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Chapter 790: Lanchi's Eternal Punishment (Part 2)
Chapter 790: Lanchi's Eternal Punishment (Part 2)
The madness of the demons caused their original strength to surge, and if the Pope had transformed, everyone would perish!
Fear engulfed the hearts of the knights, shattering their long-held beliefs.
"..."
Seeing this, the Pope's eyes were filled with a smile of relief.
This was enough.
You don't need to feel guilty about the Honing Empire anymore. Protect yourselves and kill the demons without hesitation. Don't bear any grudges against the surviving residents of the Honing Empire.
Let the chains of hatred be broken here.
There was no need to explain the inexplicable.
Forget the great Pope of Saint Soul Rand from the past.
As long as you can survive.
As long as you can have a happy tomorrow.
The Pope wanted to say something, to approach them and reveal the situation in the south.
But as he opened his mouth, only gushes of blood poured out.
A throat-cutting pain assaulted him, and his consciousness began to scatter.
Each step he took was incredibly difficult.
Yet each step was also incredibly determined.
Was it finally... coming to an end?
This enmity, this fate.
And this... tumultuous life.
The Pope tremblingly raised his arm, as if trying to grasp something.
But the next second, the curse sealed within his heart suddenly erupted, completely engulfing his broken body.
All the knights instinctively backed away.
In that moment, the entire world seemed to fall silent.
In countless stunned gazes, the once-great Pope of Saint Soul Rand crumbled and turned to ashes.
There were no last words, no pleas.
Only those green eyes flashed with a glimmer of light as they disappeared.
Not resentment, not hatred.
But relief.
As if he knew that his death would take away all the evil.
And his name would be forever buried along with the truth of this calamity.
The knights stood there, dazed, their faces reflecting the aftermath of survival.
They had thought that they had seen the instigator of this demon disaster, the truth that should not have been revealed, and they would be erased because of it.
Unexpectedly, the Pope had reached his limit?
...
The conflict between Saint Soul Rand and Honing reignited.
Without their spiritual leader, the northern Saint Soul Rand Empire began to lose cohesion.
Although most of the strongest demons had been eliminated, the southern Honing Empire, rampant with demons, remained a treacherous land that was difficult to set foot in.
At any moment, a tide of demons akin to a zombie apocalypse could surge towards the southern border of the Saint Soul Rand Church.
An endless day of apocalyptic slaughter commenced.
In the northern region of the Saint Soul Rand Church, Helsal렘.
Empress Kexiya sat in the imperial palace, staring at the south.
Her tears soaked the carpet beneath her feet and moistened the embroidered blue lotus.
Her eyes, like sapphires, were filled with longing and grief.
"Your Holiness..."
"You fool..."
"If you were destined to bear the blame... Why didn't you take me with you? You really didn't have to, you didn't have to try to save this rotten world."
After a long while.
Empress Kexiya wiped away her tears and gazed deeply into the distance.
"I understand your choice..."
"I also understand... that your lifespan must have come to an end, and knowing you couldn't return to Saint Soul Rand, you helped us by killing as many demons as you could..."
"But can this Saint Soul Rand Church without you truly be saved...?"
...
On the scorched earth of the northern border of the Honing Empire.
The Pope's body reached its limit in the protracted battle.
As his skin cracked and peeled, his flesh turned into a bloody mess, and his internal organs shattered, even his noble head disintegrated into a black mist under the curse's corrosion.
But true death did not arrive as expected.
The 'Undying Eternal Punishment' curse ensured that his soul remained eternally immortal.
Lanchi watched helplessly as his body disintegrated and turned to dust, his mind filled with peace.
Was it over?
In the last moment of his consciousness, he wondered.
But the next second.
Reality gave him an answer.
"?"
When Lanchi's consciousness regrouped, he found himself in a bizarre space.
To be precise, it could no longer be called a "space."
There was no light, no sound, no trace of any physical existence.
"This... this is the price of choosing the Undying Eternal Punishment?"
Lanchi's voice dissipated into nothingness, so faint that even he could barely hear it.
He could neither see his surroundings nor hear any sounds, nor could he discern the terrain. Even the concept of time seemed to have been obliterated.
In this eternal prison, he would forever be alone.
No laughter, no tears.
No warm sunshine, no fresh air.
Not even the company of friends and loved ones.
Only endless loneliness and boundless despair.
For the first time, Lanchi felt a bone-chilling cold that was a hundred times crueler than physical death.
A punishment far more brutal than bodily death—
The persistence of consciousness, the annihilation of the physical self.
"Is this... where we are?"
Talia's voice echoed in his mind.
Unlike Lanclos, Lanchi still had her.
Even in this moment, she could share her senses with Lanchi and speak to him.
"It seems we're trapped within the endless experience of Taberius, which Lanclos entered the second time he used it."
Lanchi responded to her.
If Lanclos had truly used the Taberius Mirror three times in the actual historical events, then the second activation might have allowed him to experience the consequences of the Undying Eternal Punishment ahead of time.
