Wasteland Echoer.

Chapter 670 News from Nebusk (Part 1)
“So, Wright… no, the Chosen One, I choose to become the leader of the world. No, being a leader is too boring. I want to completely control the entire world and become the sole ruler.” Dark walked up to Wright and met his eyes.

Immediately afterwards, a restrained, greedy smile appeared on his lips, and he said in a twisted, sarcastic tone:

“Controlling the world, controlling the entire planet, may not be so interesting. Chosen One, I think... after freeing all humanity from the clutches of the ‘Heartless Virus,’ we can march into the stars and the sea.”

"Do you want to become the next Ivan XXII?" The Chosen One, who was temporarily in control of Wright's body, asked in a slightly ethereal, divine voice.

But the next second, without any hesitation, Dark answered him immediately:
"Why not? In fact, Wolfya told me back in Kanosk that I also have imperial blood, and that I am a descendant of the Rurik family. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to enter and leave Sener Prison so easily and unharmed."

"Since they're all ambitions and dreams anyway, why not make this dream even more magnificent and grand?"

“You… are indeed the ‘Troublemaker’ that the Creator needs. I am now quite at ease to ‘alternate’ the fate of the Chosen One to you.” As the “Chosen One” spoke, he extended Wright’s right hand, which was covered with calluses and eroded by various extraordinary powers. It was not so clean and smooth, but rather quite rough and dull, and it was still stained with some bright red blood that had not yet been wiped away. He gently waved it in front of Dark’s eyes.

Then, he used the still abundant red magical energy within Wright's body to create a crimson scepter like a sharp blade in his left hand, which he then "pierced" into Dark's chest, where his heart was located.

“ss.hikmur wenu shinx yoever!” (Mainland Chinese: Divinity has arrived, destiny is eternal!)
“ss.hikmur wenu shinx yoever!” (Mainland Chinese: Divinity has arrived, destiny is eternal!)
As the "Chosen One" continuously chanted incantations in the Middle Language, a profound radiance belonging to the universe gradually gathered on his left arm.

This radiance seemed to condense all the colors in the world that humans could perceive, but because of its chaos and overlap, Dark was completely unable to describe it in any way.

It was as if this was the color of the Creator, the color of the gods and the ultimate power of the universe.

After a few minutes, or perhaps centuries, countless fragments of memories belonging to the "Chosen Ones" of past generations flashed before Dark's eyes before the "Chosen One" occupying Wright's body finally lowered its hand.

Immediately afterwards, a ripple that caused the air to distort and wave appeared in Dark's line of sight, moving from near to far until it disappeared, at which point "The Chooser" stopped what it was doing.

"The ritual is complete. Changing fate, in practice, is far easier than ending a person's life. The 'Substitute' ability bestowed upon me by the Creator was originally meant to last three to five months before its power waned. But..." The "Chosen One" moved his now somewhat clumsy right arm a few times, a bitter expression on his face.

"Wright Socrates' divinity far exceeds my imagination. The red demonic energy within him has been fiercely resisting me since the moment I took over his body. Therefore, I only have about 20 minutes left."

“When the last bit of divine power is exhausted, my soul will completely dissipate like my body. It seems I will only exist in the memories of a few, as if I had never come into this world. So, Dark, if you have any other questions, ask them now.”

"What exactly is that 'banner'? Why does Artyom believe it can protect Torii Town from evil spirits?" Dark walked towards the huge banner, which perfectly embodied the style of the Khitans, and asked.

"It's called 'Blessing Banner,' and it is indeed in the ordinal monster sequence, but it's not a true monster, nor does it require sacrifice or capturing human souls to use like a traditional 'banner.' Strictly speaking, it's a sacred object," the "Chosen One" explained.

"A sacred relic?" Dark looked at the dusty, slightly dilapidated "Blessing Banner" with a disdainful expression.

