Chapter 22: You Are My Faith (III)

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Chapter 22: You Are My Faith (III)

The next day, Teacher Gwyn asked whether Shang Ke would be willing to travel with them to the imperial capital. He could stay with Kaiser for the time being and decide what to do afterward.

Naturally, Shang Ke couldn’t have asked for anything better. If he wanted to seal the Devil’s Tree, he would still need Kaiser’s help.

At this point, the people of Turan still did not know how to seal the Devil’s Tree. They would need to gather at least seven different forms of positive faith and use the power of Magic Crystals before sealing the tree would even become possible. The stronger the powers of faith and the more varied their forms, the greater the chances of success.

Magic Crystals were precious, but they were not truly rare. The real difficulty lay in passing through the barrier of demonic energy and reaching the Devil’s Tree itself.

It was a hellish journey that tested both willpower and faith. Anyone whose convictions were not sufficiently firm would be unable to make it through. The slightest crack in the heart could allow the Devil’s Tree to tempt and corrupt them, causing them to lose themselves and even turn against their own companions.

According to the original course of events, even the band of warriors led by Kaiser would suffer two failed attempts and sacrifice hundreds of lives before finally reaching the center of the Abyssal Marsh. In the end, seven people would barely manage to seal the Devil’s Tree together.

More than two hundred warriors would participate in the final attempt. By the time the sealing was complete, only five would remain alive. A full third of the casualties would be killed by companions who suddenly succumbed to demonic corruption—an especially tragic loss.

This sort of “foreknowledge” was practically Shang Ke’s only advantage at the moment. Not only did he already know how the Devil’s Tree could be sealed, he also knew the identities of the other six warriors who would ultimately stand beside Kaiser and accomplish it.

After breaking camp, Shang Ke traveled with Kaiser and the others toward Watchkeep. The city stood at the edge of the Abyssal Marsh and was surrounded by demonic energy throughout the year. Most of those who came and went were seasoned travelers and experienced mercenaries. Ordinary people hardly dared to set foot there.

The moment Shang Ke entered the city, he felt the demonic energy inside him begin to churn. Free-floating demonic energy drifted everywhere he looked. Normally, this energy would not actively invade the human body; it was drawn in only when negative emotions arose within the heart. Where people gathered, darkness inevitably gathered as well.

Quite a few apostles of the Devil’s Tree were hidden throughout the city. As a King-level Apostle, Shang Ke could easily sense the presence of every lower-ranking apostle nearby. However, not everyone invaded by demonic energy could be called an “apostle.”

There were generally three stages of demonic invasion.

During the initial stage, the victim would instinctively resist the demonic energy, creating a violent clash of forces within the body. They would experience extreme pain and eventually become frenzied. This stage was usually discovered quickly, and with timely treatment, the victim could still return to their original state of mind.

Those in the intermediate stage were generally people who already possessed corrupt intentions or exceptionally weak wills. They surrendered easily to the demonic energy’s temptation and became slaves of the Devil’s Tree. A small number of particularly powerful individuals could become lower-ranking apostles. They were capable of concealing the demonic energy inside themselves and normally appeared no different from ordinary people, but whenever they encountered someone possessing exceptionally powerful faith, they would struggle to control themselves and feel an irresistible urge to attack.

Those whose bodies had been completely invaded were also known as King-level Apostles. They were the Devil’s Tree’s most faithful believers and could draw immense power directly from it. Some concealed themselves among ordinary people, while others preferred to operate alone. Some slaughtered without restraint, while others excelled at manipulating people and sowing discord.

They exerted tremendous pressure over lower-ranking apostles and could easily pick them out from a crowd. Conversely, if a King-level Apostle did not wish to be discovered, the lower-ranking apostles would be completely unable to sense them.

After taking over Osari’s body, Shang Ke still retained the aura of a King-level Apostle, but none of the strength that should have accompanied it. Since he no longer believed in the Devil’s Tree, he naturally could no longer draw power from it. Worse still, he had to rely entirely on his own willpower to continuously suppress the demonic energy within him. Osari’s body had already been completely invaded, and the demonic energy had taken root too deeply to ever be removed. Given enough time, Shang Ke would not only lose the intimidating aura of a King-level Apostle, but would also become weaker and weaker.

Shang Ke felt that he was probably the most miserable final boss in history. He was running around with the villain’s enormous red name hanging over his head, yet possessed none of the villain’s actual strength. The moment his identity was exposed, a giant flashing DEATH sign might as well appear over him with special effects.

Before that happened, he needed to find some way to explain away his villainous identity—preferably one capable of sending everyone’s favorability toward him through the roof.

Kaiser’s group entered an inn to find lodging and immediately attracted quite a few stares. Most of the attention fell on the two beauties, Vidora and Amy. Shang Ke had his hood pulled up, so comparatively few people noticed him.

Holding Pupu, Shang Ke followed the others to a table and sat with his gaze lowered, doing everything possible to minimize his presence. There were at least three lower-ranking apostles inside the inn. Their gazes swept vaguely in this direction from time to time, lingering longest on Kaiser and Pupu, yet none of them detected the deeply concealed final boss sitting right under their noses.

A trace of coldness appeared in Kaiser’s eyes, though the carefree, roguish smile never left his face.

Pupu, meanwhile, remained completely oblivious. One small hand clutched Shang Ke’s sleeve as she sat as primly as he did. Whenever she grew tired of sitting upright, she simply leaned her head against him for a while.

