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A New Situation Reunion was an exceptionally chaotic organization.
To put it more bluntly, the faction that marched on Chernobog was nothing more than a mob of gathered rioters.
Yet, the identity of this mob was incredibly sensitive.
All of them were Infected, their leader was a fire-breathing Draco who also happened to be the primary heir to a Ursus Dukedom, and their ranks even included a pureblood Wendigo.
It would be completely absurd if such a high-profile group wasn’t crawling with spies from other factions.
Despite being hampered by Terra’s dismal communication technology, Kai’s dossier still landed on the desks of the world’s various leaders within a single day.
The Grand Dukes of Victoria stared at the reports of this Demon King, who was suspected of being a Draco, and spiraled into deep self-doubt.
Theresis, stationed at the Shard, felt veins bulge on his forehead when he saw the name of that familiar organization.
Yan, Ursus, Laterano…
every single global power was now suffering massive headaches thanks to the sudden emergence of this new Demon King.
Kal’tsit had anticipated all of this, and she had meticulously plotted out how to maintain Rhodes Island’s delicate balance amidst the clashing superpowers.
But as she stared at the medical report sitting on her desk—a report that had already been verified four separate times—she realized that none of those plans mattered anymore.
If the information in this file were ever leaked to the public, Rhodes Island would instantly become the absolute epicenter of a global storm.
And this storm would absolutely not dissipate until it had ravaged the entire world.
“Warfarin, we are the only ones who have seen this report, correct?” Kal’tsit asked, her voice tight.
Image: Warfarin “Yes.
It’s truly inconceivable.
I never imagined that Oripathy could be solved this easily…” Warfarin muttered in awe.
“Kal’tsit, do you realize what this means?
Based on my estimates, even this tiny amount of horn dust would be enough to completely cure every single Infected operator on Rhodes Island.” “This land has witnessed far too many miracles,” Kal’tsit replied coldly.
“What we need to determine is the exact mechanism by which this powder eradicates Oripathy while simultaneously allowing the Infected to retain the ability to cast Arts without a staff.
If the ambitious warmongers of Terra caught wind of these effects, I cannot even begin to fathom the atrocities they would commit to obtain it.” “And his blood, Kal’tsit!
His blood is basically Originium that’s been compressed ten thousand times over,” Warfarin stressed, her eyes wide.
“A single drop contains enough raw energy to power an entire mobile city for ten years!
How in the world did a being like him even appear in our world?!” “Perhaps those are answers that only he can provide,” Kal’tsit murmured.
It didn’t take long for Kai to arrive at Kal’tsit’s office.
This time, Kal’tsit entirely dropped her instinctive habit of speaking in convoluted riddles.
Instead, using the most concise and precise language possible, she informed Kai of exactly what his horns and blood were capable of, and the apocalyptic ramifications they carried.
“I think I get the gist of it.
So, Dr.
Kal’tsit, what are you planning to do?” Kai asked calmly.
“As demoralizing as it is to admit, the systemic persecution of the Infected acts as a pressure valve that alleviates internal strife within most nations.
If the Infected were to suddenly vanish, fierce class conflicts would immediately boil over.
Every nation would face a massive, violent restructuring, and many leaders would inevitably launch unprovoked wars against neighboring countries just to bleed out that internal tension.
I truly do not know if we should synthesize and distribute this cure…” Kal’tsit admitted slowly.
“You’re a very strange person, Dr.
Kal’tsit.
You always seem to observe the world from this lofty, detached pedestal,” Kai noted, crossing his arms.
“You seem to have forgotten that Rhodes Island is, at its core, a pharmaceutical company.
If we have a medicine capable of saving patients, why wouldn’t we sell it?
The only thing we should be worrying about is how much to charge for it.
Or…
is Rhodes Island secretly trying to restore Kazdel?” Kai’s blunt assessment left both Kal’tsit and Warfarin utterly speechless.
Though, sometimes, profound silence served as an answer of its own.
“The legacy of the Demon King is fascinating.
