Chapter 353 The Real Mystery
Wretched explained, “Many powerful souls were unable to solve the mystery of oblivion and consequently died in
that state. That was how all those dead fetuses came about.”
Intrigued by the answer, Jonathan asked, “In that case, how did you do it?”
“I basically did nothing because I know I can't be killed. Even without doing anything in oblivion, my physical body
was gradually formed, and that was how I managed to break through the mystery of oblivion.”
All this while, Jonathan had wanted to find out about Wretched's genesis.
Since he didn't manage to get an answer from the king, he figured he could ask Wretched directly now that the
latter was standing right in front of him.
Jonathan got straight to the point. “There's something I'm curious about.”
“Is it about my origins?”
Jonathan nodded. “Yes!”
“Do you intend to defeat me by finding out my weakness through it?”
Jonathan replied candidly, “I want to stop you from killing indiscriminately.”
After throwing Jonathan a glance, Wretched said, “I can't deny that you're one of the few truly good people I have
ever met.” Pausing briefly, Wretched let out a self-deprecating laugh. “I'm the biggest villain the world has ever
faced. It's ironic that I'm friends with someone who's as kind-hearted as you are.”
Jonathan flashed a wry smile. “Do you think I can stop you?”
“No. No one is capable of stopping me,” Wretched responded with certainty.
Jonathan fell silent upon hearing his words.
Wretched suggested, “What don't we change the topic since you're interested in my origins? I was born in the year
998. Back then, Thymion was still known as Zedfield, while your country was still a monarchy. I was born into an
ordinary family, but my mother spent three whole days giving birth to me. In the end, she died from the
excruciating pain, and that was the reason why my father resented me and felt that I was a jinx. Filled with the
bravado of youth, I ran away from home when I was ten after being disparaged and beaten badly by him. Since
Zedfield was covered with tropical rainforests back then, I decided to hide within them to give my father a scare.
Little did I expect to end up lost inside. The forest was filled with beasts and venomous insects. When I ended up
being bitten by a snake, I was terrified, thinking that I would die. However, my body began to heat up, and that was
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtthe first time I felt my cells mutate, and my strength increased significantly after that incident.
“Thereafter, I was surrounded by a pack of ferocious wolves. When I thought I was done for again, my body heated
up as I grew scared, causing my cells to mutate in an ever more gruesome manner. Black scales began to grow on
my skin. Despite the wolves trying to bite my head off, they failed to do so. The places where I had suffered injuries
recovered rapidly. I finally gathered my courage and fought against them. As the battle increased in intensity, my
strength continued to grow. In the end, I managed to tear them apart even though I was just ten years old. After
that encounter, I grew to one point eight meters tall, and my entire body was covered in black scales. I possessed
Herculean strength. From then on, I realized I wasn't an ordinary person, as I could see souls floating all around me
in the forest!
“Subsequently, I gained a better understanding of what I was. As long as I wasn't angry, I could maintain the form
of an ordinary human. I began participating in wars after that, defeating a ten-thousand-strong army that
surrounded me once all on my own. On top of that, my ability to communicate with those of the netherworld
continued to improve. Back then, I was already the country's most powerful general, General Wretched! When I
returned to the village with soldiers and riches, I gave money to everyone there and remained filial to my father
until his old age. My father forgave me and told me that he regretted his actions after I ran away from home. I, too,
never held what he had done against him.
“With the passage of time, my father finally passed away. After spending three hundred years among men, I grew
used to how cruel the world was and the cycle of life and death. During this time, I lived like an immortal, not
growing old or dying before gradually growing weary of the world of men. In the end, I took on the title of Wretched
the Great, ruling with the fear and respect of my citizens. I participated in the war against demons and beasts and
encountered many Divine Masters who attempted to kill me in the name of the people. Unfortunately, none of
them survived my hand. As I gradually understood the cycle of the Heavenly Law, I began to lead a reclusive life.
“It wasn't until the last few years that I noticed the demonic energy within me going out of control and affecting my
cells. That was when I decided to get myself reincarnated. Unfortunately, I didn't expect to have caused all this
trouble.”
Jonathan couldn't help but be blown away after listening to that. Smiling wryly, he commented, “If I hadn't seen you
and your powers with my own eyes, I would have thought your story to be a ridiculous one.”
