Back in Mizuki's Hands Again / A Crumbling Obsession

As the last two notes were uttered, Mr. K, now Skadi, felt his body instantly become sluggish and age at an unimaginable speed.

"Using words to hasten death... Are you the remnant of the Witch King!?"

Upon hearing the words "Witch King," even the Emperor couldn't help but move a little further away from Grand Duke Leopold, fearing that the guy might suddenly unleash a "Avada Kedavra" attack on him.

The Witch King —that's a name that appears in every military academy textbook in Terra. He was the greatest sorcerer in the history of Leithanien, elected king by the Elector and ruling Leithanien for over sixty years. He was once a wise ruler praised by everyone, but he is also a demon who still makes the Leithanien tremble with fear. Because he casually turned the Gaul envoy into a stone statue, the Four Kingdoms War began and Gaul was destroyed. It's hard not to be afraid of such a ruthless person wherever he goes.

"Insightful. Hmm, strange energy... not Originium, but it counters my spells."

The lingering image of the Witch King within Leopold observed the person before him with interest. "Not bad research material."

Sand Bone removed his bandages, revealing his torso made of sand. A vibrant green light emanated from Jitia's hands, while Kristen quietly moved the unconscious people away to prevent them from being affected.

Before today's meeting concludes, they need to deal with a few discordant noises.

Chapter 248 has fallen into Mizuki's hands again.

"She escaped. To be able to escape under such circumstances is truly remarkable."

Dario sheathed his weapon and looked at the broken wall before him. Mr. K had indeed displayed considerable bizarre power—the monstrous strength of Abyssal Hunters and the powerful manipulation of Originium Arts —but the real reason she escaped was that everyone had shown her mercy.

Yes, show mercy. It would be truly strange if so many people couldn't even leave Mr. K intact. But Kristen reminded everyone that Mr. K was strange and that they couldn't let her get hurt.

"It's the power of the Warp. Tsk, if she gets injured and bleeds here, it will indeed be difficult to handle."

The Emperor put away his rubber band gun and couldn't help but glance at Leopold standing beside him. "Although I've heard that there are madmen in Leithanien who pursue the power of the Witch King, I never expected that this old man would actually let you be revived in his body."

For the Leithanien, the resurrection of the Witch King was perhaps even more terrifying than the Demons of the Warp, and many are still haunted by nightmares of the past.

"Most people only remember my brutality in the last fifty years, but forget how I governed Leithanien to prosperity in the first ten years. Leopold remembers... Ah, after all, it was I who granted him immortality, so he willingly offered his body as a vessel to contain my will."

"The consciousness in this body is from the past ten years, so there's no need to worry about it going out of control."

A casual remark can kill. The Witch King is the strongest mage known in Terra to date. His power is not innate, but rather evolved from the knowledge he has acquired.

That being said, seeing this lingering image of the Witch King so peacefully is indeed hard to reconcile with the image of that cruel and incompetent tower tyrant.

"The only pity is that I let her go, otherwise I really wanted to study her... Her condition was even more chaotic than mine, as if it was mixed with many impurities, but these impurities were indeed playing a certain role."

"Her Originium Arts are also very interesting; she possesses more than one. It seems there are some things our ally hasn't explained clearly yet."

As the lingering image of the Witch King faded, Grand Duke Leopold regained control of his body and looked at Dario and the Emperor standing on the table.

"That was indeed our mistake, but we had to do it to deal with an opponent who could impersonate anyone. Now... it's time to tell you the rest."

The group exchanged bewildered glances; this could practically be described as a crisis of trust. However, Sand Bone remained completely unconcerned, sitting in his chair with sand all over his body. Jitia, clearly disgusted, moved a little further away from him.

"We've already come to this point, are we going to break up without sitting down and listening to what the other side has to say?"

Sand Bone patted the table and looked around at the people. After unwrapping his bandages, he seemed like a completely different person. He was not gloomy at all; in fact, he was quite relaxed and at ease.

"Don't be so polite, have a seat. Or is a simple communication technology enough for you?"

"Oh, in that case, there's really nothing to talk about. Let's all go home and wait to be eaten by those monsters that escaped from Sami."

Wei Yenwu's brows twitched involuntarily. He knew Sand Bone, or rather, after seeing the other party's appearance, almost everyone present could guess his identity. What was there to say about not remembering his name? Sargon, the King of Kings' younger brother, a being transformed into an undead.

The legends of Sargon mention the existence of Sand Bone many times; he is a walking calamity, an endless sandstorm. He is the embodiment of the Sargon Desert, in other words, a being comparable to the shadowy figure of the Witch King sitting there.

