I Can Devour Monsters' SSS Talents

Chapter 704: A Little Help from Your Sovereign

"That word is used by those who believe leaving is possible."

"So you can’t leave?" Lian narrowed his eyes.

"I am here."

"I can see that myself."

"Then why do you ask?"

Young Vorhelm gave a short laugh.

"Because there’s a big difference between someone who chooses to stay somewhere and someone who’s forced to stay."

Is this what arguing with a philosopher feels like? His questions were being answered with the stupidest answers that somehow sounded logical.

White Oblivion kept his eyes on Lian’s face for a moment.

"From the point of view of someone standing inside a place, that difference is not always clear."

Another indirect answer.

Lian had never expected the Calamity to explain his entire past from the beginning.

But every answer, even if it was unclear, could reveal a reaction.

This time, he directly mentioned the judge’s name.

"Is Hollow Sun keeping you here?"

The man became silent.

Lian continued.

"This prison has a judge. A being that has kept its prisoners here for years and still gives judgments."

His gaze moved toward the sky for a moment.

"But you’re here, one of the Five Calamities, inside a prison you still haven’t managed to escape."

"The judge continues to fulfill his duty." White Oblivion said calmly.

"So his presence is a problem for you."

"You hear the meaning you want to hear."

"Maybe." Lian shrugged. "But so far, you haven’t denied any of my guesses either."

The man remained silent for a moment and then said.

"The judge passes judgment."

Lian waited for him to continue.

"He judges crimes, remembers sins, and forces what he considers right upon the prisoners."

White Oblivion’s voice was still empty of emotion.

"But who gave the judge himself the right to judge forever?"

Lian was no longer smiling.

They had finally reached what he wanted and needed to know.

"So you’re planning to kill him."

White Oblivion looked at him and said nothing for several seconds.

Lian continued.

"The Withered are coming toward the center. The Judgments are still taking place, and you’re standing right behind one of your strongest guards."

He kept his eyes on the man’s face.

"Hollow Sun is the only being that can stop what you’ve started here, so you want to get rid of him first."

"If the judge’s judgment is wrong, is ending it also wrong?" White Oblivion asked.

Lian tilted his head slightly.

"Depends on who’s trying to end it."

"And who is worthy of making such a decision?"

"Probably not someone who erases the identities of millions, or maybe even billions of beings to achieve his goal and turns them into killing machines."

This time, there was a longer silence.

White Oblivion slowly moved closer to him.

Three, on Lian’s left, pressed his claws harder against the ground, and Four also sent a short warning through the Colony connection.

’My lord...’

Lian did not take even one step back.

The man stopped several meters away.

"You speak about the deaths of other beings, but you have also killed many."

Young Vorhelm answered without hesitation.

"Yeah."

"Then what is the difference between you and me?"

Lian looked at him for a moment.

"Well, one difference is that I don’t tell them they should be happy about being killed."

White Oblivion tilted his head slightly.

"I never said such a thing."

"That’s right." Lian gave a faint smile. "You only said they no longer need their past, you turn them into zombie-like creatures and take away all their rights, emotions, and thoughts."

For a moment, the man said nothing. And this made Vorhelm smirk, two people could play the same game, and he could also give indirect answers.

But right now, he was thinking about something else.

’I still don’t know how this creature entered the prison.’

’But he’s deliberately avoiding giving a direct answer about Hollow Sun.’

He asked another question.

"If you kill the judge, what happens next?"

"After one judgment ends, another judgment does not begin."

"I mean the prison, will the prisoners be freed?"

"What meaning would freedom have for a being that no longer has a past?"

Lian narrowed his eyes.

"And after this place, will it be the outside worlds’ turn? Is it time for them to lose their identities too? Like what you did to a world before?"

"Worlds are always forgetting something." The man looked toward the distant horizon for a moment and continued.

"Sometimes the name of a human, sometimes the history of a family, sometimes everything that was once called a civilization."

Roderick’s smile grew slightly wider.

"I only bring an end to something that has already begun...I speed up that process of forgetting...."

Young Vorhelm looked at his face for a moment.

From his own point of view, he isn’t even doing anything wrong.

This creature did not enjoy destroying worlds in the usual way.

Or at least, Lian could not see any sign of enjoyment in his behavior.

What humans called civilization, history, and identity were only things that could disappear in White Oblivion’s eyes.

And now, he intended to complete that same process inside the prison.

Lian took a calm breath.

But the Calamity had not finished speaking.

"You know, isn’t forgetting pain a good thing? I am a miracle for humans, a relief from all their pain, I help them forget all their foolish relationships, all the emotions that hold back their potential."

"I help them forget their pain and wounds, and I even do them such a great favor that, in the end, they can show their true selves without anything called guilt."

Young Vorhelm said nothing and instead looked deep into the eyes of the man standing in front of him for a moment.

It seemed that he truly believed the things he was saying.

