Chapter 119: Whispers of the Goddess's Corruption
Inside the grand hall, built in the style favored by the dwarfs, masters of magnificent architecture, the unique black aura of the demons was so thick it nearly took solid form. The surrounding air settled like a tangible mass.
Candlelight lit the enormous throne, where a gaunt figure sat quietly. The flames flickered unsteadily, as if even fire recoiled from the oppressive darkness that clung to every surface like a living thing.
The being once known as Eric sat silently.
He appeared motionless, yet the demons below him dared not even breathe loudly. His methods were even more brutal than their own, especially when dealing with fellow demons. In this short time, he had killed hundreds, if not thousands, of demons, a number almost comparable to those who died in the previous war.
His brutality was truly beyond words.
Some demons had already begun to privately call him the Tyrannical Demon King Asmodeus.
At this moment, a threatening black aura filled Eric's body. This aura was not actively released by him. Rather, it flowed out like blood from an endless wound, staining the throne and the surrounding space with dense black. The corruption had become so complete that it seemed to pulse with its own heartbeat, a rhythm of malevolence that matched no living thing.
His face remained unchanged. Unlike his aging friend, thirty years had brought no change to him. Perhaps from the moment Eric was corrupted, his life, along with his lifespan, had been fixed.
But the cost was too great.
His eye sockets were deeply sunken, and his sclera had turned pure black, yet it wasn't entirely black. A faint, extremely weak glimmer of clarity remained, representing Eric's last and most stubborn resistance.
That tiny spark of humanity flickered like a dying ember in an endless void.
"Eric, why haven't you given up yet? No one is coming to save you!"
A seemingly gentle female voice, laced with thick malice, resonated like an enchanting whisper directly within Eric's already shattered soul.
That was the power of corruption, an extension of the Goddess's will.
Kurtz had once heard such whispers. However, the moment he heard it, he completely abandoned his corrupted body. But Eric could not do that.
From initially believing it was an illusion, he fell deeper and deeper. By the time he realised it, it was too late.
Clinging to his last shred of clarity, Eric left his dearest friend without a word, and then, amidst these whispers, began his path to becoming the Demon King.
The Goddess's lingering corruptive intent was simple. Eric's body was too weak. Even if she fully occupied it, she could not become the Fertility Goddess again. Since that was the case, she would first let him gather all the demons on the continent, become their king, and receive their faith.
Then, using this power, she would make this body capable of fighting a god. Thus, she could have her revenge.
Revenge against the man who had killed her and destroyed all her plans.
However, she underestimated Eric's mental strength. Even after all this time, he still refused to yield to her, continuously resisting. This almost unbreakable will of his drove her mad. It made her constantly corrupt him, attempting to wear down the last of Eric completely.
"Look at the power within you, and look at these demons who submit to you. Is there anything you're still not satisfied with? Why hold onto such meaningless persistence?"
"Shut up!"
Eric roared, his fingers on the throne unconsciously tightening. The hard metal throne groaned under the strain, and a violent dark energy uncontrollably burst from his body, instantly sweeping through the entire hall. The very air seemed to scream as the power tore through it, leaving ripples of distortion in its wake.
Some low-level demons in the hall spat out blood, and this power even spread outside the entrance, instantly crushing some monsters into dust before they could even scream.
Seeing Eric kill many of her former favoured ones again, the seductive whisper became somewhat angry.
"Hahahaha, is this your proof of resistance? What does it matter? Even if you kill all the demons, it will be useless!"
A violent sensation of soul-tearing followed, nearly causing Eric to faint. He bent over, letting out suppressed groans of pain that echoed through the vast chamber like the cries of the damned.
The Goddess's corruptive laughter instantly filled with pleasure.
"Look, how laughable your resistance is. I control every pain your body endures. You can't even decide life or death. Eric, my dear vessel, you no longer belong to yourself."
"Damn you!"
Eric struggled to utter a sentence, each word inviting a more furious retaliation from her, intensifying the pain in his body. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as he spoke, the physical sign of his spiritual agony.
The faint light of clarity in his eyes flickered violently in the darkness, as if it would go out at any moment.
At this moment, Eric once again thought of the days he adventured with his companions, and he also thought of Kurtz. Hoping Kurtz would come to save him was the only hope supporting his remaining consciousness from being completely swallowed. Those memories of sunlit mornings and shared laughter felt like dreams from another lifetime.
Even if he died, he would drag her down with him!
"Kurtz? That damned fellow!?" As if sensing Eric's inner thoughts, the Goddess's corruptive whisper suddenly became sharp and malicious.
"He's already dead! Dead in my divine power storm! Your hope is already dead. Give up! My dear Eric, you are the true master; you can get anything you want, kingdom, wealth, honour, anything you want!"
"Hahaha!" Eric covered his face and laughed wildly, as if it could lessen his pain in his body. The sound was hollow and broken, more sob than laughter.
"What are you laughing at?" The corruptive whisper was filled with confusion.
"Kurtz won't die!" Eric's voice was faint but incredibly firm. "He will know everything that is happening now, and he will come with Orger to face you and kill you, once again! And this time will be your last time!"
Eric believed that Kurtz would create a miracle. Just as he often said, those who believe in miracles are extraordinary themselves.
"Fool! You are a Stubborn fool!" The inner Goddess roared in anger, once again giving extreme pain to this stubborn soul.
Eric felt as if countless blunt knives were slowly cutting his soul, and his body trembled violently from the pain. Each nerve ending screamed in agony, yet still he held on to that final thread of defiance.
After a long gap, that faint clarity finally re-formed.
Resistance only brought deeper pain and faster corruption. Each moment of clarity meant a deeper descent into oblivion next time.
At this moment, Eric felt so tired, his consciousness felt as if it had sunk into a lake, slowly drowning without being able to offer any resistance. He didn't know how much longer he could hold on.
Fatigue swept over him, so heavy that he didn't even have the strength to lift a finger. The weight of thirty years of constant battle against an enemy within his own soul had taken its toll.
"Kurtz..." He used his last ounce of strength to call out the name, a hint of plea in his tone. "Where are you? My time is truly running out! Come and end this!"
After everything was said, the desperately clinging clarity in Eric's eyes was once again completely swallowed by darkness. The figure on the throne became stiff and cold again, an existence moving solely by the will of the Goddess's corruption.
[End of Chapter]
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