Renji had always been a man of action. From the moment he arrived at the Ancient Wolf clan, he had a faint sense that there was hidden impurity lurking in the depths here. This impurity was like a radar for detecting tainted miasma, a power that came with being the “main character.”
This feeling became even more pronounced as the High Priestess danced on the stage, spreading impurity and sending the demi-humans below into a fanatical frenzy. When the High Priestess shed blood to weaken the curse for the demi-humans, Renji was certain that the High Priestess and the deep-seated impurity he sensed were of the same origin.
So, the entire plan had been set up from the very beginning by Renji. This included his decision to use a tone of ‘unfamiliarity’ and ‘doubt’ when he blatantly asked the question, -“Who are you?”- – a question that could undoubtedly cause significant harm.
He could have chosen a gentler and more soothing approach, but Renji didn’t. Only by using the sharpest words to sting the High Priestess could he make the High Priestess lose control and become filled with anger.
As expected, the High Priestess immediately attacked afterward, and Nova promptly followed Renji’s orders to engage the High Priestess as planned. While they confronted each other, Renji, along with Eileen and 86, made their way towards the source of impurity that he had sensed.
They didn’t encounter much resistance along the way. After all, with the mere appearance of Nova in her Empress form, the entire Ancient Wolf clan’s demi-humans were left dumbfounded. Although the Empress might be disliked by many of them, her authority and power still made her the foremost figure in the entire dragon nation.
However, as they ventured deeper, the problem was no longer about being stopped by others. The filthy black mud, just like the one in the Savage Swamp, began to appear frequently. Trees withered, and the land turned barren. It seemed like this entire area had become an absolute no-go zone for the Ancient Wolf clan.
Approaching it, Eileen and 86 started to feel unwell. Eileen held her head as waves of dizziness surged like tides. She tried to persist, but a few steps further into the depth brought on nausea and aversion. The maddening whispers of the Miasma echoed in her ears, making it difficult for Eileen to proceed.
While 86s, who were also biologically enhanced, couldn’t escape either. Her entire mechanical components began to malfunction, with frequent short circuits causing her system to display warnings continuously. As time passed, 86 lost most of her sensory systems, and her eyes displayed a chaotic and distorted flow of code.
This was the accumulation of Miasma in Dragon nation, a vast amount that could be described as the “fate of a fallen nation” Clearly, it was something that Eileen and?86s were not capable of handling at the moment. So Renji stopped them from continuing and asked them to wait at the entrance.
Normally, Eileen would argue back a bit, but now she could only grit her teeth and nod, supporting 86 who was also struggling as they exited this forbidden zone. In their current state, they would only cause trouble for Renji.
However, on the other hand, as she looked at the young man who was still no different from his usual self within the forbidden zone, Eileen felt a sense of fear creeping from the bottom of her heart for some reason.
After all, she had personally experienced how terrifying and chaotic it was to be enveloped by the pollution of Miasma. But Renji continued to stand there unharmed, even treating this terrifying Miasma curse as if it were nothing, making Eileen start to doubt whether Renji was still truly human. Or perhaps, ‘could humans really achieve such a thing?’
Soon, Renji continued to move forward with large strides, and the figure of the young man disappeared from Eileen’s view.
Indeed.
Except for a slight visual discomfort due to the desolation and eeriness of the surrounding forbidden zone, Renji’s body showed no other reactions.
The Miasma that floated and pervaded in the forbidden zone, solidifying to the point where it almost became a blood-red mist, scattered away from Renji upon his arrival, as if fleeing, instead of surrounding him and obscuring his vision. .
In this way, Renji proceeded unimpeded all the way to the deepest part of the Forbidden Zone belonging to the Ancient Wolf Clan.
And there was…
A massive skeletal altar.
Unlike typical altars, this skeletal altar resembled a pool. Its enormity lay not in height but in its expanse across the ground. As Renji approached, a “gurgling” sound emitted from the altar’s pool, composed of filthy black mud. It was thicker, more malevolent, and more chilling to the observer.
In the center of the pool of the altar’s “black water,” there was a skeletal claw that protruded from the black mud of the pool. The sharp and slender claws held what seemed to be a red jade formed from countless curses.
From this jade, Renji saw that every time a new life of the “Demi-Human” was born, this skeletal jade would emit a faint light. Following that, the newborn’s bloodline would be drawn and deprived of by the curse power within this pool of black mud in the altar. As a result, the curse seen by Renji earlier would manifest on the newborn demi-human.
At this point, Renji finally understood the true source of everything. As long as this altar existed and the cursed jade was not taken and destroyed from this pool, the curse on the demi-human race would continue indefinitely. It was like a tireless machine, imprinting a curse on each new individual from birth.
Without hesitation, facing the viscous and filthy black mud in front of him, Renji attempted to enter the pool of the altar directly. He wanted to step through the mire and filth, reaching the center of the pool to retrieve and destroy the cursed jade.
However.
This time, the thick and tainted black mud, condensed from the rich tainted Miasma, no longer avoided him. They seemed to understand that they had to guard the cursed jade, which was equivalent to their heart. Therefore, all the black mud came to life when Renji stepped into the pool, and they started to aggressively repel him.
Renji tried many times, but each time he had just stepped into the pool of the altar, his feet were like sinking into a swamp, unable to move deeper. The subsequent strong repulsion force caused the black mud to “spit” him out, throwing him outside the pool of the altar.
“Sigh…”
Renji sighed. After trying everything without success, it seemed that there was only one option left.
One method that might prevent these black mud from repelling him.
He looked at his skill bar. So far, three out of his five skills had been used. The remaining two were [Annihilation]from Lena and [Elven Shelter]from the elf Miyuki.
Since there was Miyuki’s presence behind the Old Alliance, Renji took a deep breath, and the skill that had been dormant in his skill list for a long time, [Elven Shelter] finally lit up with radiance.
Immediately afterward, small points of starlight began to flicker around him. These lights, like fireflies in a forest, were attracted to Renji and flowed into his body.
Within a few breaths, Renji’s entire body was enveloped and protected by the power of nature. A semi-transparent elven barrier covered his entire body, ready to defend him against any external harm.
‘Hmm…’
‘This familiar sense of security…’
‘So, Miyuki, if you can really sense it…’
Now, this tainted Miasma, the Miasma Forbidden Zone that had formed over a hundred years, could only be entered by “him” In other words, only ‘he’ could purify this altar.
Renji closed his eyes, feeling the reassurance provided by the [Elven Shelter]. At the same time, he conveyed his determination to protect Dragon Nation, to protect Nova, and to destroy this altar.
After that, Renji moved. He once again moved his body and, in the state of [Elven Shelter], stepped into the black pool of the altar once more.
This time…
The filthy black mud in the pool did not repel him anymore. No, not only did they not repel him, but these black mud began to climb rapidly onto Renji’s body. Of course, with the elven shelter’s barrier in place, they couldn’t truly merge into Renji’s body. However, they didn’t intend to do so in the first place. The [Elven Shelter] acted as a guide for them, allowing them to wrap Renji’s entire being. After that, with Renji as their anchor, they began to descend from the pool of water.
Downward…
Continuously descending…
….
Darkness filled Renji’s vision. It felt like his soul had been taken into an endless abyss. This continued for what might have been minutes, hours, or even several days. In this cold and dark abyss, finally, a light appeared.
It was the light of a glowing elf.
An elf who embraced him from behind, her warm embrace halting his descent into the abyss…
𝑖.𝘤ℴ𝘮