The Death Consul did not respond immediately. It seemed to sense something for a moment before nodding and saying, "I can perceive its condition. It's dire… Father may have erased the consciousness of that half of the soul."
As it spoke, the Death Consul's expression remained impassive, clearly unable to muster the expected emotions even when faced with its own misfortune, for such emotions were all but nonexistent.
Alaric was not surprised by this. He simply asked, "Can you sense the Uniqueness of the God of Death fused with that half of the soul?"
The Death Consul nodded again, hesitating briefly before adding, "In fact, I can barely wield its power."
This caught Alaric off guard. He glanced at the Death Consul, then understood.
Compared to the current Azik, who had undergone reincarnation and cleansed himself of the God of Death's influence, the Death Consul from a thousand years ago was far more "intimately" connected to the God of Death. In such circumstances, it was not surprising that it could tap into the Uniqueness's power.
Alaric, intrigued, asked, "To what extent can you wield it? Can you merely issue divine oracles, or… is it a deeper application?"
The Death Consul pondered for a few seconds before replying, "Basic usage is not an issue, though I cannot unleash its full power. However…" It hesitated, then continued, "If I draw on it too much, Father might awaken in this era."
Alaric was not surprised. Azik was, after all, a vessel for the God of Death's revival, and the Uniqueness of the God of Death undoubtedly carried the deity's contingencies. Truth be told, the God of Death's greed in attempting to seize the River of Eternal Darkness was the only reason he hadn't already revived.
Alaric mused for a moment before saying, "You don't need to draw on too much of the Uniqueness's power. It's enough to make others believe you have accommodated it."
Alaric then briefly explained the situation with the Numinous Episcopate to the Death Consul, smiling as he said, "Although the Artificial Death faction has, for various reasons, fully aligned with Azik, most of the Royal Family Faction still chooses to support Sia."
"They refuse to acknowledge Azik's true return or his mastery of the Uniqueness, dismissing it as a conspiracy by the Artificial Death faction. Due to the rift between these two major factions, the smaller factions are mostly wavering, hesitant to take sides."
Did the Royal Family Faction truly disbelieve Azik's return? Not necessarily. Sia, after all, possessed the Sequence 1 characteristic of the Death pathway and had held power for years, cultivating a loyal following and winning over most of the faction's hearts. Even if some wavered inwardly at Azik's oracle, their interests kept them aligned with Sia's camp.
Alaric had anticipated this, even welcomed it, silently noting down those obstinate, unrepentant individuals he deemed non-recyclable trash.
His sudden mention of this to the Death Consul was strategic, aimed at further stoking internal strife within the Numinous Episcopate. Ideally, it would pit the wavering members of the Royal Family Faction against Sia's steadfast supporters, making things far more interesting.
"What do you want me to do?" The Death Consul asked calmly, looking at Alaric.
Alaric pulled a list from his pocket and handed it to the Death Consul, saying, "This is a list of all the non-recyclable trash in the Numinous Episcopate... those irredeemable individuals who have committed grave wrongs and refuse to repent. I want you to use the Uniqueness's power to punish them."
Alaric wasn't overly harsh. Though he favored the virtuous, he was willing to give those who had erred but were willing to repent a chance to redeem themselves. Otherwise, he wouldn't have befriended Azik or collaborated with the True Creator.
But certain members of the Numinous Episcopate were truly beyond redemption, having committed countless wrongs and showing no intent to abide by the new rules set forth in Azik's oracle. Alaric could hardly be blamed for making an example of them.
"Very well." The Death Consul said, taking the list, glancing at it, and nodding. It looked back at Alaric and asked, "How do you wish to punish them?"
"Those marked in red should return to the embrace of death... that's their best fate. As for the rest…" Alaric, naturally, had already prepared a plan, speaking unhurriedly.
…
Southern Continent, a certain mausoleum...
Haiter was performing his daily prayers.
Ever since receiving the oracle from the Artificial Death, whether out of "loyalty" To His Excellency Azik or to put on a show for others, Haiter had made it a habit to pray over every matter.
These prayers were not entirely in vain; occasionally, he received a response.
However, Haiter couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about the Artificial Death's responses at times. They seemed overly cold, even silent, unlike the familiar deity who issued the oracle.
Could His Excellency the Death Consul have gone half-mad? Haiter sometimes couldn't help but wonder. It was well-known that those who were half-mad alternated between lucidity and insanity.
Back when Haiter was still a lowly soldier, he had heard tales of Blood Emperor, supposedly passed down by a certain duke. The Blood Emperor, it was said, had gone half-mad after jumping to a non-adjacent pathway, spending most of his time either cold or cruel, his madness on full display.
Though His Excellency the Death Consul hadn't jumped to a non-adjacent pathway, it wouldn't be surprising if a former Sequence 2, upon advancing to Sequence 1 and accommodating the Uniqueness of the God of Death, had gone half-mad due to some unforeseen issue.
Such occurrences were common in the Beyonder world.
Of course, beyond the theory of Azik's madness, Haiter had another suspicion.
He suspected that His Majesty had already begun to awaken within His Excellency Azik, though not fully, which explained the inconsistency.
As Haiter was lost in these thoughts, a frantic knock came at the door of his mausoleum.
"What's wrong? What's so urgent?" Haiter opened the door, letting the visitor in and asking. For some reason, he recalled the last time he received an oracle from the Artificial Death, and his brow twitched.
"Lord Haiter, divine punishment… our Lord has sent down divine punishment…" The messenger was visibly shaken, his words stumbling and incoherent.
Haiter froze, his eyes widening slightly. He quickly pressed the messenger to explain, and after learning who had been struck by divine punishment, he let out a sigh of relief before saying, "Why the panic? Those people faced divine punishment because they refused to believe in the existence of our God, treating His oracle as nothing. Naturally, they provoked His wrath. We're different from them…"
Haiter spoke as if to calm the messenger, and perhaps himself as well. Taking a deep breath, he suddenly broke into a smile and said, "Now I'm curious... will Sia still dare to deny the existence of our God?"
***
Every 100 Power Stones and 5 Reviews will earn you a Bonus Chapter.
And if you want to read up to 50 chapters ahead, don't hesitate to visit our patron: pat reon . com / XElenea (remove space)