Flesh Staff

"What terrifying magic power!" The elder who had rushed over was stunned when he saw the flames burning on the queen's body.

He immediately cast a spell to isolate the curse from the queen, but it was useless. The apprentice-level Fire Curse Technique still flaunted its power right before his eyes.

"Who exactly did you offend? Their magical strength far exceeds mine. They may even be a Grand Magus-level powerhouse!"

At those words, the queen's face turned even paler. Though the heat of the Fire Curse Technique made her sweat all over, she could not stop trembling.

"A... a Grand Magus...?" The queen nearly fainted. Mages of that level existed only in empires. How could such a mage possibly exist in the Kingdom Lands?!

The elder said nothing. He swiftly cast a protective spell on Queen Sophia, sharing the damage from the Fire Curse Technique and finally allowing her a brief respite.

"Uruk Kingdom. I planned to make Uruk Kingdom and Silbon Kingdom fight each other, but I never expected my scheme to be exposed!"

The elder frowned. "Isn't the strongest person in Uruk Kingdom just that old man Orniss? There's no way he could use the Fire Curse Technique to this extent."

More importantly, that old man Orniss was only a Magus. This level of magic power could not possibly belong to him.

"It's the Mysterious Curse Master. Prisoners from Chaos Kingdom said their king was killed by Uruk Kingdom's Mysterious Curse Master."

A day later.

Hekate opened her eyes.

These high-status people really were tenacious. It had taken an entire day and night of cursing before they finally burned to death.

Today, Dean Ornis came to visit.

He said solemnly, "Teacher Hekate, do you know that Chaos Kingdom is being besieged by the surrounding kingdoms?"

Hekate nodded.

Peters Kingdom to the north, Yelm Kingdom to the west, and Bangato Kingdom to the south were the main forces in the siege. All of them wanted to tear off a large piece before Chaos Kingdom died.

"Today, the land those kingdoms occupied was taken back by Chaos soldiers. The Chaos soldiers they fought could rise and continue fighting even after dying!"

This...

Could it be undead magic?

But for a mage to give an entire army undead traits, their Magic Level had to be at least God of Magic Level. Otherwise, their magical supply would not be enough.

Hekate pondered for a moment. "You suspect there is an undead mage at God of Magic Level within Chaos Kingdom?"

Dean Ornis nodded.

Hekate glanced at the sky and asked Star. There was no undead Archmage.

She replied, "Don't worry. Even if there really is an Archmage, I can handle them. You don't need to worry about their retaliation."

Dean Ornis sucked in a breath. The look in his eyes as he gazed at Hekate became even more ingratiating, and he smiled. "That's good. The future of Uruk Kingdom will depend on you."

"Oh, right, Hekate. Betty seems quite fond of you. Do you have any thoughts about that?"

Hekate: "..."

Could what Star said be true? Does Betty like me?

After thinking for a moment, Hekate shook her head. "There's no rush. We're still young."

"All right."

Dean Ornis left regretfully.

Only then did Hekate ask in detail about the Chaos Kingdom soldiers.

The power on them was identical to the power on that Sacred Artifact. There should be another Sacred Artifact-level object that granted those soldiers the power of immortality.

Even Star did not know much about it. It had to be another object with its own ability to block information.

Much like herself, it could not be discovered by any divination magic.

Hekate shook her head and continued cultivating in peace.

Chaos Kingdom, an underground altar beneath the capital.

Several people dressed entirely in black sat together.

One of them said in a low voice, "We still haven't found out who the curse mage in Uruk Kingdom is. The Storm Mage's strength also exceeds the limits of an ordinary kingdom. As long as he lives, our plan will be difficult to carry out."

The others spoke up as well.

"Never mind the Storm Mage. That Curse Mage is the real thorn in our side. He cursed even Lord Seraphin into hiding himself away. Such strength is truly terrifying."

"Lord Seraphin possesses the Divine Power of the High Heavens. How did that Curse Mage manage it?"

"Unless that person also possesses the power of the High Heaven."

"That can't be right. We all know the price ordinary people of the lower realm must pay to wield the power of the High Heaven!"

"Then... could this Curse Mage be a God of Magic Level powerhouse?"

When the discussion reached this point, they instantly fell silent. An Archmage could indeed touch the power of the High Heaven, and was someone they could only look up to. If Uruk Kingdom truly had an Archmage, then what the hell were they fighting for?

"It doesn't matter. We don't have to attack Uruk Kingdom. We can attack the other kingdoms first. They actually dared to take advantage of our weakness. It's time to teach them a lesson..."

Before they could finish, massive waves surged from the Blood Pool at the center of the altar. A gigantic staff covered in flesh flew out.

Everyone immediately dropped to their knees.

"My God!"

One of the black-clothed figures said, "The mysterious powerhouse who appeared in Uruk Kingdom has hindered our plan. Therefore, we hope to begin our conquest with the other kingdoms first."

The Flesh Staff erupted. Countless blood-red tentacles instantly filled the entire space, while the walls became covered in throbbing flesh. The scarlet aura and horrifying flesh terrified the black-clothed figures so badly that they did not dare move.

"My God, please calm your anger!" One of the black-clothed figures forced his chattering teeth still and said.

The dancing tentacles swept across the bodies of all the black-clothed figures, sending them flying into the walls in an instant. They spat out blood.

A buzzing voice came from within the staff. "What a bunch of trash. You can't even handle a single kingdom, yet you still want my power? Why don't I swallow you pieces of trash right now and reclaim the power in your bodies!"

Upon hearing this, everyone trembled violently.

When this staff devoured people, it was absolutely horrifying. They had seen it once before, and they still could not forget it.

One of the black-clothed figures said, "My God, please forgive our failure. A powerhouse beyond our expectations appeared in Uruk Kingdom. It isn't that we are too weak—it's that he is too strong..."

"Bullshit. The Wasteland can't even produce an empire. Where would a powerhouse come from?" The Flesh Staff snorted coldly, its words filled with disdain.

In its eyes, the Kingdom Lands were nothing more than a patch of weeds, a place where not even great trees could grow.

Even the empires disdained sending anyone here.

One of the black-clothed figures anxiously said, "It's true! He used only a Plague Curse to curse Arthurx to death!"

At those words, the staff paused.

"A Plague Curse? You're lying to me, aren't you? How could such an ordinary spell curse a 5-star Archmage to death?" Terrifying pressure radiated from the staff.

"My God, we wouldn't dare!"

"Arthurx's body has been preserved. My God, you can inspect it personally!"

"N-not only that, Uruk Kingdom also has a Storm Mage who commands terrifying lightning. Lord Seraphin controlled Arthurx's corpse and sent it to launch a surprise attack, but it was immediately beaten back by him!"

The remaining black-clothed figures all began begging for mercy.

"Heh. If such a powerful person truly exists, then you will not have to die. Otherwise, I'll make you wish you were dead!" The Flesh Staff roared before quietly vanishing. The flesh throughout the entire space immediately fell still as well.