The Holy Man of Another Century Gospel

Chapter 294 Separation, Unity
Lying on the snow-covered ground, Eric was perfectly lucid.

When darkness fell and he could find no more demons, he stopped.

The wind and snow swept across his face, gradually covering his body, but he felt neither cold nor hunger.

To be precise, he has lost all feeling for his body and has no control over it; only his consciousness remains clear.

And this clarity of mind was the result of his arduous struggle.

The moment the old demon king placed the Thorn Soul Crown on Eric's head, countless violent and resentful thoughts boiled in his mind, and that unique part of his consciousness was separated from Eric's overall consciousness.

He seemed to have returned to the state he was in when he played the game in his previous life, watching the actions of the character "Eric" from a first-person perspective with his soul from that previous life.

He just watched indifferently.

Because he is not "Eric". Even though their consciousness was once one, it is now completely separated. He is himself, and "Eric" is "Eric". He still has the memories of being Eric together, but that is all.

He watched the old demon king's smugness, saw Sinmag's shock, and then watched as the desperate and collapsing Natalia, under the old demon king's coercion, forced herself to calm down, prayed to the Gate of Redemption, and opened the portal to Leslie.

Then, he saw the inner city of Lessel on the verge of falling, and countless demons pouring into the city.

He felt calm, but "Eric" felt angry, and "Eric's" anger, under the powerful soul power granted by the Thorn Soul Crown, directly transformed into a devastating slash that cleaved the heavens and the earth.

He watched as "Eric" relentlessly annihilated the demons pouring into the city and then chased after them. Even without activating those special abilities, his speed was astonishing, and every sword strike was extremely destructive, making him invincible.

Then he saw Alena.

He sensed that a part of "Eric's" will had changed: a part of it had been separated from "Eric's" will and was moving closer to his unique part.

He had no choice but to accept this part, and then realized that it was "Eric's" emotion.

Sorrow, remembrance...

Eric's pursuit did not stop.

As he passed by the somewhat familiar corpse of a church knight, another part of him detached and merged back into his consciousness.

This is Eric's sorrow and anger.

His body continued to fight, each sword strike bringing annihilation and roar. Running through the ruins, looking at everything that was both familiar and strange, more and more emotions from "Eric" entered his consciousness.

At one point, a question suddenly occurred to him: Who exactly is he?
Is he still himself, or is he still the character "Eric"?
Or is it Eric, a combination of two consciousnesses?
As more and more of "Eric's" emotions flooded his consciousness, he could no longer simply be a bystander to those memories.

He realized anew that he was the one who experienced these memories, and that he himself had created them.

Sensing the incomplete parts, he began to actively seek out the other part of consciousness within his body.

As he tried, "Eric's" consciousness gradually peeled away small pieces and merged into his consciousness.

But as the two consciousnesses continued to merge, he became closer and closer to the original Eric consciousness, while another force began to compete with him.

That wasn't consciousness, but a memory, or rather, a command, a... curse?
That was a curse from Eric's body.

The sacrifice of blood forged a pact between them, forcing Eric to obey the one who made the pact.

Old Demon King.

He began to struggle with the curse for "Eric's" consciousness, like a tug-of-war. He possessed most of "Eric's" consciousness, while the curse had support from his body.

From his perspective, the struggle was quite lengthy.

Occasionally he would win a little and snatch a portion of "Eric's" consciousness. Occasionally the curse would be more powerful, but it could not take away any part of the consciousness that had been integrated into his own. It could only hold on to the remaining "Eric's" consciousness even tighter.

One side only receives but never receives, while the other only receives and never receives. As one side gains and the other loses, a clear disparity in strength begins to emerge between the two sides.

Eric's consciousness continued to merge into his consciousness, and the curse was powerless to stop it.

Until one point, he realized he couldn't get anything anymore.

The consciousness of "Eric" no longer exists in this body.

And he was no longer himself; he was the complete Eric again.

Then Eric discovered that the curse, which resembled a consciousness, had completely absorbed the violent resentment that had surged into his body along with the Thorn Soul Crown, and had taken complete control of his body, causing him to lose control of it.

Just like when the old demon king took him on a soul journey before, his body and soul separated and became two parts.

But now, his soul is inseparable from this body, and he can only watch helplessly as the curse controls him to slaughter demons everywhere, like a powerless driver on a runaway truck.

The only saving grace is that this out-of-control truck only hit bad people, and they died instantly, and it was fully insured...

Eric was helpless and could only watch as his body slaughtered his way around the city of Lessier, with no one able to defeat him.

As darkness fell and no more demons could be seen, his body finally ceased moving, and then he was blown down by a gust of wind and snow, lying dead on the snow.

The increasingly fierce wind and snow were about to completely bury him.

Perhaps because he was freed from the constraints of his physical body, Eric remained conscious, but was unable to do anything.

As his vision gradually became covered by snow, he had to consider the possibility of escaping this situation.

