Mydei roared, "I am Mydeimos, the God of Strife! The Lance of Fury—this world's inevitable agony!"
As he delivered this grandiose and chuuni declaration, the colossal Greatsword suspended in the sky solidified further. Its sheer scale rivaled that of the Plague Lord himself.
After all, shouldn't an enemy the size of a mountain be cleaved with a sword the size of a mountain?
Then, with unstoppable force, the Greatsword plummeted from the heavens!
BOOM—!!!
This wasn't the sound of the Greatsword striking the ground, but the explosive thunder it unleashed during its descent. When the blade finally struck the earth, sound itself seemed to lose all meaning.
Arthur's head rang deafeningly, his ears ringing with the force of the impact. He could only watch as the strike threatened to cleave the entire plane in two. At the epicenter, the Plague Lord was utterly crushed, exploding like a lump of clay, pulverized into nothingness.
Whether the Plague Lord spoke or remained silent during this cataclysmic moment was irrelevant—Arthur and his companions couldn't hear anything anyway.
As the Greatsword continued its descent, the ground within hundreds of kilometers trembled violently, as if struck by a massive earthquake. Countless Mushroom Demons scattered in panic, fleeing without knowing where to turn.
Because Arthur was riding Hysilens' flying fish above the fray, he remained untouched by the seismic shockwaves. Gazing down at the apocalyptic scene below, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Holy shit, that's fucking awesome!"
Even Demon Axe chimed in, "Yeah, man. And not just regular awesome—super awesome!"
As a Barbarian, Arthur naturally lacked much formal education, and Demon Axe's cultural literacy was even lower. Faced with such a spectacle, the two could only resort to the single word: "Awesome."
It took at least ten minutes for the aftershocks of Mydei's strike to gradually subside. Hysilens, hovering near Arthur, turned to Demon Axe and asked, "With wounds of this magnitude, how long do you think the Plague Lord will take to recover?"
Demon Axe rolled his eyes, searching in vain for the Plague Lord's corpse amidst the carnage—or rather, corpses were strewn everywhere. He stammered, "Uh... I'd say it'll probably take at least seven or eight centuries for that guy to regenerate."
Demons don't truly die; after some time, the Plague Lord would be reborn within some hapless creature on this Plane and then begin his long, arduous recovery.
However, having been reduced to such a state, whether the Plague Lord would still harbor any desire for the Material Plane remained an open question.
Hearing this, Hysilens nodded. If that were the case, there would be no immediate threat, and they could safely depart and return to the Material Plane.
-
Meanwhile, back in the Northern Territory, after completely eradicating the Ice Cave and slaughtering all the demons that had leaked through from Abyss Layer Seventy-Nine, Cerydra turned to Pan Ming and asked, "So, Lord Monk, what exactly is the story behind these Prayer Beads?"
Cerydra knew no details, and the visibly corrupted, pitch-black Buddha statue was utterly bizarre. Now that the battle was over and they had a moment to spare, she naturally wanted answers.
Pan Ming had no intention of concealing anything. When asked, he immediately began recounting the story in meticulous detail, starting from the moment the Emperor of the Eastern Ancient Kingdom entrusted the beads to them. He concluded, "And now, this humble monk has finally found the 'Saint'—Miss Aria."
Aria, standing beside Cerydra, froze in surprise, pointing incredulously at herself. "Eh... eh? Who? Me?"
"A Saint? But I'm just an ordinary person!"
Feidric interjected, "So you're planning to just dump this cursed Prayer Beads on Aria, let her bear your suffering, and then wash your hands of the whole thing?"
Pan Ming's enlightenment might have been profound, and his experiences tragically heartbreaking. Had Feidric simply heard his story, he would have admired the man and offered any assistance within his power. But at their core, Pan Ming and Feidric were merely strangers passing in the night.
However, if Pan Ming intended to shift his burden onto Feidric's companions, then he would vehemently oppose it!
Douglas chimed in, "Aria's still so young! Why don't you consider me instead? Do you think I'd be a suitable candidate?"
