Chapter 52: Reversal
Experiments always carry risks. Therefore, Su Xiao spent 1492 points of Battle Merit to exchange for 5 one-star titles, which he embedded in the secondary title slots of the Refining Disc. Without embedding a main title, he began the refinement.
[Yes/No pay 5 Soul Coins to conduct this title refinement.]
Seeing this prompt, Su Xiao chose to begin the refinement. He had tested earlier that when refining with a one-star main title embedded, it cost 10 Soul Coins. The costs for fuel titles were as follows:
- One-star main title refinement: 10 Soul Coins
- Two-star: 20 Soul Coins
- Three-star: 50 Soul Coins
- Four-star: 100 Soul Coins
- Five-star: 200 Soul Coins
With no main title, the refinement began, and the Soul Coin consumption was halved. The refinement speed was faster than Su Xiao expected, completing in less than two minutes.
[You have obtained 'No-Attribute Title (★★)'.]
This was a two-star title with no attributes, worthless for equipping but useful for title refinement, allowing the main title's enhancement direction to be purer.
Checking his remaining Battle Merit, Su Xiao began exchanging large quantities of one-star and two-star titles. Obtaining more 'No-Attribute Titles' was highly useful. Privileges like the Title Shop might never appear again.
In the end, Su Xiao used his remaining 36,238 Battle Merit points plus 170 Soul Coins to obtain 12 [No-Attribute Title (★★★)], all produced through repeated refinements.
The limited number of titles in the Title Shop meant the cost of acquiring three-star titles kept rising. These [No-Attribute Titles] were set aside for future title refinement.
With only 129 Battle Merit left, Su Xiao didn't believe attacking Sand Capital would yield more Battle Merit. On the contrary, after attacking Sand Capital, the Title Shop might be forcibly closed—this was a reward mechanism tied to Battle Merit.
Attacking Sand Capital seemed insane, with soldiers unlikely to obey orders, but that wasn't the case. If Su Xiao's guess was correct, Sand Capital had only two outcomes: either ruling the world or turning into a hell on earth.
220,000 beast cavalry marched in a grand procession. The black dragon Midir, carrying Su Xiao in flight, occasionally roared. Su Xiao had promised it that within seven days at most, it would be freed.
Midir possessed intelligence no less than a human's. Su Xiao's words delighted it—it had gained power and was about to gain freedom. Thinking of this, Midir flew even harder, even though it had been struck by over a dozen crossbow bolts recently, each piercing its body. But that no longer mattered.
Meanwhile, in Sand Capital, inside the bedchamber of the Rose Palace.
A breeze rustled the thin gauze curtains. The Sand Emperor stood before several stone pillars, overlooking Sand Capital below. His complexion was no longer pale. Dressed in loose white robes, he looked like an inexperienced youth, yet the Sand Flame Kingdom was firmly in his grasp.
"Kukulin, why use the border army for personal matters? Wouldn't it be better to let the Holy Soul do those tasks?"
The Sand Emperor muttered to himself, then sighed.
"Your seat is already prepared for you. Counting the time, you should be returning soon. The military authority of Sand Flame is yours."
The Sand Emperor smiled as he said this, though inwardly he was somewhat displeased. First, because Su Xiao had signed a truce with the King of Peru—a serious overreach of authority. Second, because Su Xiao had used his troops for personal affairs.
Compared to Su Xiao's other actions, the Sand Emperor decided to feign ignorance on these two points. Su Xiao had reclaimed vast territories and intimidated the Kingdom of Peru.
In terms of real power, Su Xiao was one of the four most powerful figures in the Sand Flame Kingdom. If the Sand Emperor's plan succeeded, the new power structure would be: the Sand Emperor as the true ruler, Su Xiao controlling all military power, and Uno managing finances and official appointments—forming a new power triangle.
Creak~
The bedchamber door opened, and a figure entered, quickly hiding in the shadows—it was Red Sand.
"Have the Administrative Minister Carros and Queen Camilla been dealt with?"
"Executed this morning. Carros's body was buried by Uno's men."
"Hmm?"
The Sand Emperor frowned, his gaze showing disdain and disgust.
"He hasn't changed. The last generation of the Perniel family—the Queen's remains—were handled by him. Disgusting."
The Sand Emperor sat cross-legged on the ground, but soon remembered something.
"Where was Camilla buried? That bastard Uno, he didn't..."
The Sand Emperor stopped mid-sentence. He heard footsteps from the secret passage—a passage only Uno knew.
The hidden door in the bedchamber opened, and High Priest Uno emerged, followed by a figure in a black robe. This figure's shape was strange, as if something was writhing beneath the robe.
"Guards!"
The Sand Emperor shouted, but the area outside the bedchamber fell dead silent.
"Little one, are you looking for your guards? They were... delicious."
A somewhat ethereal female voice came from behind Uno. A hand reached out from beneath the black robe. The front half of the hand was pale, with slightly sharp, blackened nails. The back half of the arm had black skin, with flesh beneath writhing slightly.
The black hood was pushed back, revealing Carros's face. Her face hadn't changed much, but her eyes had transformed—the whites were pitch black, and her pupils were golden-red.
Most striking was Carros's neck. It was covered in lipless mouths full of sharp teeth, scattered chaotically. Combined with her features, it gave a sense of eerie beauty.
"Red Sand, have you... betrayed me?"
The Sand Emperor spoke calmly, looking into the shadows. Moments ago, he thought victory was assured.
"Red Sand died this morning. To kill him, I stayed by your side for many years, finally finding his weakness."
