Polluted.
Was pollution really such a big problem? The sea was full of pollution, and it had been everywhere on the battlefield during the previous war. Theus had nearly grown accustomed to the stuff, treating it as nothing more than slightly dangerous fuel.
He had almost forgotten just how dangerous it was to transcendent beings.
When he first heard Richard's words, Theus had nearly blurted out that he could purify pollution. No amount of pollution posed a threat to him, and even the banshees, after gaining a weakened version of his purification ability through the Symbiotic Pact, could ignore pollution.
What was there to fear?
But... this ability was difficult to extend to other people with whom he had no connection.
The Symbiotic Pact transmitted his life force. In essence, those banshees were one with him.
But Chloe was not.
The two of them had conducted experiments before. Relying on her unique bodily structure, Chloe had attempted to directly purify the pollution within her body and nearly caused a disaster. The banshees had even surrounded the church, demanding her release.
Back then, Theus had suspected that pollution did not truly exist within the flesh, but was instead connected to the soul.
Theus's purification had indeed worked for an instant. That soul-deep purification had caused Chloe to lose control directly, and Theus had even sensed, for a moment, that her body had become an empty shell.
Thinking about it now, it really had been dangerous. That should have been close to the step Richard described for creating an artificial vessel. If they had not stopped in time, it would probably have destroyed her soul outright. He had nearly sent off Chloe, the chief of Moth Chasing Flame, just like that.
Purifying pollution was not as simple as he had imagined, unless