The root of his involuntary actions lies in the contract he unconsciously made with the Demon King, through a blood sacrifice.

He didn't even know the specifics of the contract; based on the current situation, he could only guess that it was about offering loyalty to the old demon king.

Before he returned to his current state, the curse was intertwined with his consciousness, meaning he had to pay with loyalty on a soul level.

Because the soul from his previous life was able to completely detach itself from the existence of the overall consciousness, Eric's consciousness, after being torn apart and re-fused, unintentionally broke free from this entanglement. However, the power of the curse, which absorbed violent resentment, acted on his body again, like a bone-deep ailment that was difficult to eradicate.

How can this contract be voided?
Eric quickly thought of the stone coffin deep in the Demon King's tomb, and the miniature magic circle on the coffin that had been activated with blood.

Can destroying that magic array void the contract?

That is, on the premise that he can get back there... provided that he can at least regain some control over his body.

Another way to abolish the contract is to directly kill the person who signed the contract with him, namely the old demon king, but the chances are even slimmer.

unless……

Eric suddenly realized why this curse was so persistent in his life.

This is the origin of the old demon king's current life; as long as he lives, this life of the old demon king will not end.

"...Use the power of the Thorn Soul Crown to extend your life for me until the end of time."

The power granted by the Thorn Soul Crown would greatly extend his lifespan, while the Old Demon King essentially gained the same long lifespan harmlessly through this intermediary.

This period of time is more than enough for the old Demon King to reconquer this continent.

The way to kill the old demon king was something the old demon king himself told him from the very beginning—kill himself.

But what's the point of freedom if he dies?
Either accept slavery or lose your life.

"A vicious curse..."

The snowstorm lasted all night, completely burying Eric.

The next day, he could feel the snow covering his body getting brighter, and daylight had arrived, but his body remained lying still.

Before throwing him into the Gate of Redemption, the old demon king ordered him to kill every demon he encountered, to cause trouble for the demon king Latrell on the front lines of the continent, so that he would have no time to attend to the rear, and then he would find a place to sleep forever, keeping the old demon king alive. The endless power carried by the Thorn Soul Crown was enough to keep him alive without food or water.

Eric couldn't help but worry. Since his body was buried in the snow and he couldn't see the demons, was he going to fall into a deep sleep forever?
If no one finds him, he will have to lie here until the snow melts next spring before he is discovered.

Eric even hoped that another demon would appear by his side to activate his body.

But after waiting for an unknown amount of time, his body still showed no reaction whatsoever.

The sounds he could hear grew fainter and fainter, and the light in front of him grew dimmer and dimmer. Eric realized with horror that the snow was still falling, and the snow covering him was getting deeper and deeper.

Is he really going to lie here until spring?
After a while, he heard a faint tremor.

That's... the sound of footsteps crunching through the snow.

Click, click...

Sometimes near, sometimes far, he could even tell the direction and approximate distance of the footsteps.

Eric remembered that his last stop was outside the city of Lessier. The people who would be there now would not be the demons he had almost wiped out, but the people of the city.

After the demons retreated, did the survivors in the city come out to clean up the battlefield?
Eric still felt heartbroken and bewildered when he thought about the horrific scene he witnessed yesterday.

How could the situation in Lessel have become so dire?
How many troops have the demons actually deployed here? It's already winter; shouldn't their focus be on Gradia?

As Eric pondered, footsteps drew closer, approaching him. He instinctively tried to make a sound or sit up, but his body remained unresponsive.

He was like someone trapped in a nightmare from which he couldn't wake up; he was conscious but unable to escape.

Even if I can't control his body, I'd be happy to let his soul leave!

Eric wanted to roar and vent his anger but couldn't make a sound, he wanted to struggle but had nowhere to exert his strength, he could do nothing.

He remained motionless, buried deep in the snow, listening to the footsteps lingering nearby, but unable to find him, until they gradually faded into the distance.

Eric was somewhat desperate.

After an unknown amount of time, another set of footsteps approached.

"...The snow is already so deep, are there any survivors?"

"Sister Deacon Alena said that we must not give up as long as there is a glimmer of hope."

The sounds of conversation drifted faintly through the snow, and Eric keenly picked up on the names among them.

It was someone sent by Alena...

Speaking of which, how is Natalia doing now that she's been teleported back to Lesser with him?

His soul trembled at this, but his body remained unmoved.

The two searchers didn't move away; instead, they got closer and closer to him.

"There's a person buried here... He looks quite tall, could he be a demon?"

"Even if it is, it's already dead. Let's dig it open and take a look."

rustling, rustling—

The snow covering Eric was gradually removed.

"Is...is he a person? Is he wearing wool...?"

Soon, the snow on Eric's face was cleaned off.

When Eric saw the searcher who had dug him out, the latter was so shocked that he fell to the ground and couldn't even utter a complete sentence for a moment.

"Holy...Holy...Holy Maiden! Holy Maiden! It's Her Highness the Holy Maiden!"

