“Levitating in midair, parting the earth—this is a power only the legendary saints are said to possess…”
Inside the Golden Oak Palace, the massive screen continuously replayed the footage of that moment, while an old man murmured in awe, his eyes burning with intense excitement.
Beside him, aside from several princes and princesses with solemn expressions, there were also clergy members who had already begun praying, clutching their sacred texts and occasionally uttering words like “devil” and “demon.”
This old man, naturally, was none other than King Yekalin III of the Golden Oak Kingdom.
Although the Golden Oak Kingdom practiced constitutional monarchy, with the Prime Minister holding real power and the royal family merely serving as a symbolic figurehead, it still wasn’t difficult for a king to obtain such resources.
“Lord Ailie, how are those people from the Federation doing?”
After watching the footage once more, King Yekalin III slowly exhaled and asked his aide.
“Professor Luther and the other researchers are okay—they were just knocked unconscious and suffered multiple fractures and soft-tissue contusions. However, Director Lucius and his agents sustained heavy casualties. Especially Lucius himself—he seems to have been cursed by that individual and is still lying in the hospital bed!”
When mentioning Wu Ming, even though Ailie knew he wasn’t present, he instinctively used a respectful tone.
“A curse?”
King Yekalin III seemed intrigued.
“Exactly…”
Ailie handed over a stack of photographs showing a hospital bed where a patient covered in hideous sores lay. Yekalin III suppressed his nausea, forcing himself to look closely until he finally matched this figure with the once-healthy Lucius who had previously visited him.
“Ever since being cursed by that individual, Lucius has deteriorated into this state. The Kingdom’s top experts have examined him and confirmed this is unlike any known illness. Not only is it incurable, but even pain-relief medication proves ineffective!”
As Ailie spoke, he couldn’t help but shiver, fearing that his act of reporting might anger the God of Redemption and bring him the same fate.
“A curse! Indeed, a curse! This is divine punishment!”
King Yekalin III murmured, “Not only does the God of Redemption possess such a powerful avatar, but even His priests wield extraordinary abilities. There’s no doubt—this is a true god!”
The older one gets, the more afraid of death they become.
Although Yekalin III was merely a figurehead king, he still held certain powers and stood at the pinnacle of the Kingdom’s hierarchy.
Such a person naturally had no desire to face the specter of death.
While the concept of divine realms had always seemed distant and intangible, the rise of the Church of Redemption and the strength it displayed behind the scenes had rekindled hope.
The Main God Space might be excellent, but it was also extremely dangerous. Becoming a cycle walker likely meant a short life expectancy. Items capable of prolonging life were exorbitantly priced and monopolized by powerful cycle walkers, rarely available to the general public. These elites dared not gamble with their fates.
Comparing the two, it was natural for them to prefer the tangible and visible Church of Redemption.
…
“Holiness, I have always been a devout believer of the Church. All previous actions have nothing to do with me!”
Just moments ago, Wu Ming had seen off seven or eight guests—all influential figures in the Kingdom. Take this old man before him, for example. Although he now wore a humble expression, he actually held shares in many major banks across the Kingdom, making him a top-tier financial tycoon lurking behind the scenes.
Yet despite his stature, after witnessing Wu Ming’s power, he immediately became restless and hurried here to mend relations.
“Holiness, may I offer a donation of one billion golden coins to the Church as tribute to the God of Redemption!”
Before leaving, the old man humbly requested, clearly fearing Wu Ming might refuse.
“In the end, contributions from big capitalists are the most profitable…”
After the man left, a faint smile appeared on Wu Ming’s lips. “One person’s apology alone brought in one billion golden coins! Even if we opened donations to all the Kingdom’s believers, it would take quite some time to accumulate the same amount.”
This also allowed him to perceive more deeply.
Though seemingly different from Pandorn, the Golden Oak Kingdom also harbored intense social conflicts.
An ordinary person might earn only a few dozen golden coins after a month of hard work, all because these hidden financial capitalists exploited the lower classes through repeated economic crises, shearing their wool like sheep.
“The seeds have already been sown, and the financial capitalists have eagerly watered and nurtured them, fearing they might not grow properly…”
“Is this just asking for death? Asking for death? Or asking for death again?”
Wu Ming closed his eyes, feeling he had grasped the world’s pulse more clearly.
Just then, Lady Lina entered gently, speaking in a soft tone: “Holiness, the royal messenger has arrived. His Majesty the King wishes to summon you!”