A figure emerged from behind the gauze curtain. Seeing this figure, the Sand Emperor was momentarily stunned. Queen Camilla, who should have been dead, now appeared before him.
Queen Camilla's tone was flat, seemingly speaking meaningless nonsense, but she was stalling for time.
"Scream. Beg for mercy. Like our mother did before she died."
Carros, now half-monster, spoke. Her arm shot out, grabbing Uno's 'vitals.'
Squelch~
Something seemed to be crushed. Uno's eyes bulged, his body trembling.
"Ah!!"
A hysterical scream rang out. Carros's head leaned close to Uno's face.
"After my mother died, you still defiled her. You... deserve to die."
Pfft!
Carros's hand pulled upward, tearing High Priest Uno in half from the center. Uno's corpse fell to either side.
As Administrative Minister, Carros had been drawing the attention of the Sand Emperor and Uno. Working with Uno, she had been led by the nose.
Carros had disguised herself as what the Sand Emperor most wanted to see: an ambitious, capable ruler. Sand Flame needed someone like that. She constantly exposed her weaknesses, making the Sand Emperor feel she was always controllable. And indeed, the Sand Emperor could eliminate Carros at any time.
According to Carros's plan, she had to 'lose.' In fact, she wanted to 'lose.' Only by 'dying' would the Sand Emperor and Uno let their guard down. This was the essence of her plan: to find life in death.
Carros's sister, Queen Camilla, had only one task: find Red Sand's weakness. Only by eliminating Red Sand could they kill the Sand Emperor. To this end, Camilla used her innate ability to hypnotize herself, making her wholeheartedly love the Sand Emperor.
Disguises always have flaws, so Camilla chose to genuinely love the Sand Emperor. She even sealed part of her memories, making her subjective consciousness believe the Sand Emperor wasn't an enemy but her most important person. For him, she would betray her own sister.
Through the Holy Soul's methods, the Sand Emperor learned of Camilla's feelings toward him when she was half-asleep. He found it both ridiculous and astonishing, but soon thought this woman would be perfect for eliminating Administrative Minister Carros, to prevent Carros from getting out of control.
The Sand Emperor needed Carros—the threat from Peru was too great. But after the Peruvian threat was eliminated, he immediately ordered Carros's removal.
Carros worked with Uno; Camilla lurked beside the Sand Emperor. One outside, one inside—the two sisters had planned everything.
"You should be dead."
The Sand Emperor narrowed his eyes. He was certain the two sisters had been dealt with this morning.
"Yes, we did 'die' this morning. I was killed by my sister, and my sister was silenced by Red Sand. Everything went according to your plan. We indeed couldn't defeat you."
Carros walked slowly toward the Sand Emperor. He showed no fear, lifting his chin slightly.
"Sorry to disappoint you. We came back to life. The God of Abundant Life represents rebirth. I devoured the God of Abundant Life; my sister devoured the Goddess. So we were reborn, standing before you."
Carros's hand pressed down on the Sand Emperor's head. Compared to her hand, his head was the size of an apple. Not because the Sand Emperor had shrunk, but because Carros was now over three meters tall. Her upper body was still human, but beneath her black robe, 'things' writhed endlessly.
"You're too arrogant, descendant of the false king. If you had fled just now, the soul seal in this bedchamber would have suppressed me. I couldn't have harmed you at all. That's why my sister and I wasted so much time talking."
Hearing this, the Sand Emperor's expression twisted. He only wanted to lose with dignity. As for the soul seal, he vaguely remembered his father mentioning it—something that could temporarily suppress those who devoured gods. Unfortunately, Carros now had his head in her grip. He couldn't escape.
Carros leaned close to the Sand Emperor's ear, her thin lips parting as she whispered:
"Do you know? My real name is... Perniel Aliyah. Afraid you'd suspect me, I couldn't even use a single syllable of 'Aliyah'—the name my father gave me. My actions no longer deserve that name, so... now I am Perniel Carros."
After saying this, a seal inside the bedchamber shattered.
Carros knew the time had come. She tightened her grip. Crack—the Sand Emperor's head was crushed like a small watermelon.
"Sister, we succeeded! Hahahaha!"
Carros, her face splattered with blood, laughed almost maniacally. For this moment, she had waited 16 years. Every minute, every second, she thought of only one thing: revenge. Revenge for the Perniel family—the true royal family of the Sand Flame Kingdom. To accomplish this, she had peeled off her own sister's face, replaced it with a beautiful one, and personally sent her sister to their enemy's side, to share his bed.
"Sister, we just need to eliminate that guy on the front lines, and the glory of the Perniel family will shine over Sand Flame again. Before he dies, we should thank him. Without his attack on Peru, we wouldn't have succeeded. Thank him for helping us find the God of Abundant Life."
Carros slowly bent down. Her sister Camilla climbed onto her back, their heads resting against each other.
A gentle breeze brushed the gauze curtains. The bedchamber fell silent. The two Perniel sisters closed their eyes, savoring the sweet fruit of victory. Nearby lay two corpses: one of High Priest Uno, the other of the Sand Emperor.
In this contest, the victors were the Perniel sisters. Whether they would achieve final victory was uncertain. In their eyes, Su Xiao was just a powerful commander, far inferior to them, who had devoured two gods and fully awakened their bloodline.
The Perniel sisters didn't yet know that they wouldn't need to seek out Su Xiao—he was already heading toward Sand Capital.
PS: (Stuck on writing for a few hours. Two chapters today. Squatting, head down, waiting to be kicked.)