EnCoffin Me Chapter 114
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 114
This was the first time since the war began that Theo's expression changed. Inside the heavily guarded underground facility, he stared at the ‘Activation Failed’ icon on the screen. The researchers around him kept their heads down, afraid to draw the attention of the furious Holy Temple ruler.
Theo's anger lasted for a while before he quickly returned to an expressionless state. Anger was useless. The Federation army outside was already at the city gates.
Was he going to face them head-on?
No. He wanted to escape.
This wasn't because he feared his own child, but because he currently lacked the immense power he once possessed as a second-generation vampire. His divine favor was better suited for working in the shadows. He would never hesitate to reject a direct battlefield like this!
It was definitely not because he feared Alexio. Definitely not… definitely not because of fear.
Theo covered his face with one hand, revealing a pair of trembling eyes through his fingers.
It was not because he feared… he could never fear Alexio…
Those images came back — the vampire, black scythe in hand, standing under the brilliant sunlight, ignoring all his pleas and curses, decisively cutting off his head with the scythe.
No… no… no…
He couldn't die. After gaining a second chance at life, he wasn't going to lose it.
【Where do you want to go? Hurry and make the black sun rise! Then kill the ‘spark!’】
The god's voice came again, filled with urgency.
【Hurry! Once the three pillars are in place, the plan that took tens of thousands of years will fail!】
But Theo had already decided to flee. He would never face Alexio head-on again. He wanted to hide in the shadows, to lie low silently…
【You want to escape? Don't forget who gave you your power! Since you accepted the power I granted and became my follower, you must obey my orders!】
No, absolutely not! Theo had already selected the personnel to evacuate with him. As for the rest, he wouldn’t bother with them anymore, nor would he inform them of anything. Those people would believe he was still behind the scenes, naturally becoming the best shield until they were all safely gone.
The god's furious cursing meant nothing and didn't shake Theo's resolve.
He wouldn't admit it, but the truth was he had long been scared by Alexio.
【Theo!!!】
Theo remained calm. He knew the god could not intervene directly. Doing so would be a violation. So in this cooperation with the god, the one truly in control was not the lofty god, but himself!
A powerful beam of light suddenly shot down from above, exploding violently upon impact. Those controlled by his mental power shielded Theo, absorbing the force of the blast for him. He heard the flapping of griffin wings overhead, and sensed the familiar magical aura of the ancient Holy Temple from ten thousand years ago. Back then, he had been strong enough to treat all this as mere play, but now, he was too weak to do anything.
The stark contrast filled him with both sorrow and anger.
“Found you.” The saint rode atop the griffin, his expression calm as he looked down, but his eyes held unyielding killing intent. His holy spear was drawn, with dozens of plans running through his mind, each one capable of ending Theo's life.
The magical array of the Holy Judgment opened above him, multiplying from one into a hundred, the intense light covering the entire sky. Beneath the glow, Theo knelt half-crouched among the ruins.
This was the man who had nearly killed Alexi. For that alone, Lucius would hunt him to the ends of the earth and grind him to dust.
“Not even hell will take you,” he said, drawing Theo's attention from above. The chain pulled from his eye shot forward at high speed, aimed at the back of Theo's head!
The air seemed to tremble. Lucius' gaze sharpened. He quickly left the griffin's back and raised his domain. A burst of flames from a griffin slammed against the domain's barrier. Invisible threads of mental power filled the sky. The legion of griffins lost control and began to fall, some completely seized by Theo's control. The platinum flames all turned toward Lucius.
After a fierce flash, the sound of a cloak tearing through the air rang out. Lucius fell from the smoke, perfectly shielded by his spherical domain, unharmed.
This was his domain, something even Alexio found extremely difficult to counter.
Both he and Alexio were powerful, but concentrating their strength together was less effective than spreading out. So they chose different paths of attack, and Lucius found Theo first. Lucius thought this outcome was perfect. The despicable man who ended Alexi's dreams and cast endless shadows over his past would be completely destroyed by him.
