Chapter 72: Williams' Crisis

Mike knelt on the ground, supporting himself with his hands as he panted heavily. His eyes flickered with shattering lightning, and the thunderstorms swirling around him flashed intermittently, glittering in the darkness.

He had advanced!

He had finally advanced.

The joy he felt was unprecedented, not just because of the increase in his strength.

What he looked forward to even more was whether his illness could be improved.

Since his life level had evolved, perhaps his illness could be completely suppressed.

It might even be possible to kill it.

Many years ago, Mike had heard a saying that the patient's immune system was often what truly cured the disease, while medication could only play a supporting role.

He didn't know whether this saying was rigorous or true.

But at least it gave him hope.

That was why he had been persistently exercising his body and maintaining a good mentality all these years.

However, the result disappointed him.

His illness seemed to have not improved, but rather become more severe.

Because after his advancement, his headaches had become even more intense.

Vaguely, it was as if he could hear something roaring deep in his mind as if it was about to break free and destroy his soul and body at any moment.

What the hell was that thing?

This heavy blow completely stunned him.

He had evolved, but his condition had become even worse, which meant that from now on, he would have to coexist with the disease and endure endless torment every day of his life.

There was no hope of a solution.

"Brother?"

Isabelle sat crouched beside him, her short hair cascading as she tilted her head slightly.

Mike covered his head with his hands, slowly exhaling the frustration in his chest, and said in a low voice, "Ah, I'm fine, don't worry about me. Isabelle, have you ever heard of cancer?"

Isabelle shook her head, "No."

It turned out she had never even heard of it.

Apparently, in Ember, no one suffered from this kind of disease.

The only method Mike could think of was to find those cocoon breakers who had been diagnosed with cancer before hibernation and ask them how they had resolved their illness.

There must be such people in Ember.

Then he could determine what exactly his disease was.

First, it was his parents' research, then the human seed preservation plan of Aurora Tech, and even five hundred years later, Ember no longer had the incurable disease of cancer. But he, the freak who had survived due to the mysterious package, was like a loophole, not fitting in with this world at all.

Of course, he had another clue.

That was the secret of the Genesis Nest he had learned from the Ascension Department.

Legend had it that its core ability was the infinite proliferation of cells.

Hmm, there was still hope.

Mike stood up, suddenly noticing a drop of blood on the ground.

Isabelle was clutching a shard of glass, her fingertips still dripping blood.

"What did you do?"

Mike was taken aback. "Self-harm?"

Isabelle guiltily put away the glass shard and hid her hand.

Mike suddenly realized something was wrong and unconsciously touched his lips.

Sure enough, he also found a trace of blood.

"You fed me your blood?"

Mike vaguely thought of something and was startled.

The previous experience had been very dangerous, as the sheer life energy gathered during the advancement process had almost caused his body to burst from the released lightning. But in the end, he had sensed a surge of vitality and gained an understanding of merging with the forces of nature.

Now he finally knew what had happened.

It could only be that Isabelle had helped him.

"No," Isabelle said, her eyes open wide in a lie.

"Tell the truth!"

Mike frowned.

"I did," Isabelle said flatly.

Mike's heart tightened, thinking of the memories he had consumed before.

A sense of guilt welled up.

"Your blood... what's going on?"

He couldn't help but ask.

Isabelle shook her head and said softly, "I don't remember. When I was very young, I raised a kitten. One time the kitten got sick with cat plague and was almost dying, but just by licking the wound on my knee, the next day it miraculously recovered. Mom and Dad said that was a power granted to me by God, but I had to keep it secret from outsiders or bad people would take me away."

Mike narrowed his eyes, murmuring to himself, "I see, no wonder when Dominic had implanted the Dark Matter, he had to consume her blood. Otherwise, he might have died on the spot. And he wouldn't have been able to nurture the Thorn Demon within his own body, using a living person as a host."

When he looked at the girl again, his gaze had changed.

This is the witch.

Her blood can help prolong people's lives.

Her paintings can also foretell the disasters that are about to happen in the future.

Ordinary people might feel fearful, but Mike thought he had hit the jackpot.

"Your abilities, don't ever use them without my permission from now on, understand? And don't expose them to anyone, no one at all."

Mike didn't end up getting angry with the girl after all, because if it wasn't for her blood, he might not have been able to advance.

As for the complicated issues, there's no point in getting entangled in them.

It's better to quickly improve his strength and protect this girl.

He is already at the second Glory Realm of evolution. After he completely masters the two Praxis at this stage, his strength will go up another level.

By then, he'll be able to kill Jack with a single punch!

"Understood."

Isabelle answered.

Mike took out a dagger and pried off the piece of ground stained with blood, putting it in his pocket. "Let's go, it's so cold, let's go home and eat... After dinner, you still need to take your medicine. After a few treatment cycles, your brain injury should get much better."

"Oh."

Isabelle responded flatly, secretly relieved that she had gotten away with it.

In reality, she had no idea her blood had such an effect back then.

Even her parents didn't know.

As for her cat, it did indeed come back to life after accidentally licking her blood.

But she didn't know the reason at the time.

So she had forgotten all these things.

After drinking that foul-smelling medicine, she remembered a lot of things.