"... Speak."

Jitia coldly uttered these two words, and with them taking the lead, the rest could only sit together, truly beginning this important meeting that connected the entire Terra.

Perhaps Dario and the Emperor had been hiding something from them before, but at least when it came to matters in the Warp, they were certainly completely open-minded. The danger was too great; no one dared to take on a one-on-one fight.

"So we just leave that guy named Mr. K alone?"

Wei Yenwu looked at the Emperor. Both sides were old foxes. Some things didn't need to be said; they all understood each other perfectly. The Emperor knew much more about Mr. K.

"No need, ha, someone will take care of her."

If it weren't for his short legs, the Emperor might still be putting his feet up on the table. He glanced at Talulah, "How are those guys doing?"

"It's alright now. That guy's mind control wasn't very deep. He was probably thinking about who to target first... Heh, I know that old bastard Koschei's skills very well."

This mental spell is indeed identical to Koschei. Because it is ancient, obscure, and difficult to learn, it has gradually been lost to anyone. However, it is very effective. It can leave its mark on other people's minds and induce their emotions to dominate their consciousness. This level of mental manipulation usually goes undetected.

"Even Koschei?"

Wei Yenwu's Koschei PTSD has flared up again. Back then, he fought against the Black Snake for Lungmen and paid a huge price to obtain this city. Koschei's cold-bloodedness and scheming nature have left a deep shadow on him.

"Aside from that Black Snake that doesn't stiffen even after death, the only other person on Terra who knows this spell is probably the lingering image of the Witch King sitting over there."

As Talulah moved, the remaining people woke up one after another. They had only lost control of their bodies, but their hearing was still intact, which was similar to sleep paralysis, so there was no need to take the time to explain it again.

"I know you are all unhappy that we have kept this a secret, but what we are about to do is too important, and I hope you can keep it confidential."

As Kristen spoke, she took a palm-sized device out of her bag and placed it on the table.

"As you all probably already know, Terra is home to an ancient civilization, and many of our current technologies are derived from the discoveries made by our ancestors. So... let's have our ancestors say a few words."

The instrument operated on its own, projecting an exquisite circle that looked like it was made of countless strings. It vibrated, and then it opened its mouth.

"Um, hello everyone, my name is Trevor Friston, and I'm probably... over thirteen thousand years old."

As Friston spoke, the entire banquet fell silent. A spirit from thirteen thousand years ago, older than any person or any nation.

The existence of Old Civilization on Terra is no secret; it's common knowledge. Columbia even has a dedicated scientific and archaeological team responsible for excavating various possible ruins. However, witnessing a spirit from the ancient past speak still makes one wonder: Am I still dreaming?

Mr. K, who had fled the area, was unaware of all this. She clutched her head in frustration; how could her meticulously planned scheme have gone wrong?

Having escaped Black Raincoats's pursuit using a special concealment spell and reached the vicinity of the slums, Viviana breathed a sigh of relief, clutching her chest and gasping for breath.

Because she was worried that Mizuki, who was also in Lungmen, would discover her whereabouts, she tried to remain quiet during the meetings in the past few days. She only breathed a sigh of relief today after confirming that Mizuki had left Lungmen, thinking that she could take advantage of this opportunity to make her move.

Originally, this kind of Originium Arts from Koschei would subtly plant seeds, awakening negative emotions and painful memories in the other person's heart, and even distorting memories, thus destroying this alliance that was destined to be futile.

"Indeed, we shouldn't have targeted that judge first."

Viviana breathed a sigh of relief, feeling the chaotic consciousness within her groaning, the Warp contamination worsening, and her personality nearing collapse.

"Child, you don't look well. Do you need help?"

An elderly woman dressed in somewhat shabby clothes walked up to Viviana and looked at her with concern, but Viviana just shook her head.

"Thank you for your concern, but I just... heard some bad news."

"Oh, that's common. Our lives always throw unexpected curveballs at us in places like these."

The old woman nodded slowly. Even though winter was over, she was still wearing those thick clothes. Viviana felt a strong agreement with her words; fate always reveals its ruthlessness at the most crucial moment.

How much time and how many opportunities does she have left to save a world on the verge of collapse?

The answer is no.

The kind and gentle old man spoke as he opened the transparent umbrella in his hand, which faintly shimmered with color. The smile on his face gradually became warm and welcoming, or rather, all living beings would feel a sense of warmth towards such a smile.

The Warp contamination within her body became excited, Viviana subconsciously took a half step back against the wall, only to find that even the wall had turned into soft water.