Threads of mental power clung tightly to the edge of his domain, trying to penetrate it. But the domain's master had granted it the most stubborn resistance. Theo could only desperately order the controlled griffins and soldiers to attack. Gunfire and magical explosions erupted everywhere, yet when the dust settled, the saint was still steadily advancing.
“Stop!” Theo hissed. “You're ending me before Alexi arrives. Aren't you afraid he'll hold a grudge?”
The saint lowered his gaze slightly.
“I figured you'd struggle for a long time. Perhaps Alexi will arrive halfway through.”
It was clear he had no intention of letting Theo die quickly. Thinking of the Holy Temple's cruel methods from ten thousand years ago, Theo clenched his teeth.
“The god within me will intervene at the moment of my death. Can you stand against divine power?”
“No,” the saint answered honestly. “Mortals cannot resist divine power. But will your god dare to help you again?
“Three times, the limit for violations. Once used up, your god's intervention in the mortal world becomes a hard, undeniable fact, violating the pact made by the two goddesses back then. Can he truly escape unscathed?”
Cold sweat slid down Theo's temple. The voice of the god that had been shouting in his mind fell silent for the moment. This resurrected being from the Holy Temple knew far too much and understood their situation perfectly, fearing no threat.
“I can tell you something you definitely want to know,” Theo said slowly. “About Alexio. He would never tell you his past, but I can.
“About what happened before he became a vampire…”
Theo traced a magical array in the air behind his back. The saint seemed to hesitate. Seeing this, Theo quickly continued, speeding up his movements.
“You admire his courage, but at first, he was a rather cowardly child,” Theo said with a faint, mocking smile. “Not only cowardly, but foolish. He wasn't even my target, yet he walked into my game burdened by moral shackles.
“At first, I was focused on the kingdom's prime minister. He was perfect to fall into the deepest despair. At that point, the most delicious blood would be produced.”
As the magical circle formed continuously, Theo smiled.
“I killed the heirs one by one, maybe dozens of them. I kept pushing him deeper and deeper. Finally, I wiped out all the heirs. I was truly frustrated then. The main show hadn't even started, but I had accidentally killed all the important supporting players. I should have kept at least one.
“But I didn't stay upset for long. The prime minister found the last heir himself. Alexio.
“I changed tactics. I gave him plenty of time to raise Alexio. When hope returned to his face, I gave him one last month.
“I sent my followers into the city, and if he succeeded in putting Alexio on the throne within that month, I would let him go, let the country go.”
The saint's eyes flickered slightly. He realized this must be the origin of how Alexio's Red Moon Royal City came to be divided by lunar phases.
It was a month of nightmares, a month of hell.
“They actually succeeded. I watched from the side and almost laughed. Against such desperate odds, they made it.” Theo laughed openly, malice clear in his eyes. But…
“I never said I'd keep my promise.”
That night was the new moon. The second-generation vampire killed the young king. To obtain even more despairing blood, he gave the young king vampire blood. He tasted a delicious meal, left satisfied, leaving his followers and invading alien forces to ravage the royal city.
“How foolish… how foolish,” Theo sighed. Suddenly, he felt something cold slide down his cheek. He reached up and touched it, finding his hand covered in blood
At some point, blood rain had begun to fall. The Red Moon Royal City had enclosed this area. The saint first looked up at the moonless, black and red sky, then turned his gaze and saw Alexio approaching calmly.
The vampire's face showed no expression, but the blood rain continued to fall.
“Alexio…” Theo's expression grew complex. Then his brow relaxed as the magical array beneath his hand completed.
He wouldn't make the same mistake with Alexio again. As long as he escaped, he had thousands of ways to make a comeback.
“Our reminiscing ends here.” He smiled faintly at Alexio. Sensing something, Alexio's red eyes widened. The black scythe appeared, and he teleported in front of Theo, but it struck empty air.