Pan Ming replied, "I don't plan to give the Prayer Beads to Miss Aria just yet. I can endure for a while longer. I'll wait until I can't bear it any longer..."
However, Cerydra abruptly interrupted him. "Just give me the damn thing already."
Pan Ming paused, startled. "But..."
Cerydra cut him off brusquely. "No 'buts'! I am the Imperator, the greatest conqueror this world has ever known! Glory itself bows before me! How could I possibly be thwarted by such a paltry trinket?"
"And don't forget—though I may not be the 'Saint' you speak of, I am no mere Mortal. I doubt this worthless thing could even touch me, the God of Law!"
Pan Ming remained silent for a moment, as if hesitating or deep in thought.
Cerydra pressed, "What, are you questioning my words? Do you think I can't do it?"
Pan Ming lowered his head slightly. "No, Your Majesty. I meant no offense."
Finally, Pan Ming slowly removed the prayer beads from his wrist. Cerydra extended her small hand, but in the next instant, she was forced to take a half-step back.
If she hadn't retreated, Pan Ming's hand would have bumped into her face!
Pan Ming had always believed Cerydra was 1.8 meters tall, so when he offered the beads, he naturally extended his arm straight forward. Cerydra reached out normally, and their hands inevitably missed each other.
Cerydra tilted her head back slightly. "Let go!"
Though somewhat puzzled, Pan Ming obeyed the command and released his grip. The prayer beads dropped, and Cerydra swiftly caught them.
Instantly, illusions, auditory hallucinations, and other strange thoughts began to slowly surface in Cerydra's mind.
[ Prayer Beads: Do you crave power? I can grant it to you... ]
[ Cerydra: Sorry, but I already feel incredibly powerful. I probably don't need any more. ]
"No, that's different!" the Prayer Beads insisted. "I can grant you unrivaled power over the entire world!"
"But I already possess unrivaled power," Cerydra replied.
The Prayer Beads paused, perplexed.
"Then I can bestow upon you immeasurable wealth!" the Prayer Beads offered again.
"Hmm... What is money?" Cerydra mused. "I don't think I've ever worried about such a thing. My wealth is so vast, I could never spend it all."
The Prayer Beads paused for a few seconds before continuing. "What about power? I can grant you supreme authority!"
"What kind of power are you referring to?" Cerydra asked. "I'm already the undisputed Empress of the Northern Territory. If I so desired, conquering the entire world would merely be a matter of time. But I find the process of conquest rather... amusing. I don't need you to skip to the end. What's the fun in that?"
Because their communication was purely mental, the Prayer Beads could sense that Cerydra wasn't lying—every word was the absolute truth. This left the Prayer Beads genuinely stumped.
Wait... How can someone exist in this world who lacks absolutely nothing? Is that even fair?
If Pan Ming resisted these temptations through sheer willpower, Cerydra had already possessed everything the Prayer Beads could offer. How could the beads possibly tempt her with what she already owned?
After a long silence, the Prayer Beads spoke again, "What about your desires? You can't possibly be without any! I can grant you any wish you desire!"
Cerydra replied, "My apologies. I seem to have forgotten to mention that I am the God of Law. My Authority allows me to make deals with the world itself and obtain anything I desire."
The Prayer Beads: "?"
Dude, what are you even talking about?
But after a moment's thought, Cerydra added, "Though if I had to name one, I do have a wish right now."
The Prayer Beads immediately asked, "What is it?"
Cerydra said, "I've been annoyed by that Mother of Flesh beyond the Barrier for quite some time. Could you help me eliminate her?"
The Prayer Beads: "?"
This was already the umpteenth time it had issued a question mark during this conversation. Unlike its earlier, methodical attempts at seduction, the Prayer Beads' voice grew increasingly agitated. "Are you fucking with me on purpose?"
Cerydra: "Hey, why are you getting so worked up? I'm just making a reasonable request. But when I actually make it, you suddenly don't like it."
