Chapter 299: Heal Athena Like Sylph?
Even Athena was shocked by this power.
She had acted purely on instinct.
She usually used elemental magic, specializing in water and earth.
Plague?
Accelerated Decay?
What were these strange powers?
She had never heard of them, yet she had instinctively used them.
What was happening to her?
The strangeness of it all made her uneasy.
Muse’s legs buckled beneath him, as if his bones had turned to dust. He collapsed to the ground.
He couldn’t even feel the pain in his legs, his other injuries far more agonizing.
His body began to rot rapidly, the scene so gruesome that Qin Chu wondered if he had been caught in a nuclear blast.
The sight was horrifying.
The power of this magic made even Qin Chu’s skin crawl.
“Athena, what kind of magic is this?” he asked, frowning.
Athena’s eyes darted around, her hand trembling as she gripped her staff: “I… I don’t know.”
Qin Chu studied her. She didn’t seem to be lying, her eyes filled with genuine shock.
If she had wanted to hide it, she could have simply used a different spell. There was no need to use it and then claim ignorance.
Seeing her fear, he patted her head gently: “It’s alright, Athena. I’m not accusing you. But this magic is very dangerous. Use it with caution.”
Athena nodded vigorously.
That being said, it was quite effective against Muse.
He had looked so disgusting with all those blisters that Qin Chu, despite wanting to torture him, hadn’t been able to bring himself to touch him.
Now, Muse was suffering immensely, his body ravaged by fever, decay, violent coughing fits, tumors on his neck and in his abdomen…
This strange magic seemed to induce and accelerate diseases.
Muse had already been unwell, and Athena’s magic had amplified his illness exponentially. Qin Chu suspected it wouldn’t have been as effective against a healthy individual.
Disease-inducing magic… how bizarre.
In all his years in the first loop, he had never encountered anything like it.
“Shaye, do you know this magic?” he asked mentally.
Shaye was knowledgeable, having lived in this world far longer than him. Perhaps she knew something.
Sensing no threat from Ireta, Shaye emerged from behind Qin Chu.
Ireta glanced at her, nodding slightly.
Even Athena looked at her curiously…
Heloise and Anastasia didn’t seem to notice her.
“Is this a disease?”
“I’ve heard of a mysterious cult that specialized in such things.”
“They worshipped a god of plagues and disasters, dedicating themselves to researching and spreading all manner of terrifying diseases.”
“They hoped to one day create a plague that would infect all living things, pleasing their god.”
“At the height of their power, they unleashed a plague that killed tens of millions in the Heavenly Continent. These twisted followers would celebrate, watching the suffering of those afflicted.”
“Because of their depravity, they were eventually eradicated by the combined forces of the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess, the Holy See, the Empire, and various kingdoms and duchies.”
A god of plagues and disasters?
As expected of Shaye. She knew a lot.
“What did their god look like?” Qin Chu asked curiously.
“Who knows? But I’ve heard that when the cult was destroyed, they confiscated numerous statues, all resembling squatting toads… I can’t imagine anyone sane worshipping such a deity,” Shaye said, her voice filled with disdain.
“And the followers, constantly exposed to diseases, became twisted, grotesque, and bloated, like Muse.”
“Those statues were burned, every last one of them.”
“Their books, containing records of plagues and diseases, were also burned, along with their churches.”
“It was said that fire was the only way to stop the spread of their plagues.”
Hearing this, Athena’s face paled.
Qin Chu noticed her reaction: “Athena, what is it?”
“It’s just…” Athena’s voice was dry.
Despite her strength, she couldn’t help but feel afraid.
“Before you arrived, Master, when I retrieved Jie Luo’s soul fragment from the chamber, I saw… a statue resembling a toad.”
The statue had even smiled at her.
She had thought it was a hallucination. But what if it wasn’t?
Had she been targeted by an Evil God? Was the power she had just unleashed a gift from that deity?
And what terrified her most… would she eventually become like Muse?
No, absolutely not.
For a beautiful woman, that fate was worse than death.
Listening to her account of the chamber, Qin Chu frowned. He glanced at Muse, who lay groaning on the ground, his body rotting, but still alive. He extended his hand towards Athena.
Athena walked over, and he placed his hand on her forehead.
Warm, holy energy flowed into her.
His Holy Light was deadly to the aura of Evil Gods. If Athena had been marked by one, there would be a reaction.
But nothing happened.
Only a slight blush colored her cheeks, as if she found the warmth of his Holy Light comforting.
This puzzled Qin Chu. Could the mark of the god of plagues and disasters be on her soul, like Sylph’s?
Otherwise, how could she suddenly wield such sinister power?
Should he heal her, like he had healed Sylph?
He assured himself that he had no ulterior motives. This was purely for healing purposes.
“Master, my condition…”
“I haven’t detected anything unusual with your body, but these Evil Gods often target the soul… I’ll heal you after we leave,” he said after a moment of thought. “You can talk to Sylph. She has… experience with such treatments.”
While they talked, Muse continued to suffer.
The agony lasted for hours.
Finally, when not a single piece of his flesh remained intact, he died.
Silver flames engulfed his remains, purifying the ground and even his soul.
Qin Chu formulated his next plan.
He was intrigued by the heart mentioned in the soul fragment. He would investigate… but he needed to prepare first.
He took another soul fragment from his storage ring and handed it to Athena.
Athena looked at him questioningly, tilting her head, her fingers holding the fragment delicately. She looked surprisingly cute.
“Should I crush it?”
She thought he was testing her loyalty.
Qin Chu facepalmed: “No, take it back as proof of your success. Otherwise, returning empty-handed after Muse’s death would make Loseweisse suspicious, wouldn’t it?”
“You want me to stay with Loseweisse?” Athena asked, her lips pursing slightly.
She disliked that woman.
“Yes, she wants me dead. I need to know what she’s planning.”
With one soul fragment destroyed, Jie Luo’s resurrection was impossible, and the information within this fragment had already been extracted. Qin Chu didn’t care about it.
More importantly, Loseweisse was a strange woman. He sensed a dangerous secret surrounding her.
This fragment would ensure Athena’s continued trust.
Athena took a deep breath and nodded: “If that is your command, Master, I will obey.”
“Also, we’ll return to the Imperial City separately. Be careful…”
“Loseweisse sent Airi and Eileen here as well, supposedly to assist you and Muse… but those two women are strange.”
“Especially Airi. She might try to kill you.”
He warned her. He preferred Ekaterina and Athena as tools, compared to the Twin Thieves.
In fact, he hoped Airi would attack Athena.
Then, he could get rid of both of them.
…
As Qin Chu had predicted, Airi and Eileen were on their way to the Snow Chain Mountains.
The Twin Thieves were unhappy about their assignment. If not for Jie Luo, they wouldn’t bother with this.
They walked side-by-side, their identical faces indistinguishable if not for their different hairstyles and hair colors.
Eileen walked slightly ahead, Airi trailing behind her.
Airi smiled, but a dark shadow flickered in her eyes as she looked at her sister’s back.
To her, Eileen was also a rival.
Jie Luo only needs me, right? He doesn’t need so many girls.
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