Floating in midair was a small teleportation magical array in the Holy Temple's style. As expected, Theo successfully deciphered it and adapted it for use right here.
“Damn!” Alexio frowned. “Lucius… Can you predict where he'll teleport? Let's chase him!”
But the saint calmly raised his hand. Alexio had a strange feeling that Theo was about to get into trouble.
The saint clenched his fist, and suddenly the sound of flesh tearing echoed from somewhere nearby. In the next moment, Theo appeared in a corner, coughing up a mouthful of blood. He hadn't even made it out of the ruins when his body was already impaled with dozens of lightblades. After a brief struggle, he collapsed heavily.
His eyes were wide open, pupils contracting sharply.
Why… He should have already teleported to the designated spot… He…
“Why do you still have the courage to use the deep teleportation magical array?” Lucius said calmly. “Maybe you think you've mastered it enough to use it as a last-ditch escape, but my memories have also been restored.
“Do you really want to challenge my centuries of expertise with your recent research?”
Theo coughed up another mouthful of blood. His vision was darkening. Only his limbs still moved as he crawled, trying to put distance between them.
At that moment, he had no choice but to pray for his god's help once again.
“If I die… and you can't find a suitable partner… Give me… give me the power from ten thousand years ago… As long as I have that power…”
【…Very well.】
Theo froze for a moment, then an endless surge of ecstasy followed! He didn't care how the god would grant him the power from ten thousand years ago. He only knew that once the second-generation vampire's power returned to him, at least he could escape.
“Give me… quickly, give me!”
A surging power descended upon his body. Theo's expression froze in happiness, but as the power kept increasing, he grew increasingly terrified, realizing this was not his own power.
“You… god… what is this?!”
The God of Slander smiled in the void.
【Since it's a violation either way, why don't I descend myself?】
A deep purple light suddenly filled the entire space. Countless whispered murmurs lingered around, each word a poisonous lie that stirred chaos in the heart. Theo, or rather, the God of Slander, stood up. Using this body disgusted him, but everything was for the sake of achieving his goal.
He was indeed breaking the rules, but what if Qizhi couldn't ascend and submit the recorded violations to the divine realm?
The ‘spark’ was here as well.
His gaze floated lightly, passing over the saint blocking the way, and locked precisely onto Alexio's eyes.
【That eye color… You are the Spark.】
He stated with certainty. An overwhelming divine power pressed down instantly. At the critical moment, Lucius opened his domain, sheltering Alexio within. The domain emitted constant cracking sounds, while outside, the Red Moon Royal City gradually crumbled under the divine pressure.
Alexio kept his head lowered.
【Get lost, Qizhi's follower. Crushing you is easier than crushing ants.】
Lucius tensed his body. His domain resisted the divine power's intrusion, and a crack seemed to snake across his own body. He wanted to touch Alexio behind him, urging him to try teleporting away, but Alexio instead grasped his hand first.
【Where is Qizhi?】The divine power had completely erased the Red Moon Royal City outside, leaving only a vast, desolate wasteland.
Alexio held the lunatic's hand tightly, raising his scythe to share some of the pressure.
He took out his lightbrain, activated it, and a projection of Pupil appeared on the screen.
【Not a clone! Where is the main body? Is it in your so-called conservation center?】The God of Slander knew well that as long as he used divine power, he could instantly reach there. Gods operated without reason.
Their expressions already gave him the answer.
【Spark, you have not completed your mission.】 He smiled a smile that was even more sinister than Theo's. Even confident of victory, he took pleasure in using slander to destroy every heart.
“Is that so? I don't think so.”
Alexio lowered his gaze to Pupil on the screen, then raised his eyes, not at the God of Slander, but slowly scanning the gray wasteland around him.
He remembered this desolation, always haunted by wandering souls. At its center flowed a vast, ancient black river, endlessly running.
Amid this scene, where was he?
He clenched his lightbrain tightly, feeling that he should weep, because he remembered everything.
“Fly, Elder Brother.”
He whispered softly.