Prayer Beads: "#¥@%*&!"
Unlike the demons who communicated through telepathy, the Prayer Beads simply began spewing out gibberish in its native "dialect." Since Cerydra couldn't understand a word of the Outer God Language anyway, she didn't bother trying to decipher its ranting.
For an ordinary person, constantly hearing the whispers of an Outer God would inevitably lead to corruption and influence. But Cerydra was immune to this danger, thanks to her numerous god-level bodies granting her an exceptionally powerful "spirit."
Imagine a Mortal's spirit as a cup of water. The Evil God's whispers would be like drops of ink constantly dripping into the cup, eventually staining it black. Cerydra's spirit, however, was an entire ocean. Trying to pollute such a vast expanse with mere drops of ink was an impossible task.
Still, the Prayer Beads' incessant nagging was bound to get on Cerydra's nerves eventually, much like living in a poorly insulated apartment with constant strange noises coming from next door.
Well, we just need to find a way to silence these Prayer Beads. Whether it's trying to purify them with the Authority of the Law, asking Melly to study them, or even sealing them away in Okhema, any of these options would work.
There's no rush for now, though. Cerydra just finished repairing the Abyssal Ice Cave and lost a lot of blood. She needs to rest first.
After handing over the Prayer Beads, Pan Ming immediately felt a wave of relief, as if he had been carrying a mountain on his back all his life and had finally set it down.
But then came a surge of confusion. If he hadn't misheard, when he released the Prayer Beads, they fell for a moment before making a distinct catching sound. Did Her Majesty crouch down and catch them? What does that mean?
And why has Her Majesty's voice been coming from below ever since we started?
As Pan Ming sank into confusion, a Century Gate materialized beside them, and Hysilens, Castorice, Mydei, Arthur, and the others emerged in succession.
The moment Arthur set foot back on the ice, he immediately dropped to his knees, kissed the ground, and exclaimed, "This place is the best!"
Just then, Cerydra spoke up, her voice surprisingly high-pitched, "Enough of this trivial interlude. Shouldn't we get back to the real business? The duel for the King of the Northern Territory?"
Hearing her childish voice, Arthur couldn't help but freeze. Still sprawled on the ground, he followed the sound and looked up to see Cerydra standing over him, arms crossed and gazing down with a haughty air. "Um... who are you?"
Cerydra stared back, speechless.
After a moment, she finally replied, "I am the Empress of the Northern Territory Empire, the Imperator."
Arthur blurted out, "Huh?"
To be fair, consider what Arthur had just experienced: battling a Plague Lord as massive as a mountain and witnessing a sword of equal scale descend from the heavens.
Seeing Cerydra now, he was momentarily stunned, his mind struggling to process the abrupt shift in scale.
Just then, the Tan Barbarian envoy approached Arthur. "This Imperator is amazing, Boss Arthur! You missed it, but you should have seen how cool she was!"
"She said a bunch of stuff I didn't fully understand, but it sounded super impressive! Then she fixed the Abyssal Ice Cave for our Black Bear Clan! Now our clan doesn't have to guard this place forever!"
Arthur froze again. "Huh?"
He immediately turned toward the Abyssal Ice Cave, but there was nothing there but a smooth expanse of ice. The cave had truly vanished!
After taking a few seconds to process the situation, Arthur dropped to one knee before Cerydra and bowed deeply. "I am eternally grateful, Imperator!"
Cerydra's actions had fulfilled a generations-long obsession of Arthur's ancestors. How could he not be thankful?
However, gratitude didn't mean Arthur would surrender in the upcoming duel. Even though he knew his future opponents were terrifyingly strong, he would still choose to fight.
Whatever happens, I'll face them head-on first!
Arthur rose to his feet, and Hysilens stepped forward. "So, shall we fight now?"
Arthur nodded, gripping the Demon Axe tightly. But the Demon Axe rolled its eyes. "Honestly, you're such a stubborn fool. What's the point in fighting? I'm taking a break. Do whatever you want."