Even though I only borrowed the crown from Amiya for a little while, all the past Sarkaz Kings opened up their memories to me—Theresa included,” Kai continued casually.
“To be completely honest, while Rhodes Island’s ideals are incredibly noble, they are also highly impractical.
You have to understand that conflict is the eternal law of the world.
The only way to guarantee absolute peace is to possess absolute power.
Until you have that kind of overwhelming strength, you shouldn’t even dream of achieving world peace.” “…” “Alright, I know that’s a tough pill to swallow right now.
Let’s change the subject.
You were curious about my horns and blood, right?
Let me explain,” Kai offered cheerfully.
“You already know what my ‘Divine Domain’ does, but you probably don’t understand how it works, right?
The truth is, my body constantly radiates immense energy just from breathing.
Any ambient energy caught in my vicinity gets instantly overwhelmed and suppressed by that sudden influx of power.
As for my horns…
well, you can think of them as specialized Originium staves.
They balance the chaotic energy inside me, allowing for precise, delicate manipulation.” “You mentioned that ingesting my horn shavings cures Oripathy.
From my perspective, the horn dust is likely just forcibly harmonizing the volatile Originium energy inside your bodies,” Kai deduced.
“Oh, by the way, these horns are basically just like fingernails to me, and they regenerate incredibly fast.
Do you guys need some more?
I can snap a piece off right now.” “If it wouldn’t be too much trouble…” Kal’tsit began hesitantly.
“Haha, it’s nothing!” Kai casually reached up and snapped a small chunk off his horn.
In the brief moment it took for him to place the fragment into Kal’tsit’s palm, the damaged tip of his horn had already fully regenerated.
“It actually stings a little if I break off too much.
Is this enough?
If not, I can grab you guys a bit more.
Oh, speaking of which, my horns apparently make excellent forging materials for weapons.
The results should be pretty amazing.” “Kai, you are a complete enigma…
I honestly don’t even know how to evaluate you,” Kal’tsit admitted, shaking her head.
“You champion absolute power and approach politics with ruthless, rational logic.
In your eyes, wars between nations are as natural as the turning of the seasons, and you don’t seem to care how many lives those conflicts claim.
Yet…
you harbor immense kindness toward others on an individual level.
When you are around people, you connect with them on a deeply emotional, empathetic level.
Your worldview is just a mass of contradictions.” “It’s actually very simple: I’m just selfish,” Kai shrugged.
“If a tragedy happens somewhere out of sight, I simply don’t care.
There’s too much suffering in the world; if I stopped to mourn every single tragedy, I’d never get a moment’s rest.
But…
if someone cries out for my help right in front of me, if rioters run rampant before my eyes, or if a sinister conspiracy unfolds right on my doorstep…
there’s no way I could just sit back and do nothing.
Dr.
Kal’tsit, I’m not nearly as grand and visionary as you are.
Despite my power, I can only bring myself to focus on what’s right in front of me.” Kai’s entire worldview had been meticulously constructed by his grandmother, Hera.
Perhaps the traumatic failure of their campaign to slay the Black Dragon had profoundly shifted Hera’s outlook on life.
As a result, the foundational lesson Kai had been taught since childhood boiled down to one simple rule: Only bite off what you can comfortably chew, and never burden yourself with problems that don’t concern you!
“However, Rhodes Island can afford to be a bit bolder with its ideals now.
After all, you essentially possess absolute power now, don’t you?” Kai grinned.
“You guys just need an appropriate stage to demonstrate that power.” “Kai, exactly what tier does your strength operate on?” Kal’tsit asked solemnly.
“If I were to give you a rough estimate…
going all out, I could effortlessly obliterate ten Chernobogs strapped together.
Is that enough power for you?” “It is more than enough,” Kal’tsit affirmed.
“Kai, will you travel to Lungmen alongside Amiya’s squad?
I shall prepare the stage you require.” “Sure thing,” Kai agreed easily.
“And just for the record, while Theresa’s ideals may be a little unrealistic, I actually really like them.
After all, everyone naturally yearns for something beautiful.”