“The King?”
Although the real power in the Golden Oak Kingdom belonged to the Prime Minister, the King still held significant influence. Wu Ming nodded: “Agree to the meeting.”
He stretched leisurely: “Once I finish things in the capital, we can head back.”
…
Just as Wu Ming met with His Majesty the King and returned satisfied to Caspar City after successfully reaching an agreement, the ripple he created spread through the shadows, reaching across the entire world.
“This person absolutely isn’t a reincarnator!”
In the Pandorn Free Alliance, Snowvale carefully examined the circulated footage, his expression grave.
“This power… it’s practically godlike. Even with mechanical enhancement, it would be difficult for the President to replicate such combat capability!”
Dr. Sythe’s eyes gleamed with excitement: “If I could obtain data on this ‘Steven’ for research, my theories would surely advance significantly!”
Not a reincarnator, yet possessing power surpassing current reincarnators…
Snowvale sighed, feeling the world growing increasingly unfamiliar: “How did the Empire respond?”
“They firmly rejected our olive branch and have begun nationwide conscription… It seems they’re determined to fight this war to the bitter end, which is precisely the outcome we most dread.”
Dr. Sythe sighed.
“Indeed, this is truly terrible news…”
Snowvale furrowed his brow.
He naturally understood the disastrous state of the Alliance’s domestic situation.
Although they had seized these cities by force, true submission was far off. Outside the core areas, even collecting taxes and conscription remained problematic.
Faced with this, he desired peace and consolidation more than anyone, hoping to fully integrate the conquered territories. However, the enemy seemed to have seen through his hand, adopting a stance of no cost too great, ready to fight him in a war of attrition.
“At this point, we have no other choice!”
Dr. Sythe’s eyes burned with fire: “Deploy the Thunder God’s Sword! Let them know our diplomatic threats weren’t empty words but backed by real power!”
“But its area of effect is too broad, and the aftermath too complicated…”
Snowvale, already educated by Dr. Sythe about nuclear weapons, hesitated unusually.
After all, he had no desire to be the first to use the Thunder God’s Sword and be forever branded on humanity’s pillar of shame.
“Then we’ll use the X-particle Amplifier!”
Dr. Sythe shrugged: “Honestly, I don’t know of any other way to decisively defeat the Imperial army and utterly crush their morale.”
“The X-particle Amplifier?”
At this mention, even Snowvale, a seasoned reincarnator who had traversed countless mission worlds without flinching, showed traces of fear. The marrow-sucking consumption of that method was something he never wanted to experience again, not to mention the precedent of Posey.
“Are there absolutely no other options?”
Snowvale asked with a gloomy expression: “The aftermath of both methods is simply too severe.”
“Sorry! As far as I know, there are none left!”
Dr. Sythe shrugged.
Snowvale considered carefully before making his decision: “Then deploy… the Thunder God’s Sword! I hope it lives up to its name and cost, ending this war that has dragged on far too long!”
…
“The Holiness of the Church of Redemption recently held a successful meeting with His Majesty the King, exchanging views on the development of Caspar City and the Church. His Majesty expressed…”
Inside a hospital in the Golden Oak Kingdom.
Within the VIP ward, Lucius listened to the radio broadcast, suddenly smashing the expensive device into pieces.
Outside, a deathly silence fell, with no nurse daring to enter for a long time.
“So… I’ve been abandoned?”
Lucius shook his head and got up, walking to the bathroom.
The mirror clearly reflected a terrifying figure—his face covered in rotting sores, oozing pus and blood, accompanied by constant pain.
“Damn it!”
Lucius stared at the monster in the mirror, feeling it couldn’t possibly be himself. Suddenly, he punched the mirror.
Crack!
The crisp sound of breaking glass echoed as countless shards fell. Blood streamed from Lucius’s right hand, but he paid no attention.
“Torment of both body and soul, huh?”
He murmured, recalling that moment, his eyes burning with fury.
Undoubtedly, that Steven had cast a vicious curse upon him, determined to torment him for life and deny him peace even in death.
With the Golden Oak Kingdom having completely withdrawn and chosen reconciliation, even if he took this case to the Federal Court, it would be useless—there was no evidence. From start to finish, Wu Ming hadn’t even touched him with a finger.
“I… will not accept defeat. I will get my revenge…”
Suddenly, a low growl echoed within the ward, like a beast’s roar.
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