But this is just stupid logic.

Those very pains, love, hardships, hatred, and other complicated but sweet emotions are what make life colorful and give a person a reason to keep going.

Forgetting your identity, emotions, and personality only turns you into a zombie without an identity or purpose, following the will of another being.

Even so, he said nothing, arguing with this creature was pointless, and he was not here to argue.

"Why did you let us come this far? If all these Withered are under your command and you have guards like these, you could have stopped us much earlier."

He glanced briefly at the kneeling Apostate.

"But you didn’t."

For several seconds, only the Bone Minstrel’s gentle music could be heard across the plateau.

"Who said I didn’t want you to reach this place?" White Oblivion then asked.

Lian remained silent for a moment.

Hmm?

But before he could ask another question, the man looked away from him.

"Our conversation is over."

Then he moved toward the northern cliff.

Lian followed him with his eyes.

He was waiting for us to arrive?

Why?

But for now, he had no chance to think about it, because the sound of new footsteps came from the eastern side of the plateau.

Lian briefly focused on the four Special Members of his Colony.

They had not fully recovered from their injuries, and he knew that another battle against powerful Unholy enemies could put them in serious danger.

There was one ability he had not used yet.

Emergency Power Lending.

Through Hive Dominion, he activated the ability.

[ Emergency Power Lending Activated ]

[ Power Granted to Special Colony Members: 30% of Lian Vorhelm’s Power ]

A new flow of power immediately spread through the Colony connection.

One felt his strength increase, Two’s body became stronger, and Three and Four also felt a clear increase in their combat power.

All four realized that the power had come from Lian.

But before any of them could react or say anything, the approaching footsteps drew their attention.

The steps were calm and steady.

He turned his gaze toward the sound.

A tall creature came out from between two broken stone statues.

It wore narrow, dark armor, and worn pieces of cloth hung from its shoulders, its face was hidden beneath a long mask, and it held two different swords.

The blade in its right hand was covered in gray and red flames.

The sword in its left hand had a cold blue glow that slowly moved along its metal edge.

Unlike the Forsaken Apostate, this creature had no wings.

But the way it walked caught Lian’s attention.

Every step was exactly the same distance from the previous one, its body weight was divided between both legs, and it did not hold either sword too high.

Another swordsman?

A window appeared before his eyes.

[ Name: Vesperis, the Twin-Oath Inquisitor ]

[ Race: Withered ]

[ Rank: Unholy ]

[ Level: 28 ]

Another Unholy.

Lian looked at the level number for a moment.

Twenty-eight...

Vesperis, the Twin-Oath Inquisitor, passed beside the broken part of the plateau without paying attention to Lian.

He reached a suitable distance from White Oblivion and then knelt on one knee.

"My lord."

The man with Roderick’s face did not even turn his head toward him.

"Begin."

Vesperis lowered his head.

"As you command."

At that moment, the Forsaken Apostate also stood up from the ground and picked up his huge sword, then spread his twelve gray wings behind his body.

Both servants stood between Lian and White Oblivion.

One in the central part of the plateau and the other on the eastern side, near the stone path that led to the northern cliff.

Lian moved his gaze between them.

A Level 35 Unholy and a Level 28 one.

Behind them, White Oblivion continued moving without the slightest hurry.

Young Vorhelm let out a short sigh.

Three raised his head on his left.

"My lord, will you allow me to eliminate this one?"

Lian glanced at Vesperis and then turned back toward the Dreadmaw Sovereign.

"For now, I’d prefer that none of you get killed."

"I have no intention of dying." Three answered proudly.

"Great. Then start by doing exactly what I tell you."

There was silence for a moment.

Dreadmaw lowered his head slightly.

"Very well."

Lian sent new orders through Hive Dominion.

’One, Two, the creature with two swords is yours. For now, your goal is to keep him busy, not kill him.’

’Three, Four, hold back the Apostate. Watch out for his sword, especially if he uses the runes again.’

’As you command, my lord.’ Four immediately answered.

Lian looked at the two servants again, and then the two black dragon wings behind his body opened slightly.

"Well."

He took one step forward.

"Let’s see how long it takes this time."

On the other side of the plateau, White Oblivion reached the northern cliff.

From there, a wide area could be seen below; uneven ground with deep cracks and huge piles of stone, with thousands of Withered standing among them.

None of them were moving.

Even creatures whose bodies could barely support their own weight because of injuries or mutations remained motionless.

White Oblivion raised his right hand slightly.

At that moment, the Withered in the nearest part of the crowd lowered their heads.

Then a strange change began.

The features of one of their faces slowly disappeared.

The creature that previously had a split mouth and two sunken eyes was now developing a smooth, expressionless face. Its mouth moved, but no sound came out.

A few seconds later, its body fell to the ground.

Another creature suffered the same fate.

Then another.

The process spread through the Withered.