Chapter 572: The Finale (Part 1)
Chapter 572: The Finale (Part 1)
"Ah..."
Just as Lyon grabbed Prince Andre's soul, preparing to send him to the Gate of the Dead, a sigh of regret suddenly echoed from the depths of Prince Andre's soul.
"As expected, I didn't fully trust that you were right."
"?!?!"
Hearing this familiar exclamation, Prince Andre's pupils constricted involuntarily, and he asked angrily,
"White Serpent? What did you do to my soul...Ugh..."
"It's not that I tampered with your soul, but the entire Butcher King Guild has taken measures to ensure the world fragment you received."
The voice, claiming to be White Serpent, sighed,
"Black Owl, your abilities and wisdom are not lacking, but your mind is ultimately too immature. Moreover, as one of the targeted royals, how could the Guild ever fully trust you?"
Indeed, the Butcher King Guild had a backup plan regarding him.
After listening to the brief exchange between "White Serpent" and Prince Andre, Lyon's eyes narrowed as he observed the strange patterns resembling snake scales that appeared on the surface of Prince Andre's soul.
Previously, when the Scorpio Chief was ambushed, the Butcher King Guild managed to bypass the Watch Palace and send down their power, forcibly sealing his soul, which led to the Scorpio Chief's instant demise.
Where there's one, there's often a second. Once they realize the situation is out of their control, the likelihood of the Guild intervening again is naturally very high.
"Lyon Lane."
The silver-white snake scale patterns with flecks of stardust quickly spread, soon climbing onto Prince Andre's face, covering almost half of it. The side of Prince Andre's face that was scaled transformed into White Serpent's voice, and with a sigh, he opened his mouth,
"Although Black Owl does have many issues, the fact that even the Scorpio Chief was dealt with and you still managed to seize the opportunity and capture him shows that we underestimated you."
"So what?"
With his hands gripping Prince Andre's soul, Lyon, whose back faintly revealed the shadow of the Three-Headed Dog God, narrowed his eyes and retorted,
"Andre's soul is now firmly in my grasp, and I can send it into the Gate of the Dead at any moment. What do you plan to stop me with?"
"You misunderstood, I don't intend to save Black Owl."
After hearing Lyon's words, "Prince Andre" shook his head, his expression calm as he said,
"To us, he is like the Aquarius Director from your Cleaning Bureau—they were both only considered external members, not truly aligned with us. I have no need to save him.
All I need to do now is enforce the restrictions he and Snow Owl signed when they joined the Butcher King Guild, ensuring that no royal bloodline can escape the Corlock Kingdom alive."
Restrictions?
Lyon was slightly startled, then suddenly seemed to realize something, and he turned around abruptly.
As expected, the Emerald-Eyed Maiden, who had been silent for a long time, was crouching on the ground, trembling. Not only were her arms covered in pitch-black raven feathers, but even where her mouth should have been, there was a protruding beak, glossy and black as night.
"Restriction One: As long as the Corlock Kingdom exists, one shall never leave, and the violator's body and soul shall be annihilated."
As "Prince Andre" recited, the siblings' foreheads simultaneously cracked open, and a drop of golden-red blood pearl rolled down the fissure between their brows.
"Restriction Two: One shall never bear royal offspring for life, and the bloodline shall be severed; the violator's body and soul shall be annihilated."
With "Prince Andre's" second finger raised, a second fine crack appeared between the siblings' foreheads, squeezing out a pale pink blood pearl.
"Restriction Three, those captured by the Corlock Royal Family's Cleaning Bureau and taken out of the Corlock Kingdom shall have their physical bodies and souls annihilated. Violators will face the same fate."
As the third crack appeared between their eyebrows, and a deep grey blood pearl floated up, "Prince Andre" raised three fingers, his expression calm as he said, "According to my judgment, it's time to invoke Restriction Three."
"No!"
Amidst the serene notification from the White Serpent, Prince Andre's soul surged, and he immediately regained control of half of his face, roaring in anger, "No one has been taken out of the Corlock Kingdom! I didn't breach the contract! It's you who violated it!"
"But this incident is bound to happen."
The other half of "Prince Andre" spoke calmly, "You've always misunderstood one thing. The condition for triggering the restriction isn't what you think it is—'already' happened. As soon as this incident is 'about to' happen, we have the right to enforce the restriction.
Furthermore, if we must talk about breach of contract, then you were the first to violate it. After obtaining the world fragment, you incorporated most of your soul into the painting that merged with the world fragment.
You only retained consciousness, physical body, and a small portion of your soul within the Corlock Kingdom, falling within the scope of an ordinary person. You intended to use this to escape the constraints you established, and this is already a betrayal."
"No! This is..."
"We've been fair, always acting according to the agreement. Even if you violated it first, we didn't immediately impose sanctions. No matter how you calculate it, you're in the wrong."
After saying these words, "Prince Andre" looked up at Lyon, whose brows were tightly furrowed, and calmly stated, "I've done what I needed to do, and I've conveyed the necessary messages. So, goodbye. You can send his soul to the Realm of the Dead now."
"..."
Send him to the Realm of the Dead... Is that necessary?
After glancing at the departing 'White Serpent', Lyon closed his eyes, feeling helpless as he witnessed the souls of the two siblings, despite their efforts to maintain them, gradually collapsing.
Given the rate at which Prince Andre's soul was crumbling, it was likely that he would dissipate soon after crossing the Burial Robe Mirror Lake, making it impossible to reach the City of Regret. Felicia's soul was much weaker than his, and it was estimated that it would completely disappear within two to three hours.
So, after all this effort, the mission had failed...
...
"No! It shouldn't be like this!"
The white serpent patterns on his body faded, and as Prince Andre's will regained dominance, he clenched his teeth, tears welling up in his eyes, as he spoke with deep regret, "I was ready... I... I wanted to apologize... Why... Why did this happen?"
"I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do."
Lyon sighed as he moved Felicia, who was trembling and covered in raven feathers, to his side. He then turned to the two siblings lying on the ground and said, "This is how life is. Regrets will always accompany us throughout our lives. If we don't do something at the right time, we may never get another chance.
Given the current state of your soul, it's impossible to reach the City of Regret to apologize to your family. But you still have one last chance to say something to your sister."
(End of Chapter)
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