Sea God Island, Sea God Hall Deep in the side hall, there is a quiet room.
High Priest He was sitting in the main seat, unconsciously stroking the Sea God Scepter that symbolized supreme authority in his hand, and his eyes fell deeply on Coral Douluo, who was kneeling on one knee and bowing his head deeply.
Sea Swallow, Sea Turtle Douluo, Conch Douluo, Ye Yang and four Sacred Pillar stand on both sides. Their expressions were all heavy and tired, with panic and sadness that have not yet dissipated. Crayfish Douluo was rushed to the "Sea Heart Spring" core for recuperation due to serious injuries and was unable to attend.
The air was filled with an irreversible depression and sorrow. Sea of Shipwrecks's brief, cruel and humiliating encounter was like a nightmare from which one could not wake up, lingering in everyone's mind, especially the final "choose one" choice and the tragic situation of Dolphin Douluo being killed by Devouring, which was like the most vicious curse, carved into the soul.
After a long time, High Priest spoke slowly. His voice was not as majestic as before, but instead carried a deep exhaustion and an almost cold sense. "Coral Douluo, get up. You... have done a good job."
Coral Douluo's body trembled slightly, without raising his head, and his voice was dry and hoarse. "High Priest... Subordinate... I am ashamed of Sacred Pillar's name, ashamed of Sea God's trust, and even more... ashamed of Dolphin Douluo..."
"No, you don't need to feel guilty, let alone blame yourself." High Priest interrupted her, his eyes like a deep pool, as if he could see through the smallest fluctuations in people's hearts, "Although I have not been there personally, I can still imagine the situation at that time. Kraken is that evil beast, cunning and cruel, using his strength to suppress people, and using his power to force people's hearts.
The so-called 'choice' he gave is basically a dead end. No matter who you choose, or not, the outcome is doomed - he will definitely use the most cruel way to destroy one of you, thereby severely damaging your reputation, trampling on Sea God Island's dignity, and... planting indelible fear, suspicion and rifts in your hearts."
He paused and his voice became deeper. "You were able to withstand the pressure, make a quick decision in that desperate situation, and choose to preserve the most powerful Crayfish Douluo at the time. This in itself is a kind of responsibility and a kind of courage to fight for a glimmer of life for the team in a desperate situation.
If you had hesitated at that time, or tried to have it both ways, the result would have been the death of both of you, or even... the entire army being annihilated. Your choice, although cruel, was the only rational choice under the circumstances to reduce losses and conserve vitality."
High Priest's analysis was calm and cruel, stripped of emotions, leaving only the cold calculation of gains and losses. But this calculation was like the sharpest knife, cutting open the scar called "guilt" in Coral Douluo's heart, allowing the blood underneath and another deeper pain - the pain of the violent conflict between undercover identity and true emotions - to be more clearly exposed.
She "chooses" Crayfish Douluo because "Master" may have wanted to get rid of Dolphin Douluo, or use it to put pressure, and she must cooperate and play the role of "sane Sacred Pillar". But she can be Dolphin Douluo was really "chosen" by Devouring. The shock of her colleagues dying completely in front of her eyes, the guilt of pushing her companions to death with her own hands, was not false. The tearing of this dual identity caused her more pain than any trauma.
"But...High Priest," Coral Douluo finally raised his head, his beautiful face was bloodless, his eyes were full of bloodshot eyes and a kind of exhaustion that was close to collapse, "Because of my choice, Dolphin Douluo died. He died in front of my eyes, by the devil Devouring must be clean! I... I watched him disappear, but I could do nothing! This guilt, this... this sin of abandoning my colleagues with my own hands, I cannot bear it! This position of Sacred Pillar, this responsibility of protecting Sea God Island... I... I am no longer worthy!"
Her voice was trembling and choked, but it was more of a deep, self-exiled determination. "I beg High Priest to allow me to... remove my position as Sacred Pillar Guardian! I am willing to imprison myself in 'Abyss of Contrition' for the rest of my life, in order to... atone for my sins!"
As soon as these words came out, the expressions of the four people next to them, Sea Swallow, Sea Turtle Douluo, Conch Douluo, and Ye Yang, all changed.
"Coral Douluo! What nonsense are you talking about!" Sea Swallow Douluo said urgently. Although he was also immersed in grief and hatred for Kraken, he knew more about Coral Douluo is in a dangerous state at the moment. "In that situation, any one of us might not be able to do better than you! The devil just wants to see us getting into trouble and blaming each other! If you resign, wouldn't you play into his hands?!"
"Yes, Coral Douluo, don't do anything stupid!" Sea Turtle Douluo's voice was dull, with the weakness of a serious injury, but his tone was firm, "Is the position of Sacred Pillar a child's play? You have done your best to protect the Holy Land. The fault of Dolphin Douluo is the fault of Kraken, not your fault!"
Conch Douluo moved his lips, wanting to say something, but saw Coral Douluo's eyes full of pain and determination, and remembered Kraken's meaningful glance on Sea of Shipwrecks, as well as the cold touch of gravel in his sleeves. In the end, he just sighed complicatedly and whispered, "Coral Douluo... think again."
Leaf Sheep Douluo's eyes were red, he stepped forward, gently held Coral Douluo's cold hand, his voice was filled with tears and sincere gratitude. "Sister Coral Douluo... don't say that. At that time... we were all frightened, our minds were blank, and our hearts were in a mess... It was you who stood up and did what we all wanted to do but didn't at the last moment. It was a decision that I dared to make but couldn't bear to make... Although it was painful and cruel,... but maybe it was really the only way at that time... If you didn't choose, maybe... maybe Crayfish Douluo and Dolphin Douluo... wouldn't be able to come back... Don't take all the fault on yourself... We... We are all still here, and we still need you..."
Ye Yang's words were simple and direct, but they just hit the complicated and unspeakable part of everyone's heart. Yes, under the countdown to Kraken's death, and in the extreme fear and pressure, each of them had a moment of weighing and biasing, but in the end, it was Coral Douluo who made the difficult choice for all of them and bore the guilt of "giving up".
High Priest watched everyone's reactions quietly, especially the deep pain and self-doubt in Coral Douluo's eyes that were not fake. He was silent for a moment and said slowly, "Coral Douluo, do you know what it means if you resign?"
Without waiting for Coral Douluo to answer, he continued, "It means that Sea God Island will once again lose an experienced and capable Sacred Pillar Guardian in a short period of time. It means that we will be even weaker when facing the pressure of Kraken and the deep sea.
It means that Dolphin Douluo's sacrifice, to a certain extent... has lost part of its value - because what he exchanged for his life should not be a colleague who collapsed and self-exiled because of this, but a more tenacious soldier who continued to fight with his share of responsibility and hatred."