Under a dusky sky tinged with a hint of blood, the land was covered with sores and wounds.

Gigantic fissures that seemed to lead to the Abyss crisscrossed the ground. Compared to them, even Huai Shi, as large as he now was, seemed no more than an insignificant speck of dust.

These crisscrossing chasms had utterly dissected an enormous mountain.

It was as if kindergarteners, drunk on vodka, had been let loose to slice a cake—haphazardly and without any geographical common sense.

On that fragmented mountain peak directly in front of Huai Shi stood the Capital City spoken of by the Lizard Monk.

But the problem was—aside from the heavily guarded Capital City, there were also fortresses on other mountains, clearly featuring a style starkly different from that of the Capital, yet equally chilling.

It was as if they were...standing in opposition to each other.

Huai Shi could even see brown bloodstains, the remnants of dried spatters, on their walls.

From afar, a putrid stench wafted from the deep valley. The smell was so potent it made one wonder how many corpses had to rot to produce it, making Huai Shi feel even more uncomfortable.

"That too is the Capital City."

The monk's serpentine eyes filled with an indescribable hatred. "The Capital of the faithless, the nest of Heretics, the gathering place of devils on earth... One day, those sinners will all be destroyed under the thunderous wrath of God!"

"...Your God is quite creative," Huai Shi muttered as he climbed onto a mound, looking ahead almost with a laugh.

Those several Capitals were all constructed right on the edges of the Abyss' fissures, relying on the terrain to forge their fortresses, and then stood heavily guarded in opposition to one another.

So, these fissures marked the borders between nations now, didn't they?

But what kind of genius decided to move so many Capital Cities to the borders and turn them into military fortresses? The Emperor is supposed to guard the nation's gates, but not like this, surely?

It's like they're itching to launch a royal expedition every morning before they even hit the restroom.

What for?

Utterly ridiculous.

Since their establishment, who knows how many years had passed.

Out of the six cities, one had already completely decayed, collapsed into ruins, while the other five maintained their hostility toward each other, ready for battle.

Standing tens of kilometers away, Huai Shi could already smell various odors wafting from there.

The scent of beasts.

One could only guess how many Explorers were currently within those cities, waiting for the Eternal War to begin.

"How many of them have god-mode cheats enabled?" Huai Shi asked.

"About five are known to be out in the open."

Fu Yi glanced at the mini-map. "One is up here on our side, three are on the left, and another is straight across..."

Must be nice to have admin privileges.

As Huai Shi sucked on a lemon, he glanced at the fervent monk. "Let's go, lead the way... Didn't you say His Majesty the King wants to see me?"

"Please follow me."

The monk lifted the Incense Burner and walked towards the solitary city atop the high mountain.

The entire Capital City was actually filled with a strange odor.

Standing before that narrow city gate, looking up at the towering walls above, one could feel a bewildering confusion emanating from the nearly absurd Gothic style.

With everything in such a state of disrepair, how has your Great Lizard Country not yet perished?

Cold high walls and sharply angled spires cast gloomy and sharp shadows over numb faces.

Every pair of eyes that could still open was bloodshot, and as they stared at Huai Shi, there was an uncomfortable mix of frenzy and joy.

As Huai Shi entered the city, no one feared that the beasts on the road might devour them; instead, they fell to the ground, eager to beg for the Great Spirits' Blessing.

The sound of coughing, groaning, and distant screams.

And the smell of decay.

With so few pedestrians, the city almost seemed desolate, but the bizarre noises from behind the walls were easily a hundredfold more than those on the streets.

It was as if more dying people were unwillingly making their presence known.

Fear, unrest, pain, and despair.

Inexplicable fanaticism.

Prayers.

Those clear, muddled, hoarse, or shrill voices merged into one, chanting the divine scriptures in unison amidst the somber and oppressing ring of bells.

As he walked up the steep, heaven-ascending steps, Huai Shi felt the putrid smell growing stronger.

This sensation was exceptionally strange, as if he were stepping further into the decaying corpse of a Giant Beast.

The scent of decay was everywhere.

"This is disgusting," whispered Fu Yi. "Is it like this at the Border with Hell too?"

"Bullshit! Hell has amusement parks, and they're awesome, you know? Not a single person who's partied at the Ancient Evil Spirit Castle hasn't given us a thumbs-up!"

Huai Shi felt it was his duty as the Prince of Paradise to defend the honor of his workplace at this moment. But Fu Yi didn't buy it at all.

Just as he was about to say something else, a rumble interrupted him.

It was the sound of the palace gates opening.

The heavy rocks scraped against each other, and the solemn faces on numerous carvings seemed to roar with open mouths, singing out a hymn in unison. An overpowering scent of Incense rushed forth, engulfing them...

Yet Fu Yi indicated that he hadn't smelled anything and wasn't affected at all.

