this infinite world

Lothric, courtyard.

At this moment, Yang Yun had finished his meeting with the two princes and slowly descended from the top of Lothric City, stepping into the central courtyard area of ​​the castle.

This courtyard, once hailed as the jewel of the royal city, has now become a den of monsters—although using "den" to describe this once beautiful area, praised by both knights and nobles, seems strange, at this moment, there is no more fitting word.

The reason was simple: the entire courtyard was now covered in traces of the rampant "human pus," as if the entire castle was rotting from the inside out. And this area was the most severely affected by the decay.

In the shadows of the crumbling walls, monsters, barely retaining their humanoid outlines, writhed slowly. Their bodies, like burnt-out candlesticks, dripped a black, viscous substance, leaving winding trails on the bluestone floor. Each time they moved, a sticky sound echoed between the pillars, creating a nauseating scene along with the shimmering, eerie trails of slime.

Even the most valiant Lothric knights dare not venture into this area lightly. Once the living enter, there is no return. The only thing the knights can do is light bonfires on the outskirts, using the light of the flames to dispel the shadows—these monsters have an instinctive fear of firelight, which is why they are barely confined to the central courtyard.

Even more chilling, however, were the Lothric Knights still fighting in the courtyard. Their eyes were bloodshot, their movements frenzied like wild beasts, and their sword-wielding was utterly reckless. Clearly, these loyal guardians had long since lost their minds, unknowingly becoming one of the monsters themselves in their fight against the darkness.

Thus, this once beautiful courtyard has now become a hellish battlefield where two twisted forces are eternally locked in combat.

"I hadn't noticed this place before, but now it seems that this is the area most severely affected by the disaster..."

Wandering through this forbidden area, Yang Yun frowned deeply. Because he had previously traversed the city walls and ascended to the Grand Archives using what seemed like a cheat code, and then leaped from the Grand Archives to the top of Lothric Castle to meet the Twin Princes, he hadn't noticed the shadows lurking within the city…

But it's not too late now.

"Snapped."

A crisp snap of fingers suddenly echoed through the courtyard, a place filled with darkness, slaughter, blood, and death.

At first, it was just a glimmer of green light dancing on Yang Yun's fingertip, but in an instant, the green light transformed into a surging green tide, engulfing every area shrouded in darkness.

God said, let there be light.

Though the light wasn't blinding, it carried an irresistible, unyielding power, like the first rays of dawn in early spring, gently yet resolutely dispelling the darkness that clung to the area. Wherever the azure light touched, the twisted pus of humanity emitted piercing screams. Their waxy bodies trembled violently in the light, the black, viscous substance melting away as quickly as snow meeting the blazing sun. Those monsters not yet fully corrupted desperately tried to burrow back into the shadows, only to find themselves exposed within the omnipresent azure light.

Even more astonishing was the discernment of this light. When it swept across the bloodshot-eyed Lothric knights, it caused no harm, but instead cleansed their corrupted minds like a clear spring. The knights knelt down, the bloodlust in their eyes gradually fading, replaced by a long-lost clarity. And so, Yang Yun strode forward.

With each step he took, ripples of emerald light spread out beneath his feet, rippling like flowing water across the cursed area. Where the light moved, the slimy marks on the ground evaporated like morning dew, and the nauseating stench in the air was replaced by a refreshing scent. Even the darkness stained the walls gradually faded under the emerald glow, revealing the mottled yet pristine stone beneath.

However, as Yang Yun ventured deeper, the changes in his surroundings became increasingly alarming.

At first, wherever the azure light reached, the darkness dissipated completely, like ice and snow melting away; but the deeper one went, the more difficult it seemed that even the light emanating from Yang Yun's body could not completely dispel the profound darkness originating from the very essence of humanity. No matter how the azure light flowed and shone, there was always a thin but stubborn layer of black mist that followed like a shadow, lingering and never dissipating.

—In the center of this lingering black mist, an alien figure with its back to Yang Yun stood silently in this desolate place where even death itself hesitated.

This place is not fit for any living being. Those who can remain here are either the corpses of the dead who have long since lost their lives, or insane beings whose minds have been completely corrupted. The figure before them undoubtedly belongs to the latter.

The body, turned away from Yang Yun, displayed a disturbing deformity: a severely curved spine, a massive lumps of flesh on its back, and skin covered in a keratinous layer resembling dragon scales. A tattered robe clung precariously to its body. Although now reduced to mere scraps of cloth, the remaining gold thread embroidery and ornate patterns still hinted that the garment's owner must have once held a position of great prestige and prominence…

“I didn’t notice it before, but after seeing it up close, this so-called ‘human pus’ should be the result of your failed research on dragonification after you inherited the research data from White Dragon Hiss…”

Gazing at the twisted, unusually hunched figure huddled and whispering in the light, Yang Yun couldn't help but shake his head and sigh. This monster had clearly been lurking in the darkness for far too long, so long that even normal light had become an unbearable stimulus.

Ironically, why do so-called 'scholars' and 'masters' always end up turning themselves into this inhuman, ghostly form?

Yang Yun's tone was filled with deep helplessness, "Logan is crazy, Heath is crazy, and you're like this too... Is this the fate of researchers who embark on the path of seeking knowledge? If so, I'm glad that Qi Teng is only a little bald and hasn't been driven crazy by knowledge..."

This mockery, destined to go unanswered, echoed softly in the empty hall. Yang Yun's gaze focused on the figure before him, who had raised an arm to shield his eyes from the light—his left hand gripped a scepter tightly, while his right hand held an infant in an incredibly gentle embrace, presenting a bizarre half-human, half-dragon form.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, his voice clear and calm: "Aren't you right?"

"Demon King, Ocelothos." (End of Chapter)