"Our consciousnesses are locked within the space of the Taberius Mirror, aren't they?"
Talia seemed to grasp the severity of the situation.
This was an ending without closure.
From the moment he chose the Undying Eternal Punishment, he might have sealed his fate to endure its price.
Although the Taberius Mirror's mechanism accelerated time to the extreme when dealing with easily predictable futures, it lacked the concepts of time and space within. If the content being experienced was "endless," it would result in an infinite illusion.
"Perhaps," Lanchi acknowledged.
This was the world Lanclos had seen after choosing the Undying Eternal Punishment for himself.
And the Taberius Mirror had simulated it exactly as it was.
Thus, Lanchi was also experiencing infinity within this time-accelerated simulation.
No matter how fast time passed, eternity remained eternity.
"No, it can't be! Let's just sleep, and when we wake up, we might be out of here?"
Talia's heart began to fill with fear.
This was too bizarre.
But her consciousness drifted in the endless void, like a lone ship drifting in a silent ocean.
"Mhm."
Lanchi replied, though he truly felt exhausted.
Strangely, he didn't feel sleepy despite his fatigue.
"It's alright. When we wake up, everything will be back to normal."
Talia comforted Lanchi, keeping the conversation going.
As a long-lived species, she was more resilient to the passage of time.
【One hour later.】
"......"
Talia realized something.
She could fall asleep, but Lanchi couldn't.
"Lanchi, we must stay positive and keep moving forward. We will definitely find an exit."
Talia suggested again.
"You're right. Even though I don't feel hungry here, we can't just lie down and do nothing."
He tried to open his eyes, but in this pitch-black darkness, there was no difference between keeping them open or closed.
He couldn't tell if he had kept them open or closed while sleeping.
Lanchi stopped wasting time trying to sleep and continued walking forward.
The surroundings were so dark that the thick darkness seemed ready to devour his consciousness.
The blackness was absolute, like a ravenous beast that would never be satisfied, devouring his soul.
Lanchi wanted to call out, to shout, but his voice was swallowed by the void, disappearing without a trace.
Here, even sound was a luxury, and he could only endure the eternal silence.
【After a few hours.】
No one knew how long they had walked.
The scenery remained almost unchanged.
"This... this isn't so scary."
Talia spoke to Lanchi, her heart beginning to waver.
There was no exit, and she was slowly realizing it.
But Lanchi kept walking, listening to her, searching for an exit that likely didn't exist.
Lanchi seemed to understand this better than her.
He simply wanted to ease her anxiety and follow her lead, even if it meant doing something futile.
If they did nothing, their minds would also fall into darkness like the sky above.
"Lanchi, we can talk. Let's think positively. Lanclos could only imagine talking to his old friend, but I'm really here, and I can always be with you."
Talia tried to encourage Lanchi.
"Mhm, then I'll just keep walking forward."
Even though his body wouldn't tire, and he didn't feel pain, chatting about food made him feel hungry, though he didn't feel true hunger.
【Perhaps a year passed.】
Even though his body didn't tire, his mind began to feel bored.
He stopped walking.
With nothing to do, he just talked with Talia.
In this void, there were only the two of them.
【A year later.】
Lanchi lay on the ground, gazing up.
He could only stare at the boundless darkness.
"Is this the punishment for choosing the Undying Eternal Punishment?"
He murmured.
"Lanchi, we will get out of here. I'll be with you."
Talia said, though she had no idea if that was true.
She was terrified of the unknown duration.
How much longer?
A hundred years?
A thousand?
Or ten thousand? A hundred thousand?
Or even further, so far that it was beyond comprehension—eternity.
For humans with a lifespan of only a few short decades, such immense time was beyond their grasp.
【Fifty years passed.】
"Why does this absurd magic exist!"
Talia finally couldn't hold back her complaints.
Fifty years wasn't that long for Talia.
But even she felt the dread of the endless time ahead.
She couldn't imagine the despair Lanclos must have faced, alone in this dark space.
"Don't worry, don't worry. Lanclos endured it, so it can't be that bad.
"That's enough," Lanchi said to Talia.
"You..."
Talia didn't understand when Lanchi had become more optimistic than her.
【Perhaps several hundred years passed.】
Infinite time continued to flow.
Talia gave up thinking.
In her ethereal state, she lay on the ground with Lanchi, gazing at the boundless black sky, quietly awaiting eternity.
She no longer wanted to do anything.
Lanchi and she gradually stopped talking as well.
She also dared not speak to Lanchi.
Sometimes, she would go months without exchanging words with him.
She was afraid that during the immeasurable time she could endure, Lanchi would completely break down.
How much longer?
It seemed like just a speck in the vastness of this eternal prison.
Perhaps this Undying Eternal Punishment hadn't even truly begun yet.
The two of them had yet to experience the true initial suffering.
They were merely trapped in a temporal prison of darkness, insignificant lives.
"Tata, can you tell how long it's been?"