He simply reminded him that the map showed an enormous red reaction ahead, one that the Astronomical Society's system panel couldn't analyze, asking him to be cautious.

With the successive opening of the palace gates, Huai Shi marched straight in. He saw hardly any Guards—only a few hunched figures shrouded in Armor stood in the corners, their breathing and coughing sounds so fragmented.

Should they all collapse in the next moment, Huai Shi wouldn't be surprised.

Eventually, Huai Shi finally saw His Majesty the King in the once grand and solemn hall... but everything was different from what he had imagined.

The once magnificent splendor had now dimmed and decayed, and the solemn chill had turned into an unsettling eeriness and oppression.

Among the hoarse chants of the monks, Huai Shi smelled the stench coming from behind the curtain.

It was a decayed air that no amount of solemn hymns or rich Incense could mask...

The gray gauze and silk enshrouding the lofty throne was so dusty one had to wonder if the Imperial Palace's curtains had ever been washed since the decoration was completed.

What was more disconcerting was the hunched, emaciated silhouette upon the throne, and the faint groaning sounds that were like whispers.

As if speaking.

But the voice was indistinct.

Only the aged Sacrifices crawling before the throne knelt and listened respectfully. After a long while, the elderly high priest lifted his murky eyes, scrutinizing the massive figure of Huai Shi standing on the steps below.

"His Majesty expresses his heartfelt gratitude and appreciation for your arrival, admiring both your abhorrence of evil and your indignation towards the Impure," the high priest translated.

"..." Huai Shi was dumbfounded.

So, you're all translators now?

But don't try to fool me. The King just coughed a few times and gasped for breath. How did that turn into such a long speech when you translated it?

His eyelids shot up in shock, afraid the old man would suddenly tell him, "Sorry, I didn't understand what the King was saying either; I was just making it all up."

Behind the curtain, the groaning from the throne rose again. The high priest grinned and, raising his hands with pride, declared, "The Emperor's heart is pleased!"

"The Emperor's heart is pleased!!!"

Below the steps, the prostrate Sacrifices shouted excitedly.

Alright then. Making such a big fuss just because he's happy—is he afraid people won't know?

"The Eternal War is about to begin, oh Great Spirit bearing the will of God, please rest for a while in the Temple like the other Great Spirits," continued the high priest.

"It is your Sky's Command to excel in this war upholding justice and divine will. As for everything else, there is no need for any concern.

"We will offer you all our food and water, hoping only that you will rejuvenate and prepare to put the final full stop on this Eternal War that will prove the existence of divine will."

After finishing, he paused for a moment as if listening to the moaning behind the curtain, and then solemnly said, "At that time, the strongest of the Great Spirits will merge with the revered Holy Body of God... into one on the altar!"

With his fervent cry, the thickly fallen silk curtains were finally pulled open slowly to the sides by the Attendants with long hooks.

And Huai Shi finally caught a glimpse of the Sacred Relic behind the throne, enshrined upon the high altar by the rich Incense.

The evidence of the Gods' existence.

A withered and decayed broken eyeball.

No bigger than a fist.

Covered in cracks.

Like a shattered glass marble, its crimson color almost seeping out of the cracks, forming a thin line that wound down the altar.

That was the source of the huge, inexplicable red reaction.

Simply gazing upon it brought stinging pain to his eyes, as Huai Shi's scales rubbed in agony. The ancient gaze squeezed his consciousness and soul, forcing him to bow down before the noble Holy Body.

But what concerned him even more was the hunched, aged King upon the throne before the altar.

Why hadn't he died yet?

Anyone seeing the King for the first time would surely think the same.

He looked so decayed; he must have started to rot, right? Yet on the desiccated, hunched shell, one tenacious eye still stubbornly remained open.

Even though it was dim and lightless.

It was like looking at a mummy.

But from the Sacred Relic on the altar, a line of thick, subtle blood slowly meandered to him, falling on his husk, sustaining his life with divine Power.

His meaningless suffering seemed to stretch into eternity.

Unsightly deformations were intertwined in every part of the husk, but he still breathed, groaned, and experienced the pain of existence.

Alien bones pierced through his skull, adorned with gem-like fungi, forming a distorted Crown on his head.

Underneath the faded silk garments, on his chest, as gaunt as a Skeleton, the heart stubbornly beat.

With the challenging rhythm of his pulse, the blood vessels that had grown from his body entered the throne behind him. They threaded through the stone, spreading like tree roots deep into the city, enveloping the entire cold and gloomy Capital City.

Linking him with the city.

The frail breathing, like Spider Silk, tugged at immense forces, desperately sustaining the last breath of the nation.

Huai Shi finally understood why this city was still standing amidst so many Disasters.

"I beg of you... oh Great Spirits..."

On the throne, the dying yet undying King managed a grotesque smile and finally spoke hoarsely from his groaning.

"Please bestow upon me... upon this nation..."

"The final redemption and deliverance..."