Free Web NovelChapter 512: Chapter 250: Eternal Actor, the Hero Who Embraces Darkness
Central square of the small town
Countless corpses of the dead were stacked together, doused with inferior kerosene, and set ablaze.
Towering black smoke, carrying the stench of burning flesh, twisted upward into the gray sky, as if countless wronged souls were silently wailing.
Modus stood before the burning pile of corpses, the flickering flames reflected in his deep pupils, yet igniting no warmth, only a cold dead silence.
He once believed that becoming a Hero, upholding justice, could vanquish all evildoers and protect the weak.
But the reality is, the tax collector beat his grandfather to death, nobles connived with bandits to plunder, the Empire holds the raw stone that could save the world but sits idly as the Black Tide spreads... This world is rotten to its core.
Since Light cannot illuminate this deep darkness, since rules exist only to maintain oppression, what meaning do they have?
If they are meaningless, why not destroy them!
The once passionate Hero had been killed by reality; now standing here is the newly born Demon Monarch.
"What is the current state of the world?"
Ye Mingqiu’s voice came from the side, breaking the silent atmosphere.
He casually sat on a charred beam of a ruin, playing with that raw stone obtained from the Elf Detection Institute in his hand, while his other hand fiddled with the earring named "Dawn Oath."
Holy Power flowed from Ye Mingqiu’s palm, covering both items, as the surface of the "Dawn Oath" shimmered with a sacred brilliance. The dark gold and holy light intertwined and flashed between his fingers, attempting to induce a transformation in the raw stone for a new qualitative change.
The "Dawn Oath" itself remained intact, and as long as the World Origin is infused, there is a certain chance to restore the lost advanced traits; coincidentally, the raw stone itself contains the power of the World Origin.
But unfortunately, Ye Mingqiu’s attempts always failed; the nature of the raw stone was even more stable than he imagined.
So difficult...
Soon, Adira stepped forward, with the same impeccable smile as always, swiftly responding, "The continent is currently ruled by the Three Great Empires."
"The Ola Empire dominates the Eastern Territory, renowned for its Dragon Cavalry and Rune Technology."
"The Sain Empire entrenched in the Northern Lands, known for its valiant customs, and worships the white wolf of ice and power."
"The Lok Empire controls the fertile southern plains, founded on magic and commerce."
"Each empire possesses massive armies and profound heritage, with countless strong warriors under its command. With our current strength and influence, it is highly unlikely we could confront them head-on."
"Oh?"
Ye Mingqiu raised an eyebrow, his gaze still fixed between the raw stone and the earring, asking casually, "Including me?"
Adira’s smile grew more radiant, with just the right amount of reverence, "Of course not! You are beyond my comprehension. In my limited understanding, I have never seen you exert your full strength, how dare I presumptuously measure you by mundane standards?"
He shifted his tone, his voice becoming grave, "However, the top level combat power of the Three Great Empires indeed cannot be underestimated. As far as I know, some of the old monsters worshiped by the empires probably have strength not below the Hero at his peak, but they lack the Hero’s unique traits to combat the Black Tide."
"And more terrifying are those three Emperors themselves; it is said that they all possess power nearing or even surpassing human limits. Even Modus probably doesn’t have an assured victory against any one of the Emperors in direct confrontation."
"Is that so?"
Ye Mingqiu lowered his eyelids, the light at his fingertips paused slightly.
Something’s off!
Very off!
If there are so many strong warriors in the world and so abundant high-level combat power, why are they still tightly controlling the key item to counter the Black Tide, the raw stone?
Is it merely to control and utilize the Hero?
Doesn’t add up, insufficient. This reasoning seems inadequate in the face of absolute power, surely hiding deeper and darker secrets.
Ye Mingqiu continued to ask, "Then, where are the known but unused raw stones in this world?"
"The vast majority have been secretly collected and sealed away by the Three Great Empires," Adira replied.
"Ignoring a few border nobles, if the Empire’s strength is so formidable, why didn’t they send someone to collect the raw stone from the Elf Observatory?" Ye Mingqiu asked again.
According to his perception, the Elf Detection Institute didn’t seem dangerous, except for that shadow which somewhat affected him, but at most it just made him feel a bit tired like a dietary supplement, hardly a threat; overall, the strategy difficulty was relatively low.
"I don’t know."
Adira scratched his head, tentatively saying, "Perhaps... they fear some... unknown ancient danger that might exist in the ruins? After all, the extinction of the Elves itself is full of mysteries."
He strongly suspected that the Empire had indeed sent people here before, only to be thwarted by the eerie slaughter within the Detection Institute, ultimately forced to give up.
As for what the Blood Erosion Tyrant found easy...
He was once a Hero, with top-level resistance against evil; could the exploration difficulty be the same?
"...."
Ye Mingqiu’s brows furrowed more tightly; he didn’t think the shadow within the Elf Detection Institute was a strong entity, after all, it was merely a mental supplement.
If it were truly powerful, how could I absorb it as a supplement?
He always felt there might be some kind of connection between the Three Great Empires and the presence within the Elf Detection Institute, possibly having communicated with each other and reached some sort of mutual non-aggression pact, which is why the shadow within did not expand outward.
But evidently, this problem cannot be specifically answered by Adira, so he turned and asked, "With such mismanagement and misery under these Lords’ rule, are there no rebels?"