Lanchi's voice echoed in her mind.
He seemed to be able to maintain his lucidity.
But he couldn't die, nor could he lose consciousness.
He could only experience every second, every minute.
Enduring the thoughts that Rankulos had once had.
"Perhaps a few hundred years!"
Talia estimated and answered Lanchi immediately.
She couldn't be sure either.
But Lanchi hadn't spoken to her for a long time, and now that he was, she was happy.
"Lanchi, what are you thinking about?"
She asked him.
"I'm thinking, if Rankulos had experienced the consequences of the Undying Eternal Punishment in advance, would he still have used it on himself without hesitation?"
Lanchi asked himself.
"If you were Rankulos, would you hesitate?"
Talia felt that Lanchi could answer this question.
"No hesitation, it must be used."
Lanchi's answer remained unwavering.
It was as if no matter how many times he was given the choice, his decision would never change.
"......"
Talia's emotions finally broke down,
"You idiot, even I, a long-lived species, can't take it anymore. Why are you still so fearless?"
She asked Lanchi.
"Please, anyone, save him. My disciple is crazy, he's not human most of the time, but he has a kind heart. He doesn't deserve this punishment."
"Anyone will do, get him out of here."
"Great Goddess, I beg you."
Talia's voice gradually turned tearful.
She could accept Lanchi's breakdown, but seeing him remain so clear-headed made it unbearable for her.
"......"
Lanchi closed his eyes and remained silent.
He let his consciousness drift in the darkness, allowing the eternal night to engulf him.
His thoughts were clear; if it was truly infinite, then any action or amount of time would be meaningless.
"Illusion Demon."
Just as Lanchi was deep in thought, a childish voice suddenly pierced through the darkness, rousing his consciousness.
This voice was so warm and gentle, like the afternoon sun, or like the morning dew.
"Who's calling you?"
Talia asked him.
"You heard it too?"
Lanchi asked in surprise.
Was it not an illusion?
The dark space flickered, alternating between light and dark.
The world became illusory and shimmering.
This void seemed unable to sustain itself.
A silver beam of light pierced through the layers of darkness, as beautiful as a gentle dream.
In an instant, the infinite darkness was shattered by this dazzling light.
It was so brilliant and pure, tinting the illusion with shades of pale pink, like the color of dawn.
Lanchi felt his soul enveloped by a warm current, melting away the shackles and curses that bound him.
He also seemed to regain control of his body, rising from the depths of despair.
Lanchi moved his body, breaking free, and incredulously stepped out of the Taberius Mirror.
He had returned to the deepest underground level of the Inferno Corridor Academy in the consciousness world, a place he had long been estranged from.
In the distance, he saw Tamisha, who had disconnected the Taberius Mirror's energy.
She looked hesitant as well.
"I saw that you stayed inside for several hours without coming out, so I got worried. It's time for dinner."
Tamisha let go of the energy line and explained.
She wasn't sure if she had done something wrong.
But she felt that if the illusion demon had used the mirror normally, he should have come out after a couple of hours. Now, several hours had passed, and it was already night, yet he still hadn't responded.
Tamisha couldn't put her mind at ease, so she forcibly shut down the mirror.
Perhaps it was the authority granted to her by Kaliera, but she was unexpectedly able to turn off or on the energy in this central energy room.
"Tamisha..."
Lanchi looked at her, almost unable to stand, and leaned against the mirror wall to sit on the ground.
He never expected that Tamisha would be the one to save him.
He felt like he had seen salvation, and tears welled up in his clear eyes.
"That's wonderful."
He laughed bitterly, a mix of sadness and joy.
Someone would save Rankulos.
He defied his fate, wanting to protect everything, and his foolishness was nothing more than a common human trait.
But fantasy could turn into a miracle.
Kaliera had left behind a final spark that would guide him toward salvation, leading him to heaven.
"Illusion Demon..."
Tamisha walked over and observed Lanchi.
"What's wrong?"
Tamisha reached out, wiping away the tears on the illusion demon's face.
"If I did something wrong, I apologize."
Tamisha wondered if her impulsive act had upset the illusion demon. Perhaps it was because of her personality that her parents had left her.
She embraced him like an imaginary mother would, wanting to comfort him and hold his ragged self.
He looked so sad, and she surprisingly understood.
"Tamisha, thank you."
Lanchi sincerely thanked her,
"You're the best. You didn't do anything wrong. It was you who saved me."
Lanchi gently patted Tamisha's head and shook his own.
"Oh."
Tamisha's voice was slightly surprised.
She stared at her reflection in the mirror, lonely and tired, with no one to think of her in the night.
Tamisha's gaze slowly shifted from the mirror to the illusion demon's face.
Slowly, she lowered her eyes.
Embracing this creature of a different kind.
In the dim space of the underground energy room, the two figures, one large and one small, were quiet, without a hint of pretense. Only the Taberius Mirror reflected a dull, pure white light.
(End of Chapter)
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