Chapter 719 - 449: Song of Valiant (Part 2)

Chapter 719: Chapter 449: Song of Valiant (Part 2)

"Outsider, I know your name."

The woman’s gentle voice echoed in Zhou Chen’s mind. "Your name is Zhou Chen. You ignited the Artificial Sun, defeated Onawaro, and earned the right to wield the Sword of Ten Thousand Kings, but you did not take it."

Zhou Chen was startled. ’How does Carol know? She’s supposed to be sealed in this cell!’

"How does Carol know? She’s supposed to be sealed in this cell!"

Suddenly, his own thoughts echoed in the air.

’Fuck!’ Zhou Chen jumped in fright.

"Fuck!"

’What’s going on?’

"What’s going on?"

"It’s my Ability. For anyone near me, their thoughts are no longer a secret," Carol explained.

’One times one is one, one times two is two, two times two is four...’ Zhou Chen immediately began reciting the multiplication table in his head, trying to rein in his thoughts and keep his mind from wandering.

"I mean you no harm." Carol chuckled. A few of her tentacles, not yet connected to the light screens, swayed gently. They almost looked cute. "As you can see, I have cleansed myself of most of the Contamination. Even with what little remains, my sanity is unaffected."

"Then why are the Desecration Cultists still guarding you?" Zhou Chen asked.

"I controlled the minds of every Desecration Cultist who came in here. I made them believe I’m still contaminated, tricking them into protecting me."

"I’ve been watching you, so I know you have many questions. I will answer them for you."

Carol sighed softly. "Back then, while searching for a way to shatter the World Barrier, my brother was accidentally tainted by an Evil God’s Power. This Secret Contamination directly led to me going astray and being deceived by the Evil God.

After that, I harmed many people and even became an Abyssal Spirit, fighting for the Evil God. But with the help of my teacher and my brother, I was able to briefly break free of the Contamination and regain my sanity.

Once I was lucid, I used my Ability to control the other Abyssal Spirits, giving the Kings of Gaia the chance to severely wound and seal them. Since I hadn’t completely rid myself of the Contamination, I asked my brother and my teacher to seal me away along with them.

After countless years, I have finally worn away the Contamination.

All the while, I’ve been using my Ability to observe the outside world. That includes you."

Hearing Carol’s explanation, Zhou Chen asked in surprise, "The King of Gaia was really contaminated?"

"That’s right. My brother often ventured out to find a way to break the World Barrier. After he returned from one such trip, I felt something was off about him, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. A few days later, he came to me and said the way to break the World Barrier might lie among the stars, and that I should gaze at them more often.

I didn’t think much of it and did as he said, observing the stars. That very night, I saw a black Star in the sky..."

"During that period, I didn’t notice anything was wrong. I was completely oblivious to the drastic Transformation my own personality was undergoing. It wasn’t until my body started to mutate that I gradually realized something was amiss. By then, the Contamination was already severe. My brief moment of clarity was quickly replaced by madness and piety, and I became someone else entirely... Only when my brother and teacher woke me did I realize the terrible mistake I had made. I hurt so many people. Even more died because of me."

Carol’s voice grew heavy, filled with sorrow and grief.

After a moment, she collected herself and continued, "After being secretly contaminated, my brother also began to act strangely. But he was the revered King of Gaia, after all. A few of the other Kings keenly sensed that something was wrong. With their help, my brother discovered the Secret Contamination and managed to rid himself of it in time.

Unfortunately, by the time he came for Begger and me, the Contamination had already turned us into Fanatics of the Evil God.

My brother locked us up, planning to cure us after the war. But before long, with the help of the Cultists, we broke out. We joined the Evil God’s ranks and became Abyssal Spirits, waging war in its name. My brother must have been in terrible pain then...

Fortunately, the Evil God was ultimately defeated. Its army was nearly annihilated, and it was severely wounded by the Kings, forcing it to flee in a panic to hide and recover. Gaia was at peace for a time, but the Sun remained in a contaminated state, defying all attempts at Purification.

At that time, I had already been sealed away and was locked in a struggle against my own madness, so I knew little of the outside world. Then one day, my brother and teacher woke me from my semi-conscious state. They told me they were preparing to gather the Power of Gaia and assault the World Barrier. If they succeeded, they could resolve the Black Sun crisis. But if they failed, in the worst-case scenario, all the Kings of Gaia would perish.

I asked them why they would do something so risky. They told me that as long as the Evil God lived, it would inevitably return one day, stronger than ever. Furthermore, the Sun’s Contamination was impossible to purify; its complete corruption was only a matter of time. To wait was to accept a slow death. Only by risking everything on a single desperate gambit could they win Gaia a sliver of a chance at survival."

"They said their goodbyes to me and never came back."

Across the distance separating them, Zhou Chen met Carol’s gaze. He saw the tears welling in her eyes and heard her voice, trembling and choked with sobs like a little girl’s:

"You think my brother might not be dead, but I can tell you with certainty: he’s dead. My teacher is dead. They’re all dead."

Zhou Chen fell silent for a few seconds before offering comfort. "But they did win a sliver of hope for Gaia."

"The gamification. It’s because Gaia was turned into a game that the Evil God could be contained, and that ’Players’ from another World could arrive on Gaia, providing the indispensable help needed for its survival.

They failed, but they also succeeded."

Zhou Chen paused. "Still, I have a different view on whether the King of Gaia is alive or dead. My personal theory is that he became Gaia’s World Will... He might even be watching over you right now."

"If he were still alive, he would have come for me." Carol shook her head.

Then, she looked at Zhou Chen and pleaded earnestly, "Can you help me purify this last bit of Contamination?"

"No problem."

Zhou Chen took out Dream Light and Shadow and the Demon-Breaking Sword. The two Weapons burst forth with two completely different kinds of light. The pure, magnificent Light of Spiritual and the brilliant, dazzling Anti-Demon Light instantly illuminated the entire Prison, making it as bright as day.

Carol’s body trembled slightly. Wisps of black energy rose from both her jellyfish-like and human torsos, rapidly evaporating and dissipating in the purifying radiance.

Before long, the black energy stopped rising, a sign that the last traces of Abyssal Contamination within her had been completely purified.

[Wish Value +10,000]

Zhou Chen put away his Weapons, satisfied, and asked curiously, "Since you’re free of the Contamination, why is your body still in a mutated state?"

"This isn’t a mutation. It’s my Ability, a tool I use to observe the outside world."

Carol said, "Ever since I regained the ability to remain consistently lucid, I have been observing Gaia through the Spirit World. I’ve recorded everything those heroes experienced. That’s what these light screens are. Each screen represents the story of a hero.

This is the ’Song of Valiant,’ a dirge for the heroes."

"I see..." Zhou Chen nodded.

Suddenly, a crystalline tentacle pierced his chest without warning. The attack was so fast and so abrupt it was as if the "thrusting" motion had been erased entirely, leaving only the direct hit. He stared, his eyes wide with disbelief.

There was no wound, no spurt of blood, yet a powerful numbing sensation spread through his Soul, and his consciousness began to fade.

"I’m sorry."

In his daze, he saw Carol bowing her head in apology.

"What have you done to him?"

Danika’s furious question reached his ears, her voice muffled and faint, as if from a great distance—a distance that was rapidly growing.

In that instant, light erupted within the cell. The thousands of light screens unleashed a dazzling radiance, forming a vast Light Storm.

Zhou Chen felt himself falling through the Darkness toward an endless Abyss. His consciousness faded to black. An unknown amount of time passed before his vision brightened once more.

—A completely different life had begun.