She looked around and realized that in an instant she had been pulled from the Lungmen into this world, and the person in front of her was not a kind and gentle old man, but Mizuki.

"Are you still going to run? If you choose to end it all this time, you won't be the one who revives in another body next time, will you?"

The sea and sky blended into one, the sky was crystal clear, and the sea reflected the sky. The same blue made it impossible to distinguish where the boundary between the sky and the sea was. She and Mizuki stood on the sea, or perhaps they were standing in the sky, or perhaps this space itself was in a state of disorder.

"Do you feel a little better now?"

Mizuki walked towards Viviana, holding an umbrella. His figure sometimes tilted and sometimes upside down. This space was centered on him, so the place where he stood was the center of the space.

Viviana felt the incessant the Warp within her quiet down, and she touched her chest in disbelief.

"This is the projection layer of the Sea of Life, corresponding to the sky of the real world. The pollution in the Warp is relatively quiet, but I can't help you remove it. You have now completely become a part of it."

If it were just pollution, then Mizuki could easily help Viviana wash it away, but he can't now. If he washes away the pollution from Viviana's body, she will still die. This is what is meant by a terminal illness with no cure.

How did you find out?

"It's just a coincidence. I happened to have met Viviana from this world before this." Mizuki walked up to Viviana, who was Mr. K in disguise, without any hesitation. "Just like I said before, life always gives us unexpected surprises at times like this."

"Didn't you already leave?"

There was no escape. Viviana, whom Mr. K had become, understood this deeply. She couldn't escape from Mizuki's clutches. Suicide wouldn't work either. She had no more chances. If she died again, her consciousness would be completely consumed and eroded by the Warp's pollution. When she was resurrected, she would only be a monster without a self, instinctively spreading the Warp pollution.

Knowing this, she acted with such caution. In other worlds, she would at most die once, but in this world, she would exhaust all her opportunities, and even after exhausting them, she still failed to succeed.

Upon learning that Mizuki was also in Lungmen, her first thought was whether to escape, but she felt she couldn't miss this opportunity, so she chose to wait, and finally Mizuki left.

"I did leave. Right now, I'm still discussing with Xiao Le which area to buy a house in Siesta. But I'm also catching fish in the rivers of Great Yan, lying in the streams of Sargon, and collecting corpses in the underground sewers of Kazimierz... Well, to put it simply, I've divided myself into 200,000 parts. The Doctor said even Voldemort would have to become my apprentice."

"I thought you could only appear in one place..."

"It seems that the Mizuki you encountered before did not fully grasp the Sea of Life, or perhaps they didn't even come into contact with it at all."

Mr. K nodded in confirmation of Mizuki's suspicions, and she honestly confessed her past.

"Yes, before coming into contact with the Sea of Life, Mizuki's strength was roughly equivalent to that of Abyssal Hunters. But even after coming into contact with the Sea of Life, an individual named Mizuki would experience a qualitative leap and become very difficult to deal with... At this point, attacking the Doctor is the easiest option; otherwise, one would have to trade their life for his."

Although the Doctor is a remnant of Old Civilization, apart from being exceptionally intelligent, he is inferior to the Terra in every other aspect. Compared to attacking Mizuki, who has already made contact with the Sea of Life, the Doctor is definitely much easier to bully.

"So in your opinion, the world can be saved if either me or the Doctor is missing... but you usually choose to target me. Hmm, it seems your instincts might be partly influenced by Rhodes Island operators, subconsciously not wanting to hurt the Doctor."

Mizuki twirled her umbrella, seemingly deep in thought, before letting out a soft, helpless sigh.

"With this kind of mental state, no wonder you always think you're normal, always think you're doing the right thing. I don't even want to tell you the truth."

Chapter 249 The Collapse of Obsession

When did it all begin? Mr. K couldn't remember. She had too many messy memories mixed together. Apart from the mission to save Terra, she could remember very little. Without Amash, the most important stabilizing point, she couldn't even remember why she set off in the first place.

The beginning, the beginning... That's right, the beginning of everything was the destruction of Terra, and the destruction of Terra was caused by Kal'tsit's incompetence. If she had been able to make a firm decision and use the power left over from the Old Civilization to gather the consciousness of all the beings on Terra, stopping the disaster would not have been a problem. But if she had done that... it would have just been repeating the same mistakes, creating a future that was destined to be short-lived and would be destroyed sooner or later.

"Doctor, you should go check on Mizuki. Something's not right with him... You're his only... Doctor!"

When I delivered something to the Doctor, I found Doctor lying lifeless in front of his desk, blood at the corner of his mouth. He had died from overwork.

