The Last King Of Darkness

Rod had heard of this matter a long time ago, but Mephit always refused to fully disclose it, and at that time, his level wasn't high enough to know about it.

"Archbishop, can I now know the details?"

Horus briefly said, "She seems to have lost control because of her characteristic, resulting in the death of the great pharmacist Stonewoman, and the destruction of Stone Street. At that time, at least three thousand children who had passed two rounds of testing and were about to complete the Fire Trial passed by there. They almost all perished, and the few who survived became disabled and deformed. The Fire Priests escorting them suffered severe soul injuries and withdrew from the front-line battlefield."

"This was a major blow to us at the time. We once believed she was a Doomsday believer, but we couldn't find enough evidence. According to the new regulations the King just issued, she had to be released without charge, and many thus harbored extreme hatred for her."

"The one who hates her the most should be the Moonlight Knight Olivia because her child was among them."

Rod gasped, "Olivia had a child?"

Horus glanced at him.

"Of course, because she was lacking in talent, she had to use the Fire Blessing during childbirth to ascend to First Level Combatant, but this method also has aftereffects, leading to acquired deficiencies, leaving her soul foundation weak. Although she barely stepped into the ranks of Commanders, she couldn't become a Fire Son."

Rod's heart sank, momentarily unsure of what to say.

He never knew giving birth could have such benefits; no wonder everyone loves having children.

The Great Knight Captain is a Commander, but still slightly lower than a Fire Son, with no hope of progressing further, so they wouldn't open the Ashen Throne for them, to avoid diluting humanity's fate.

Among the four Great Knight Captains, Alan was because of the Starfire Series, the demands for carrying the Ashen Throne were high, requiring soul strength to reach Monarch Level.

And currently, the only Monarch Level strength in Trolian is the King himself.

The combat strength of the Holy Sword Knight Viheler mainly comes from his Holy Sword, lacking natural talent.

"What about the Sun Knight?" Rod suddenly asked, "Isn't he very strong? Why couldn't he become a Fire Son?"

Horus gave him a strange look, not knowing why he suddenly thought of this.

"Kai's Power of the Sun is too special; every step of his growth requires an enormous amount of Sun Stone. After becoming a Commander, the demand is even astronomical, which we can't afford. We can only let him become a Great Knight Captain, artificially slowing down his growth rate."

Rod said regretfully, "That's really unfortunate... I wonder if I could pay him a visit, maybe there might be a way to heal his soul decline."

Horus shook his head, "It's no use. We've already tried using your Goddess' Tears, and the effect was very weak... Alright, let's not discuss this. What I wanted to tell you earlier was that Mephit is extremely dangerous. She is the strongest among the Taboo, and if she fully unleashes the power of her three characteristics, her combat strength can rival Special Level. If it weren't for this, she couldn't have participated in the battle of Starry Sky City."

Rod was both surprised and delighted.

"Special Level? Mephit has Special Level combat strength?"

Horus said solemnly, "But this is absolutely not allowed. She is only allowed to use the first of her three characteristics... If I hadn't lost control on the Starry Sky battlefield, and she was forced to use her second characteristic, the Royal City would impose severe punishment on her."

"Remember, mind control and soul darkening are absolute taboos."

"Fire extinguishing, black water, black fog, and soul devouring are unforgivable taboos. No matter the cost, they must be eliminated immediately."

Rod shivered inside and asked quietly, "Why?"

Horus looked at him harshly.

"Mind control leads to human discord, soul darkening leads to madness, loss of control, mutation, and monster transformation — these are extremely dangerous and harmful characteristics."

"Fire extinguishing, black water, black fog, soul devouring are characteristics that would lead to human extinction and the eternal darkness of the world."

Horus's gaze was piercing, as if trying to penetrate Rod's soul and see through to his inner thoughts.

Rod forced himself to remain calm and said lightly, "I understand."

Only then did Horus shift his gaze, softening his tone.

"Rod, you should know that in the face of life and death, there can be no delay."

"The King has been merciful enough. We don't know if his actions are right in such a harsh environment, but facts will prove everything. The absolute line of death is untouchable."

Rod nodded vigorously and solemnly replied, "I understand, Archbishop. As soon as I discover someone with such characteristics, I'll be the first to eliminate them without hesitation."

Only then did Horus show a slight smile and stopped mentioning this topic.

Afterward, they met with the leader of the Taboo Armament, Ryanbeck.

He was a rough and gloomy man who didn't treat Rod well, repeatedly warning him to return Mephit, but Rod flatly refused each time.

What a joke.

The most powerful Special Level strength — you think I can just give her to you?

Mephit craves my humanity every day. If I feed her enough, perhaps one day she can fully use all three of her characteristics?

Most importantly, by feeding humanity this way, maybe I can nurture her properly?

The previous methods were all wrong. Mephit doesn't need those useless resources; she needs humanity.

Millions of humanity could definitely satiate her.

A Special Level "Dream Envoy" could make Rod laugh his head off.

Thus, he and Ryanbeck parted unhappily, but Rod didn't care at all.

Horus didn't mind either. After all, if Rod became King, Ryanbeck would have to listen to his orders.

If Rod didn't have that opportunity, they wouldn't have any contact.

Soon, they left the deeply buried Silver Oath and Taboo Armament.

Upon stepping back onto the surface, Rod suddenly remembered something and asked, "Archbishop, has your soul control problem been completely resolved?"

Horus answered calmly, "I stayed in the Soul Church for fifteen days, underwent thorough examination and healing by dozens of Soul Masters, and eliminated all hidden dangers. Moreover, to prevent it from reoccurring, I had the Cult place three Soul Seals on me to comprehensively monitor my soul."

"Additionally, I specifically ordered the Anti-curse Cult to place an Instant Death Curse on me. Once I notice any signs of losing control, I'll trigger it myself to end my life."

Rod exclaimed, "Isn't that a bit too much?"

Horus's calm gaze swept over him, softly saying, "Think about the battle in Starry Sky City. If Mephit hadn't countered my control, what would the outcome have been? This isn't excessive; that situation must never happen again. I must eliminate all risks and absolutely not allow any Doomsday believer to achieve any goal through me."

Rod was silent for a moment. The Archbishop's words couldn't be more correct. His enlightenment was far beyond Rod's expectations.

Any suspicion he had of Horus also dissipated.

But the truth also became more deeply shrouded in mist.

Who could it be?

It was a truly perplexing question.

Unfortunately, I can't directly locate the Ancient Evil Thought Amon through Divine Sense.

Rod thought, rather regretfully.

But no matter what, I will find you.

I hope Asa can contribute, even if it's just to figure out some clues.

—

After leaving the Silver Oath, Horus took him straight out of the Upper City.

Rod's air-walking technique wasn't quite proficient, so his speed couldn't match Horus', so he always let Horus carry him.

A moment later, they arrived at the westernmost position of the Inner City District.

This was an area filled with steel and fire, the clinking sounds incessant.

"This is the Simans Factory main area."

Horus said.

"The Soul Forging Master Lei Lu is in the foundry at the back. We're going to visit him now, hoping he can forge a soul weapon strong enough for you."