Soon, another unfamiliar yet somewhat familiar face appeared before Eric—a nun from the Convent of Saints.

"Your Highness—"

The nun immediately knelt down, buried her face in his chest, and wept.

"How did you die... uh?"

The crying stopped abruptly, and then a pair of little hands began to grope Eric's body.

"Still warm?...Still warm! His Highness is not dead!"

The face of that person reappeared before him, staring at him in shock, then cautiously checking his breathing and heartbeat.

"His Highness is really still alive!"

The two cheered and then shook his body repeatedly, trying to wake him up, even though his eyes were already open.

Eric could only watch them manipulate him, unable to offer any response.

"...Is His Highness really still alive?"

He was shaken for a while, but he didn't react at all. The cultivators even tried to cast a divine spell on him, but he was repelled.

“His Highness is definitely still alive!” The nuns from the convent were much more certain. “Go and find a few more people. We’ll carry His Highness back first.”

“Alright…” The cultivator stood up and left in a hurry.

The footsteps faded into the distance, and the nun continued to scrape the snow off him, exposing his body completely.

Soon, her gaze focused on the top of his head and remained fixed.

"Why is this crown... floating..."

The nun reached out towards the thorny crown on Eric's head.

"Can't touch!"

In desperation, Eric's consciousness rose and connected with the Thorn Soul Crown. In an instant, he felt endless, violent resentment engulf him.

The nun seemed to hear his voice and abruptly stopped, "Your Highness?"

Severing the connection that he didn't know how it was established, and pulling his consciousness away from the Thorn Soul Crown, Eric felt as if he had been through a nightmare, utterly exhausted.

The nun shook his body again. "Your Highness, was that you speaking just now? I heard you! You said I couldn't touch you, didn't you, Your Highness?"

Did he really make a sound just now?
Eric looked at the anxious nun in front of him, unsure of what to do.

Could he regain control of his body by connecting his consciousness to the Thorn Soul Crown?
Eric decided to give it another try.

He thought of the thorny soul crown on his head, and the moment the image of the soul crown took shape in his mind, he first felt a strong chill, followed by a violent resentment that invaded his mind and constantly assaulted his consciousness.

“Back to…the monastery…”

Suppressing his turbulent negative emotions, Eric raised a hand, attempting to respond.

"Your Highness!" Seeing him move, the nun was overjoyed. She grabbed his hand and turned to shout, "Your Highness is awake!"

By the time the monk and his helpers returned, Eric had already lost contact and could only watch helplessly and wearily as they continued to shake their bodies.

Connecting his consciousness to the Thorn Soul Crown consumed an astonishing amount of his mental energy. Every second he was fighting against the onslaught of countless violent resentments. Before his mental energy reached its limit, he had no choice but to disconnect from this connection to avoid losing consciousness directly.

He thought he wouldn't feel tired in his current state, but after two attempts, he actually felt sleepy and wanted to go to sleep.

This was after his soul had been greatly enhanced.

If it were the previous him, even with the blessing of his past life's soul, he would probably have gone completely insane the moment he put on the Soul Crown... No, he should have gone mad the moment the Demon King made him take out the Thorn Soul Crown from Crystal Mountain.

Such a thought flashed through Eric's mind, and it also made him feel strained.

He thought, "If only I could close my eyes and rest."

"Your Highness?"

"...Your Highness..."

Darkness descended upon him, and the nun's calls became indistinct as Eric fell into a deep sleep.

When these people took Eric back to the monastery in the city, he did not respond to anyone who called him; only his beating heart and continuous breathing proved that he was still alive.

After the saint was carried back to the monastery, Natalia asked Alena to remind the monks and nuns not to approach him, especially not to touch the thorny crown on his head—she wanted to say not to touch his body either, but seeing that the monks who carried him back were temporarily fine, she refrained from doing so.

"When you found His Highness, he was still awake?"

"Yes... His Highness held my hand and spoke to me, asking me to take him back to the monastery... and then suddenly fell asleep."

Eric was placed in the saint's bedroom, where Natalia and Alena were. After asking him about the circumstances of his discovery, Alena sent them away.

"Your Highness Natalia, has Her Highness the Saintess regained consciousness?"

She asked Natalia, since, according to what Natalia had told her the night before, the saintess had completely become the demon king's servant.

Natalia sat on the edge of the bed, holding Eric's hand, and shook her head. "I don't know... I don't know how much he can resist unless he wakes up and tells me himself."

Looking at her tightly clenched hands, Alena's gaze then turned to Eric's sleeping face.

“Your Highness’s body cannot withstand divine magic from others, otherwise I would have all the remaining clergy in the monastery come to examine Your Highness and remove… the Demon King’s curse.”

Natalia glanced at her. "Now we can only wait for him to wake up on his own."

Alena responded and stayed there for a while longer before leaving.

Before leaving the room, she glanced back and saw the imperial princess burying her head in the sleeping saintess.

(End of this chapter)