It was when she was subjected to abuse in the laboratory that she learned of her many abilities.

Including who Matthew was.

But she didn't say anything.

Otherwise, with Mike's personality, he would probably forbid her from using any of her abilities because of her experiences in the lab, and then she would be useless.

In the center of Avalon City, at the St. Basil's Cathedral, the solemn and sacred atmosphere of the cathedral at night remained, with the golden wall lamps casting a splendid glow on the ancient building. The holy icons stood guard, gazing into the deep night.

The sound of organ music for the mass echoed through the cathedral as if praying for the dead.

Because the cathedral square was filled with corpses, impaled on giant light spears, their scorched blood congealed into splotchy traces.

These bodies were all deformed and unsightly, having died in a kneeling position as if repenting for their crimes.

This was the wrath of the High Priestess.

Tonight, Avalon City was hosting a Sacred Council, the highest-level meeting in the capital, mainly discussing the threat posed by the Necro Cult and how to block the advancement of the aberrant tide, as well as how to delve into the Holy Mountain and uncover what was happening there.

A huge golden crystal floated in the center of the cathedral, its golden light illuminating the jade mask on the High Priestess' face.

Although the rite of baptism by divine power was disrupted, she no longer needed to bear the consumption of the Holy Light Barrier, and with the remnant power within her, she still exuded an unfathomable aura of strength.

"This is the current situation," the Lord Mayor glanced at the holy silhouette beside him, then looked to the high-ranking officials. "I've scoured the family's records but found no clues about the underground relic. The only thing we can be sure of is that it was where he conducted his research on aberrant arts. For now, we have sealed off the underground relic and are studying the clues at the scene."

In the Akashic Records, the name of a certain ruler could not be mentioned, so a third-person reference was used.

"In recent years, the Lord Mayor's Mansion has refrained from interfering in the city's affairs to avoid suspicion, but now the situation has developed to this point. Facing the crisis of the city's collapse, I think we must stand up." The Lord Mayor paused before continuing.

Everyone's heart skipped a beat when they heard these words, as it was a subtle yet direct criticism of the High Priestess' dereliction of duty.

"If you insisted on sole control, then it's your responsibility now."

Of course, the discerning knew that the current predicament could not be entirely blamed on the High Priestess, as she had only been in the city for a few years and was unaware of many things, and the most daunting problem, the Necro Cult, was a mess left by the Holy Mountain.

"What do you mean?" The High Priestess said indifferently, not even bothering to glance at him.

"The situation inside and outside the city is still relatively stable. I hope the High Priestess can rest assured in the city and prepare for the next ritual to replenish divine power. We will quickly eliminate the Necro Cult within the city. As for the battles outside, we have already achieved significant results. The front line will keep advancing until we push the aberrant tide back over a hundred kilometers, and then we'll figure out how to enter the Land of the Dead."

The Lord Mayor replied, "During this period, the Sanctuary Hall will have ample time to prepare for the next ritual. As for the city's affairs, they can be handled by the Lord Mayor's Mansion."

I see, so that's what you're waiting for.

Semin snorted coldly.

Even as a member of the Sacerdotal Faction, at this moment, they couldn't find a suitable reason to refute it. Instead, Deputy Commander Mo slightly nodded, expressing his agreement.

"No objections."

"No objections."

The top officials all expressed their agreement.

Archbishop Lionel rolled his eyes, not even wanting to get involved in this matter.

Charles from the Law Enforcement Bureau also nodded slightly.

Even Williams was frowning and didn't say anything.

Just as it was about to be unanimously passed, the High Priestess said indifferently,

"Was it you who planned the assassination attempt on me?"

She paused. "Arthur."

Arthur, the Lord of Avalon City.

His full name is Arthur Smith.

At these words, the entire cathedral fell into a deathly silence.

The people were horror-stricken.

This is the High Priestess!

It's hard to imagine what kind of mood the Lord must be in upon hearing this.

Arthur was silent for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Why would you say that?"

The High Priestess said calmly, "When Constantine went down the path of rebellion, the Smith family was his top loyal dog. Now that he's dead, do you want to completely absolve yourselves? The secret havens in the underground ruins were all left behind by him. Surely you don't claim to know anything about that? The Necro Cult wants the aberrant arts, and the disturbances in Holy Mountain are also related to the aberrant arts. And you, you are the ones most closely connected to all of this."

"It wasn't you who rooted out the Necro Cult."

She paused. "And it wasn't you who made breakthroughs on the battlefield."

Arthur listened quietly, not refuting.

"How can I trust you?" the High Priestess said indifferently.

Arthur seemed prepared for this, and answered calmly, "At the very least, we are clean. The Smith family has not dabbled in the aberrant arts, nor have we violated forbidden powers."

The senior officials seemed to have thought of something, glancing at one person.

Williams, who was smoking at the far end of the table.

"Speaking of which, I also have a question," Charles suddenly attacked. "Why is it that since Williams returned as the Judge-Commander, there have been Necro Cult activities in this city, and disturbances in the Afterlife? If all of this is related to the aberrant arts, then we have a person right here who commands the aberrant arts."

Silence.

Williams exhaled a puff of smoke and said indifferently, "Are you coming at me?"