"It was originally just the military banner of Emperor Yan Jun, the Supreme Ancestor. After experiencing the war between humans and dragons, and being nourished by human and dragon blood, it developed a partial divinity and possessed limited autonomy. In order to prevent this 'Blessing Banner' from being used by evil people, Emperor Yan Jun established an ancestral rule that the 25 emperors starting with him must personally cut their wrists at the end of their enthronement ceremony, nourishing it with the bloodline of the Yanhuo Empire's royal family, so that it would shed all its demonic nature, transforming it from a semi-evil, sinister object into a cultural symbol capable of protecting all spirits," the "Chosen One" explained.

"In the sequence of monsters, it is ranked as 'MB-014: Yuban' because it belongs to the early monsters. In fact, after the middle of the Second Era, the Emperor of the Flame Empire gradually forgot about the existence of 'Yuban'. Over time, it has lost most of its divinity and demonic nature. But this does not mean that it is useless."

“I would like to hear more about its specific uses,” Dak said, his tone becoming more respectful.

"If the 'Blessing Banner' can be placed at the highest point of an area, such as the top of 'Mount Divine Edge' like Torii Town, then it can bestow 'Blessing of Flames' upon an area within a 50-kilometer radius. Any evil spirits, monsters, 'heartless people,' or other mentally unstable individuals with strength below Order 4 will detour," the "Chosen One" further explained.

"It will form an energy barrier that is not obvious during the day but is faintly visible at night, which can block the intrusion of artillery fire and bombs to a certain extent."

“I see. Then I understand why Artyom and Hefengyeva value your relics so much. But then again, how did you gradually control Wright's body without me noticing at all?” Dark stared intently into the eyes of the “Chosen One,” pleading for an answer.

The decision-maker merely smiled slightly, without directly answering Darke:

"This is a gradual process, and of course, it requires the body's owner's willingness. However, my mission is complete, Dark. You and Wright will be the protagonists of this future era. Keep going, move towards your goals, don't stop, and don't look back..."

As the "Chosen One" spoke, a layer of blue light enveloped the body of Wright that he was using. Gradually, a divine emblem was imprinted on his brow. Countless thick water vapors quickly filled this small, technologically advanced, and futuristic space. The patterns of the "Spirit-Suppressing Wood" began to intertwine on the ceiling and penetrate the originally smooth and clean floor.

Soon, this small space on the top of the mountain of the God's Edge Mountain collapsed rapidly due to the wildly growing roots of the vegetation. Countless streams of water converged from all directions, and a gentle azure light shimmered with the ripples of the water until everything here was completely submerged by the rushing water.

... "Illusory thoughts can only be changed by the mind; wherever the mind goes, the world is unique."

“False illusions will eventually become reality, dormant power will eventually be hard to suppress, the rise of power brings a lofty ambition, and the dominion of the world carries the mystery of divinity.”

新元历558，2月12日，早7点30分。

Crusad Federation, Far Northeast District, west of the Nabusk Plain, Torii Town, "Town Heart 02", second floor.

Wright was jolted awake from his sleep. He looked around and saw that he was still in Torii Town, in the room of the detached house that belonged to Artyom.

He lifted the exceptionally clean patterned quilt, got up from the unexpectedly soft bed, pushed open the creaking wooden door, and came to the first floor of the building.

“You’re awake, Wright?” Dark’s voice came from the direction of the dining table. Wright quickly walked down the exceptionally clean wooden stairs and came to the dining table, which was very much in the style of the Crusad Palace, and sat down next to Dark.

However, Dak looked unusually tired today, with many obvious unhealed scratches on his face, arms, and even the junction of his chest and neck.

Even one of Dak's arms appeared to be severely injured, wrapped in triangular bandages and hanging on his chest.

"You're injured?" Wright looked at Dark's arm and asked with concern.

"Yeah, I got a minor injury." While eating the white porridge in his bowl, Dak used his relatively healthy left arm to crumble the white bread, put it into the bowl, and stirred it vigorously a dozen times with the brown sugar that had just been sprinkled in before putting it into his mouth.

After finishing half a bowl of plain porridge, Dak slowly spoke in a hoarse voice:

“Last night, after we entered the very top of the Mystic Mountain, you were possessed by the remnant spirit of the Chosen One. However, his divinity is not as strong as yours, and in terms of magical power, he is far inferior to you. Therefore, he can only control you briefly for half an hour, preventing you from using any magical power or harming either of us.”

