Man on the ark, forced to become king

Peeking at the two people confronting each other not far away, Yelena felt as if she were reading a novel; everything happening before her eyes almost overturned her previous understanding.

"I... I can't reach it."

Big Bear from the Yeti team was also dumbfounded. He had just picked up that leaf randomly on the streets of Chernobog, thought it looked nice, and kept it. Who knew there would be such a surprise inside?!

If I had known, he would have taken it out long ago!

"..."

Yelena fell silent. She had never imagined things would turn out this way; it was like something out of a movie.

There is another person's consciousness inside Talulah's body, trying to take over her body?

Why does the bear have that thing on its body, and why can it summon an unknown entity that is clearly not human?

The powerful inner guards, who were supposed to be unstoppable, couldn't even withstand a single move from that golden figure and were easily killed—even the Great Father couldn't do that…

Big Daddy?!

Yelena's mind cleared instantly, and she found that the tall body, half of which was covered by Originium, had fallen silent and remained standing still in a stepping posture.

She once believed that nothing could defeat Bozocasti; he was the strongest…

His presence was like a towering mountain, shielding them from countless storms.

But now... is he going to die?

As a fellow infected person, Yelena knew what it meant for half of her body to be petrified.

That represents the absolute end of Oripathy, where the body becomes nourishment for Originium growth, and there is no possibility of a cure.

That is... death.

She had seen similar scenes more than once; it was a fate that all infected people could hardly escape.

Infected individuals obtain enough power from Originium to survive, but they will eventually become breeding grounds for Originium growth. When their lives come to an end, Oripathy will break out, and their bodies will be devoured by Originium... just like Bozokasti is now.

Her mind was in complete chaos. Yelena trembled as she leaned closer, calling out in a near-wailing voice.

She couldn't care less about the internal guards, Talulah, or the infected at this moment.

"Dad..."

"Ye, Lian, Na".

With a sliver of life still clinging to him, Wendigo spoke in a hoarse voice, the Originium filling his throat, making even speaking extremely difficult.

But he didn't fall. His stiff arm slowly rose, and the debris scattered and landed on the white rabbit's head.

"No need to be heartbroken."

"Live, go down."

"Dad!"

The white rabbit pounced on Bozokasti, all its strength drained away, and it couldn't even maintain its Originium Arts.

She wanted to cry, but couldn't shed a single tear.

"Don't panic, there's still hope."

The glow spread over her body, and Yelena once again experienced what 'warmth' felt like after a long time.

She looked up and saw a gentle golden light. The man, whose body was semi-transparent, had walked over at some point. His hand, radiating a soft light, landed on her head and gently stroked her ear twice.

"Dad, is there still hope?!"

Like a drowning person grabbing a rope, Yelena disregarded everything else, clenching her fists tightly and widening her eyes, afraid of hearing the worst possible answer.

"In the final stages of Oripathy, at least half of his body has been petrified, and in a biological sense, he is indeed beyond saving."

Lin Lu shook her head slightly as her senses swept over Bozokasti's body.

In this state, he was practically a walking Originium structure, far different from Theresa back then. Even he couldn't save her directly.

However, in the end, Oripathy is just a physical ailment. Even if it is so severe that it cannot be cured, it does not mean that there is no hope at all.

This avatar's energy is insufficient to rebuild a body, but it can bring the soul back to the Golden Tree.

“This body is terminally ill and beyond cure. I can keep him alive, but I can do it in another way.”

"Another way?"

Upon learning that her father could be saved, Yelena calmed down somewhat, and her chaotic thoughts began to clear up.

She hadn't seen much of the world, but she did know something about Oripathy.

To cure a critically ill patient with a severe infection... no, just to keep them alive, would inevitably come at a considerable cost.

They were just a group of desperate infected people and homeless people who had no choice but to give up their basic needs. What could they possibly offer in exchange for this opportunity?

Yelena wasn't naive enough to think that someone would lend them a helping hand for no reason.

What do you want? What can we do for you?

Holding onto Bozokasti's arm, the white rabbit asked cautiously.

"No, must."

Bozokasti's voice was already very weak, showing that it was being forced out from his throat.

He could think of more than a woman who hadn't experienced much.

As a soldier, he was never afraid of death and disliked leaving potential problems for future generations.

Whatever this man's intentions, he was not prepared to accept them.

"Please save my father!"

puff~

The bear bent his knees and knelt in the mud, shouting hoarsely. The Yeti and the Shield Guards, freed from their fear, silently approached, watched him without a sound, and then put down their weapons.

"Please, save my father! I'm willing to pay any price!"

Yelena resolutely raised her head; this time, she was not going to listen to the old stubborn man.

"Don't do that, it makes me sound like a villain who's coercing an innocent girl."

Lin Lu smiled gently, and a soft power emanated from her, stopping everyone from moving.

"You should know that every gift in your destiny has already been marked with a price."

"However, you can't do anything right now, and your power means nothing to me."

"Go and fight. If you can break through the blockade of the Ursus Army Group, escape the pursuit of the Ursus army, reach Chernobog, and capture it, then you will see him again."

With his arm raised, Bozokasti's body suddenly paused, and the Originium on his body began to spread rapidly, completely covering his entire body and forming an orange-black crystalline statue.

Under the watchful eyes of the Yetis and the Shield Guards, a faint shadow resembling Borocaste flew out from the Originium-enhanced body and merged into the golden light.

"Now, get some sleep. What happens next is not your business."

After putting away Bozokasti's soul, Lin Lu turned and left, with pale purple smoke seeping out from the void behind her, sweeping across the crowd in the breeze.

Along with Yelena, the infected, the Yetis, and the Shield Guards all fell into a deep sleep under the influence of the hypnotic smoke. Having just experienced a great upheaval, they were at their most vulnerable and had almost no resistance.

……

"It's time to end this game. Are you ready?"

Having resolved the issue of Bozokasti, Lin Lu leisurely walked towards 'Talulah', asking questions as she went.

"..."

Talulah's eyes turned completely black, and her movements became more agile.

With the greatsword in hand, a raging fire burned fiercely, scorching the earth beneath his feet until it cracked and hardened.

"You shouldn't have given me this chance."

Talulah narrowed her eyes, flames and snake shadows danced together, and her aura exploded, surpassing that of the inner guards from before.

"Good momentum."

Lin Lu nodded slightly, as if in admiration.

It must be said that Draco's bloodline has enormous potential. Just by changing the person in charge of her body, she can unleash such powerful strength, and this is far from her limit.

Some people are born different; their starting point is an end that many ordinary people can never reach in their entire lives.

It's no wonder that the Black Serpent would be interested in Talulah's body; such bloodline potential is undeniably tempting for an old monster who survives by possessing other people's bodies.

If given more time, perhaps He could truly take over Talulah's body completely and wreak havoc on Ursus.

But now...

It's much worse.

"The power I have in this avatar isn't much. I've given you the chance, but if you can't seize it... then don't blame me."

With unhurried steps, Lin Lu gradually approached, and orange-red flames ignited around her.

Actually, he was more afraid that the old snake would escape than whether he could defeat it.

These old foxes who like to hide in the shadows and play tricks are usually very cautious. Now that he has a preliminary grasp on Talulah's body, he might be planning to escape first.

That's not okay.