenting. Although he hadn’t obtained more clues, his “possession” had already yielded considerable information.
The most useful piece was undoubtedly the mention of the “queen.”
It seemed the Frost Queen, who perished in a rebellion half a century ago, had caused significant trouble for the cultists. This trouble persisted to this day, requiring them to exert extra effort in their actions.
Duncan stroked his chin, musing as he looked up.
The night was dark, and the faint glow of the World’s Creation dimly lit the distant sea surface. The lights of the city-state coastline were visible at the sea’s edge.
Dagger Island’s location remained a mystery, but it was evidently not far from Frost mainland.
Duncan resolved to use this body to travel to Frost—it appeared terrible, but at least it wouldn’t disintegrate like the previous one.
Taking a breath, he walked to the edge of the wreckage and mentally called out to Ai, preparing to have her transport him to the nearby coast.
However, the next second, his movement abruptly halted, causing him to look down in bewilderment.
This body… was resisting his commands.
Gosh I love how the author constantly shows us the power scaling, it’s still exciting to see how op Duncan is.
Indeed
“General Duncan”
If only he had any measure of control over his reality-rewriting ability… As of now, it can be seen as a curse, beneficial but still a curse.
Oh, is this soul still kicking? That’s nice.
It would be nice if he can overwhelm people’s senses by revealing his true form. This cultist would (quite possibly) fail to continue his suicide. Side-effects include gaining a cult for himself.
Bezalov still fighting beyond the grave