Wretched grinned in response. “Who says it isn't?”
Jonathan added, “As your friend, I truly hope you can live in peace for eternity. Wretched, I won't talk about
stopping you. I'll only speak from my heart, all right?”
“You're welcome to say anything you want in front of me. You're the first friend I have had over the last thousand
years. Being born with so much demonic energy, I was destined to be alone. All this while, the friends that I had
made gradually left when they couldn't stand the demonic energy I carried, but you're the exception. After going
through so much together, you're unaffected by it at all. That means you're a really tough person.”
“That's why I feel that destiny has brought us together. I had initially planned to kill you before your second
reincarnation. However, due to some strange coincidences, both of us grew close from the experiences we shared.
That said, I was unsettled by a niggling sense of dread over the last few days. When you ended up being captured, I
was worried for you, but the sense of dread returned once you regained your freedom. It made me wonder if this is
all because of your desire to massacre the people.”
Wretched stared intently at Jonathan. “Go on.”
“I truly do not want to see you kill, but I'm gripped by a sense of fear, similar to being afraid of being punished after
doing something wrong as a kid. You claim to be doing so based on the will of the Heavenly Law, but all I see is a
monster. Just like the ferocious dragons that wreak havoc in fairytales, a warrior would emerge to slay them. Only
then did I realize that the sense of dread I felt was largely due to my concern for you.”
Momentarily stunned by the words, Wretched responded, “No one can kill me. Your worries are unnecessary.”
“What if your cells lose the ability to mutate?” Jonathan asked. “You mentioned that the overbearing demonic
energy affected your fate and cells. By taking more lives, would it intensify your demonic energy further to the
extent of causing a problem for your cells?”
Wretched's expression drastically changed as he pondered upon the issue. “But my gut feeling has never been
wrong.”
“I think your perspective is wrong. Let me explain.”
“All right. Go ahead.”
“You mentioned that the earth is sick due to overpopulation. Am I right?”
“That's the general idea.”
“If a reduction of the human population is what the Heavens seek, the solution is simple. A massive flood or an
earthquake can kill a lot more people than you're capable of, so that can't be the real reason. Instead, I have a
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmdifferent idea in mind.”
“Go on.”
“In this age of modern technology, cold weapons have lost their place. Nonetheless, powerful warriors like you and
me exist everywhere. They refuse to live by the rules and are constantly attempting to exceed the limits of the
human body in the pursuit of immortality. On top of that, demons and beings of the netherworld roam freely. That's
the real reason for the current instability. Now that the death tribulation is upon us, anyone who is capable will not
be able to escape it. Not you and not me. In fact, my concern is that you're already in the middle of it. Also, I'm the
Chosen One of the death tribulation. The Heavens have sent me to cleanse the earth of its poisons.”
“I still don't understand. Why do I feel the will of the Heavenly Law in my thoughts, then?”
“The Heavens might be trying to mislead you due to its inability to tolerate your existence. Can it be attempting to
turn you on the path of destruction so that a warrior appears to kill you? Can everything be because the Heavens
want you dead?”
Wretched fell into deep thought. “Based on your theory, the more I kill, the greater the demonic energy I
accumulate. My cells will soon stop mutating, causing something untoward to happen to me.” Wretched looked up
to the sky, a rare glint of fear flashing across his eyes. “If the Heavens want me dead, I'm afraid there's little I can
do about it.”
“Not necessarily. Every warrior has to face their death tribulation. Even then, the death tribulation doesn't mean
certain death. If one were to survive it, one would naturally be safe.”
“You're right. Thank you for telling me this.” Wretched's eyes glistened in delight.
When Jonathan saw that his message had gotten through, he let out a sigh of relief. “I'm glad that you have seen
the light. This is wonderful!”
“It seems that you, the Chosen One, have made a big impact and influenced many people. Back then, Mabel wasn't
meant to survive, but your intervention helped her overcome her death tribulation. And today, you have also saved
me.”
Slightly touched by the words, Jonathan said, “All that matters is that you're safe.”
“In that case, I'll order all the netherworld beings to retreat.”
After Jonathan nodded in acknowledgment, both of them emerged from the temple.
Outside, demons and ghouls were roaming freely, filling the entire place with negative and demonic energy.
It felt no different from hell itself.
Right then, a strange phenomenon appeared in the sky.