He felt guilty for not being able to save everyone on Rhodes Island, nor for not being able to save Amiya, and for having to burden Mizuki with the responsibility of protecting the Fireseed of civilization. So he worked day and night to find a way to turn the situation around.

As he lay dying, he wrote a few words in his own blood, but Mr. K had forgotten what they said; it seemed to be... "I'm sorry?"

Then came Mizuki's utter despair. Already burdened with immense negative pressure after losing the Doctor, he completely lost control. Hundreds of thousands of people became his nourishment. He roared, unleashing endless tides that carried billions of Seaborn, forcefully pushing the Demons back to the icy plains. But Terra could no longer return to the past.

In his final moments, he removed his crown and tossed it to the despairing Kal'tsit, without telling her what to do. So she looked at the battered Terra and chose to pick up her broken mission and embark on a journey.

Something seemed off, Amiya thought. She hadn't properly said goodbye to the Doctor yet, but the power of the Sarkaz Demon King was surging forth. She felt that she could kill someone just by speaking, let alone direct that power at the Doctor.

Before her was a black world, shadows shrouding everything, and countless the Warp rifts appeared before her eyes. Amiya felt her steps were so heavy that she could not take another step, yet the power within her body seemed capable of destroying everything in this world.

Is this the power of the Sarkaz Souls? Is this the emotion of the Sarkaz race accumulated over millions of years? No, there is much more. Amiya collected the souls of many people along the way during the retreat, intending to preserve them, but now she can only burn them.

"I'm sorry." Black tears slid down Amiya's cheeks as she sobbed uncontrollably. She looked at the people desperately fleeing for their lives; they so desperately wanted to survive. But the encroachment of the Warp was drawing ever closer, and she had to stay here and hold them and the Warp back together.

Theresa, Khiron, and the other Sarkaz kings' power surged into her body. She picked up Surtr's broken greatsword. At the beginning of the disaster, it was Surtr who used his Originium Arts to slow down the expansion of the Demons. Even if it only lasted for three days, Sami's Beast Lords returned it to Rhodes Island and then went to the battlefield.

Now, the Sami Ama, who once radiated divine Illustrious, stands before Amiya, his eyes devoid of life, surrounded only by the pollution that ravages the real world, and many other Feranmut similarly corrupted by the Warp, including Yel, the god of Kjerag, and Sui, the Feranmut of the Great Yan.

Sensing that the power within her had reached its current limit, Amiya removed the crown from her head and tossed it to Mizuki. Her eyes were exceptionally gentle. The Sarkaz Souls had once revealed a certain future to her, and now she chose to believe.

Viviana disliked Commercial Union, so in the end she chose to stand with Margaret Nearl and died on the battlefield.

Even in their dying moments, the Abyssal Hunters refused to fall. Ulpianus, determined to protect their peace, used his last breath to shield Skadi, allowing her to return the bodies of Specter and Gladiia to the sea.

Mr. K recalled many things, but she wasn't sure which ones were her starting point and which ones were fragmented remnants of her consciousness. She couldn't even be considered a person, but rather the resentful echoes of these lingering souls.

"You... you're so pitiful."

With his left arm around Kal'tsit's waist (Mr. K), he gently patted her back with his blood-stained right hand. Blue blood kept flowing from the corner of Mizuki's mouth, but she didn't seem to feel any pain from her pierced heart.

Why do you say that?

Pollution, along with blood, stained the wilderness beneath their feet, only to be washed away by the raindrops. "The Mizuki that connect to the Sea of Life are indeed powerful," Mr. K thought.

"It's nothing, just a cough... it's just a gut feeling. I hope you never know the truth."

Death, death again and again, resurrection again and again, until she became numb. She couldn't remember how many times it had happened. She only remembered that the Warp's contamination of her deepened time and time again, and changing bodies couldn't get rid of this contamination.

How many Mizuki did she kill? I don't remember. It was true that the Doctor easier to deal with before Mizuki, but Mr. K would instinctively choose Mizuki. Perhaps, as Mizuki said, she still held the Doctor in a very important position in her heart.

She had certainly tried, warning everyone in advance of the impending disaster and standing with them in the face of it, but she never succeeded; the shadow of the Warp was too powerful.

"Dr. Kal'tsit, do you think we can survive?"

"Skadi, you must take them back! Do you hear me!"

"Amiya... I wish I could tell you a fairy tale again."

"Ealchi, what does this mean?"

One voice after another rang in her ears, then silence returned, like a dream that gradually faded when she woke up.