"He could only convey some information to me. Later, as the 'Death of the Chosen One' dissipated, the force supporting the top of the ground collapsed, and the pool of water beneath the Spirit Tree lost its support. A large amount of water poured into the top layer, clearing a path for us. After that, when I barely managed to bring you to the ground, we happened to encounter the soldiers that Artyom brought."

“They came at just the right time. If ‘White Bundle’ and ‘Red Bundle’ hadn’t thrown us into the mountains with tear gas, we wouldn’t have started this adventure without any preparation,” Wright snorted, indignantly.

“But you can’t blame them.” After eating a few more mouthfuls of the mixture of white porridge, brown sugar, and bread to replenish his nutrition, Dak further explained:

"The intense 'Sorrow' there has already invaded the brains of those two children, merging with the 'Burning Fluid' in their bodies to form a weak 'chain,' causing their perception to become distorted. An hour ago, when Artyom left, he told me that the two children had gone mad and were now being held in a 'closed isolation room' for 'suspected infected individuals.' If they did not improve by tonight, Artyom would personally kill them to prevent the 'Sorrow' from spreading among them and wreaking havoc on the town."

"Actually, if it weren't for those 'scars,' the damage from the water flow would have healed in an hour or two. Unfortunately, those wounds were contaminated by the 'scars,' which greatly reduced my self-healing ability. I'm afraid I can only speed up the recovery after the 'scars' are naturally metabolized by my body."

"I see. So, has the 'Relic of the Chooser' been found?" Wright finally got to the crucial question.

After all, this fantastical and dangerous adventure was all for these "relics." If we didn't bring the "relics" out and suffered so many injuries for nothing, it would be a huge loss.

However, the next second, Dak handed over a bag of new ruble coins bearing the portrait of Vasily Voliganov, the former head of the Krusk Federal Government, which completely dispelled Wright's concerns.

“This is Artyom’s payment to us, 100 new rubles in total, paid in gold. He didn’t give us those paper bills that are about to become worthless. Artyom said that he would arrange for someone to hang the ‘blessing banner’ we brought out as soon as possible near the ‘Pool of Choice’ to protect the entire Torii town from the invasion of evil spirits. However…” Dark’s lips curled into a subtle smile, and he continued:

"He Feng Yiwa speculated that what briefly controlled your body and transmitted information to me at that time was some kind of 'earthbound spirit.' That is, a half-formed soul that was bound to the mountain because of some destiny or because something was not completed."

"It still possesses extraordinary and peculiar attributes, and can briefly use magical energy within a certain range, but it relies more on enticing and misleading us to hinder our judgment rather than directly attacking us. Similar to... some of the 'alien angels' under the priests and patriarchs. Because you have red magical energy within you, the 'soul of the chosen one' cannot parasitize you, but can only use your mouth to complete its destiny."

“In that case, this matter is over. After resting for a while longer, we can set off for Nebusk. By the way, any news from there lately?” Wright asked with a sigh of relief.

“I do have news. Currently, with Shaneva's execution by you, the Federation's situation is collapsing rapidly. Kuka of Choigler, John Rees, the interim administrator of Icefield City and Hoptov, and the local armed forces of North and South Uhatta have all declared their secession from the Federation,” Dark recounted the recent situation.

"The situation in Nebusk is more complicated. The leader of the 'Dedication Group', 'Blood Wolf', the third 'Reorderer', 'Offering Light', the seventh 'Reorderer', 'Offering Flame', Anatoly 'Flame Burning' who belongs to the 'Spear of Odyssey', and the second-in-command of the 'Dark Night Investigation Group' to which Hoshino Shota belongs, 'Miracle Apostle' Kazama Reiji, and 'Leader' Atlanka Nebrinov, together these people formed the 'Temporary Cooperative Council' and took control of Nebusk."

"Among these people are the lost souls, federal soldiers, and former leaders of the Nebusk Council. Their relationships are quite delicate... Let's just say the atmosphere in the whole city is very strange right now."