“Shang Ke, after we finish eating, I’ll show you around. We can buy Pupu a few sets of clothes while we’re at it,” Youri offered eagerly.

Shang Ke looked down at Pupu. “She really does need a few sets of clothes, but I’m afraid I’ll have to owe you the money for now.”

He had originally planned to use the gold coins in his own pocket, but then remembered that he and Pupu were supposedly “pitiful trafficking victims.” How could people in their situation possibly be carrying money? For now, he would simply have to continue freeloading.

“You’ll have money soon enough.” Youri smiled. “Those traffickers were all wanted criminals. We found quite a bit of money on them, and their tattoo marks can also be exchanged for bounty money. You’re entitled to a share of that reward too.”

“I get a share too?”

“Of course.” Youri poured him some water as he explained, “We weren’t the ones who killed them in the first place. Whoever did kill them didn’t remove their identifying tattoos, which means they clearly had no intention of claiming the bounty. We basically stumbled onto free money, so everyone who was there gets a share.”

“Thank you.” Shang Ke hadn’t expected them to voluntarily give him part of the bounty, so he immediately awarded every one of them a mental Good Person Card.

After the meal, the group split into two. Teacher Gwyn went with Doru, Amy, and Fred to the guild to collect the bounty, while Youri, Kaiser, and Vidora accompanied Shang Ke and Pupu to buy clothes and replenish their supplies.

Shang Ke held Pupu’s little hand as he followed the others along the street. Youri enthusiastically introduced Watchkeep’s local customs and sights to him with such confidence that one would think he had visited the place before.

Kaiser couldn’t be bothered exposing him. He merely smiled as he walked beside Shang Ke, unconsciously positioning himself between Shang Ke and the crowd so that neither he nor Pupu would be jostled. Vidora, the only woman among them, ended up being the one left neglected.

Irritation stirred inside her. She stepped forward and linked her arm through Kaiser’s.

Kaiser raised an eyebrow slightly before calmly withdrawing his arm. He knew Vidora liked him, but he held no romantic feelings toward her.

Vidora bit her lip and looked toward him with a wounded expression, only to discover that Kaiser wasn’t looking at her at all. His gaze was fixed on the young man bending down to lift Pupu into his arms.

Vidora frowned as an inexplicable sense of crisis rose within her.

Just then, a disturbance broke out nearby. A man had been tightly bound with rope, his expression crazed as guttural roars tore from his throat and his body twisted violently. Several people lifted him onto a stretcher and hurried toward the nearby Hall of Light.

“What happened?” Shang Ke asked.

“Someone’s been invaded by demonic energy,” Kaiser answered simply.

“Come on, let’s go take a look.” Youri loved joining in whenever there was excitement. He gave Shang Ke a little push, then eagerly ran ahead.

Anyone discovered in the initial stage of demonic invasion would immediately be taken to a Hall of Light. The exorcists who served there were physicians or clergy whose faith was Light. Their primary responsibility was removing demonic energy from people in the earliest stage of corruption.

However, the exorcism process was excruciating for the victim, and its success rate was only sixty-five percent. If the treatment failed, the clergy would give the patient poison so they could leave the world peacefully.

By the time Shang Ke and the others reached the Hall of Light, agonized screams were already echoing from within. The bound man writhed beneath the treatment of several clergy members. His skin had turned red, veins bulging prominently beneath it, making him look terrifying.

Pupu rested her head in the crook of Shang Ke’s neck and peeked toward the scene with one eye. There was only curiosity in her gaze, not fear.

Shang Ke was a man, after all, and didn’t think much of her clinging to him like this.

At that moment, the crowd behind them suddenly surged forward, knocking Shang Ke off balance.

An arm reached around him from behind and caught him firmly around the waist. Then Kaiser’s voice sounded softly beside his ear: “Careful.”

“Thanks.” Protected by Kaiser’s arm, Shang Ke moved several steps farther forward.

The treatment continued for more than ten minutes, yet they were still unable to remove the demonic energy from the man.

In the end, the cleric overseeing the treatment could only give up regretfully and instruct an attendant to prepare the poison.

“Please, save him!” A woman threw herself over the man and cried desperately, “Please try treating him one more time! He can recover, I know he can!”

Her pleas earned little sympathy from the clergy. They had witnessed scenes like this far too many times.

In the eyes of most people, being invaded by demonic energy meant that the victim either possessed a weak will or had harbored corrupt intentions to begin with. As a result, few people sympathized with them.

Shang Ke watched the demonic energy flicker in and out around the man’s body. That meant the man himself was still struggling desperately against it; he simply couldn’t drive it out because the pain had become too overwhelming.

An idea suddenly occurred to Shang Ke. While the clergy were occupied arguing with the man’s family, Shang Ke edged several steps closer. He held Pupu with one arm while quietly lowering his free hand, then used the aura within his own body as a conduit to draw the man’s demonic energy into himself.

As the demonic energy was gradually pulled away, the man’s agonized expression slowly eased. Once the last of it had been removed, his mind cleared completely.

Shang Ke had merely tried it on a whim. He hadn’t expected it to actually work.

Although absorbing the demonic energy left Shang Ke noticeably pale, excitement surged through him.

He had finally figured out how to clear his enormous villainous red name!

He would use his own body as a vessel, absorbing demonic energy from those who had been invaded and helping them return to normal.

With my own will, I will suppress your demons. Even if thorns cover my entire body, I will have nothing to fear.

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