Chapter 169
Perhaps a little over seventy years ago, before the Demon Gods were wiped out by Ark and his companions, and before that, this forest was the last place they could rest. (First published on 78Chinese. Please remember the first publication, domain name, etc.)
At that time, the Elf King was displeased with their delay.
All of their companions were resting, and only Benny and Yak were walking together here.
This place remains as tranquil and serene as it was back then, like a bridge between the underworld and the human world. The elements of death and the birth of life alternate here, and standing here, one suddenly feels that perhaps everything isn't as bad as one might think.
Both of them were thinking about different things, and this kind of environment was perfect for calming down and thinking.
"Who did you just visit?" Benny asked after a pause. "There was a strong magical aura there."
“I met the fairy deer after you left. Her name is Linas, but we've known each other for a long time.” Acton paused and said, “Remember the things I used when I killed the Demon God? I stole those two weapons from her. After I returned them, as punishment, she made me take her with me for a while.” Acton paused and said, “Remember that old man who knew sorcery? I tricked those two into getting together, and they even had Denos. But after a few decades, it seems they had some conflict. And then we never saw each other again.”
"what happened?"
“I don’t know, they had already left by then. The next time we met, he handed Denos over to me.” Ark paused and said, “I’d like to know too, but I can guess. After all, to be honest, long-lived creatures and short-lived creatures shouldn’t have been together in the first place.” Ark said helplessly, “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have put them together in the first place. I knew it would be a tragedy, but I didn’t expect it to make me feel so guilty. I shouldn’t have brought them together in the first place; it was a mistake, and I didn’t realize it at the time.”
“At least they had a good time,” Benny said, shrugging. “It’s a good outcome for them, and I think you did the right thing.”
"Really? Maybe. But I don't know exactly what happened to them." Acton paused and said, "But this whole thing started because of me. If I hadn't been so gossipy, perhaps there would have been one less troublesome thing."
“Yes, I hope so,” Benny said after a pause.
"Will there be any temporary difficulties or challenges within the church that could pose a problem for us?"
“I sold Ghost Duke and got the Benevolent One to stop short of intervening. The Guardian is still in the Central Church; the old man's very existence is his mission. The Immortal is unexpectedly resting again, but I know that guy; he's already given me the task of investigating, so he won't interfere. But he'll definitely ask about the results later.” Benny paused. “The new guy is currently dealing with an anomaly some distance away. The chaos has created a lot of troublesome monsters, and he's busy dealing with the situation there. So you won't need to see him for a while.”
"It went smoothly." Ark's expression twitched slightly when he heard that Ghost Lord had been sold. But he only felt a pang of guilt for a moment before forcing himself to accept it: "Ghost Lord, he..."
"Don't overthink it. That guy is a madman and a monster. There's no good in having someone like that around you." Benny's stern rebuke stopped him from thinking any further. "You're putting all sorts of people into your team. That guy's origins are unknown, and I'm also very curious about what kind of thing he is. Even if we don't use this method, I plan to let the church manage him. He exists outside the rules of the world, and I've never created anything like him before."
"He was a good person, a kind person."
“It has nothing to do with whether he’s a good person or not.” Benny sighed. “This way we can finally catch our breath. There’s no one chasing us anymore, so we can run away without worry.”
Ghost Duke nodded, his expression somewhat gloomy as he walked through this quiet place.
It's a bit pathetic that guy could help me in this way, but there's nothing I can do about it.
How many friends have I abandoned like this? I don't know. I can guarantee that I truly treated them as friends, not as disposable objects. But when it came time to discard them, I was surprisingly ruthless.
That guy won't die; he doesn't believe the benevolent will treat him well. He has no good feelings towards that guy whatsoever. As a saint in the church, even those who know her well within the church can't help but feel disgusted by her.
What will happen to him? Skin him? Have his tendons pulled out? Or put him in a grinding mill?
I don't know. Either way, there's nothing wrong with it; it's something that guy would do.
“Alright, I still have the same question: why do you bring a demon race with you?” Benny sighed. “I’ve asked similar questions before, but I want to know what you’re really thinking. I don’t know when it started, but I can’t understand you anymore. You have mental abilities, and if you shut yourself off, no one can really understand your thoughts.”
“Is that so?” Ark turned his head away. “Nothing special, I just don’t want her to die. She’s a very good child, and I feel bad if she dies.”
"Is that the truth?"
"truth."
“This makes me very uncomfortable. Your idea sounds like a sulking child.” Benny frowned. “Have you considered the price you’ll pay for this? You could have been a successful businesswoman all over the world, but now you’re being forced to go to the land of the dead.”
“That was my origin, that’s where I left from. I’m just going back now, nothing serious,” Ark said. “I’ve also thought about where I belong. Maybe it really is time to find a home.”
“So come back to church with me, and everything will be fine,” Benny said. “As your former friend, I want to help you; as your fiancée, I want you to live a good life. And as Eight Colors, I must stop you from making any more mistakes.”
"So, from what perspective do you intend to follow your judgment?" Yak looked at her and said, "It wouldn't be surprising if you suddenly attacked me now."
"I don't know, thinking about this kind of thing is getting on my nerves," she said softly. "I'll help you for now."
"Thank you." Yak sighed and walked along the road, looking around.
This topic should have ended there, but if Benny hadn't looked at him so intently and whispered a sentence, it might have ended just like that.
"Do you want to reignite the war between monsters and the church?" Benedict asked, looking at Ark who seemed relieved. "Or rather, do you intend to become a demon yourself?"
The air grew still, and even the slight noise that should have been in the forest disappeared.
"Why do you think that?" Ark paused for a moment, then turned to Benny, whose facial expression was hidden by the shadow of her hair.
Both of them stopped. He looked around and realized that they had somehow ended up in the elven square.
This was a vast open space, filled only with flowers. These flowers were incredibly resilient; even if they were trampled on, new ones would quickly grow back.
A gentle breeze blew by, and Benny's white skirt swayed in the wind.
“Because there is such a possibility.” Benny paused and said, “If we exclude any other factors and just consider you as a monster who has survived to this day because of the magic mark, this is the most likely outcome.”
"Do you doubt me?" Yak shook his head. "I don't know when I lost your trust."
“You haven’t told the truth in so long, I don’t understand you anymore.” Benny scratched her head, a little impatiently saying, “Do I have to say it like this? I really don’t know how to convince myself to trust you anymore. Although I’ve been observing you all along, we… haven’t seen each other for over seventy years, I can’t even remember what kind of person you are anymore.”
As she said this, she slowly backed away, then sat down on the ground, hugging her legs.
It was night, and shadows fell over her. Ark stood watching her and noticed tears sliding down her cheeks.
He actually cried. This guy isn't young anymore; he's been through a lot. It's unbelievable that he can shed tears so easily.
As Ark thought about it, he suddenly felt very sad, but he just stood there, his expression unchanged. Perhaps the only other person who felt the same way was the one who suddenly felt as if he had been cut by a knife.
Once, they shared laughter and joy; once, they together prevented the start of war. Once, they gradually grew closer, came to know each other, trusted each other, and entrusted their backs and the night with peace of mind. Once, they drank and made merry in the tavern, oblivious to the troubles that followed their drunkenness.
That was all in the past. They were friends, even engaged. They were once so close, but for some inexplicable reason, they were separated for seventy years.
How much can seventy years really sever...? Probably the change of circumstances and the loss of two people, perhaps the fleeting nature of friendship.
“No one has ever said that a demon cannot receive two demon seals.” Ark suddenly turned around and said softly, “The demon seal of a demon god seed is a demon god seal, something that the church would destroy at all costs. It represents the seed left by the demon god in the human world.”
Benny's body stiffened for a moment, and her eyes gradually hardened.
“My body is starting to break down. The magic seal I received isn’t an ordinary one; it contains the concept of destruction. You can feel my weakness.” Ark continued, seemingly oblivious to the increasingly eerie atmosphere around him: “I might die. I’ve felt this more and more clearly lately. I don’t know how much longer I have to live, but I am definitely breaking down.”
He paused, looking at Benny, and said, "But my desire to protect Benny has nothing to do with these things, because even if I don't get her Demon God Seal, I won't disappear because of it."
Yak unbuttoned his clothes and took off his shirt in front of her: "As for the reason, perhaps it was my mistake to keep it from you until now."
It was completely wrapped in bandages, and of course, dark red blood was seeping through the bandages.
He remained silent, then began to untie the bandages covering his body, gradually revealing the dead flesh beneath, the same color as a corpse. It didn't resemble the skin of a living person, nor even that of a dead one. Living skin wouldn't be so dry and withered, and dead skin wouldn't possess such eerie vitality.
It came into contact with the chaotic elements outside, those were black sores. Lady had almost died because of them before, and now its wounds were allowing these chaotic elements to take root in its body.
“I only used my ability once there.” Ark’s expression slowly turned into a smile, a smile so sorrowful. “I only used it once, but I’m already on the verge of death. I could die at any moment from this injury, and perhaps I will die after tonight… Of course, that is, if I still have the concept of death.”
"Why don't you get treatment? Karl is also a priest, and he's fine with just black sores." Benny asked, looking at his injuries. "If you're injured, you should find a way to treat it."
"That's not what I want to see." Ark pulled out a knife from somewhere, cut himself open, and pried open the wound to show her what was inside.
That was a body completely permeated by chaotic elements; theoretically, he should now be a mindless monster, wandering and killing indiscriminately. But instead, he stood there, continuing to show her other parts of his body.
Arms, back, waist... and finally the chest, the left side of the chest, where the heart is.
“What are you doing…” Benedict was stunned, because Ark slowly cut open her chest.
She knew; Dedeline guessed correctly, Ark's magic core was indeed located in his heart.
Without making a sound, Ark cut open his chest, revealing a heart that had turned completely purple. He then gripped his heart and pulled out a hard object the size of a palm.
It was a completely corrupted magic core, and such magic cores are very cheap on the market.
“I don’t even know what I am anymore,” Ark said, shaking his head. Then he tossed the magic core to her. Benedict caught it and stared at Ark standing there in disbelief.
This shouldn't be the case. The magic core is the essence of a demon. Logically, after this thing leaves the physical body, Ark's body should have completely lost control of its power.
But he remained standing there, gesturing for her to examine the magic core closely, as if it were some kind of work of art.
In the darkness, a cold wind blew from all around, and the sound seemed to return.
"Are you... already dead?" Benedict stared blankly at Ark, her voice devoid of emotion.
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