Deep Sea Hunter, but Deep Sea Titan

After a brief warning, the Doctor had to start drinking both red and blue potions simultaneously again to maintain his suppression of demonic corruption through Anana.

"It seems only your sorcery can work on Theresis, the King of Carrion."

Ducarre found the fight extremely unpleasant; his only thought now was to quickly eliminate Theresis and then ask Lotin to introduce him to some truly worthy adversaries to pass the time.

“Alright, the absolutioner and I will work together to complete the witchcraft.”

To be honest, Quessina didn't like being called a pardoner. She loathed the family that was filled with twisted, filthy sins. However, working with Ducarre in the Royal Council had indeed made her accustomed to Ducarre's unfriendly temper and way of speaking.

The cooperation that Ducarre mentioned actually meant working with Quesasina to further compress Therese's space to maneuver from two directions, and incidentally, finding an opportunity to destroy the collapsed half of his body while he was focused on defending against one of the attacks.

"If it were the Radiant Knight with me, we probably would have destroyed that half of the collapsed structure long ago."

Such awkward teamwork made Quessina miss the days when she fought alongside Margaret. Unfortunately, Margaret had her own responsibilities, and neither she nor Margaret could travel the world as apostles as before.

"Master of Pardons, are you saying I'm not even as good as a Kuranta who's good for nothing but running fast?"

Ducarre's sense of racial superiority made him utterly despise the current Therese, and under the stimulation of Quessassina, he unleashed an even more powerful surge of bloodlust.

Theresis's crystallized body could not form a sufficiently tight shield in both the directions of Quessana and Ducarre at the same time. As a result, more and more blood blades and sword blades slashed at Theresis's other relatively fragile collapsed body, making this half-demon-possessed shell gradually become riddled with holes.

Thanks to the deployment of all Rhodes Island's elite operators, the scavenger warriors were able to set up the spell array of Niezire undisturbed. Many of these elite operators were once followers of Theresia, and they were already at odds with Theresis. Therefore, they fought extra hard against the other collapsing entities, especially Ascalon.

However, after being "reorganized" by Kal'tsit and witnessing Theresis's recognition of Lotin, she also stated that from now on she would only be loyal to the current Rhodes Island and the Doctor.

"My allegiance is to the Sarkaz as a whole, not to Theresia and Theresis, the siblings who were once in power."

"Therefore, I chose to pledge allegiance to Nautilus the Conqueror."

“And you, Theresis, you have earned the respect of the carrion eaters. Now, I will grant you death.”

Using magic to float in the air, Niezire activated the newly completed spell array. In an instant, pale, withered branches twisted and writhed from the ground, while Theresis, struggling to defend against Ducarre's blood blade and Quessana's sword, was powerless to dodge the carrion eater's pale branches.

The process of decay and death began; the empty shell that bore the pollution of evil began to wither and die, and then weathered and crumbled over time.

With only half of the crystal remaining, Theresis gradually stopped moving. He planted his sword in the ground, maintaining his upright posture, and made no further moves.

With Theresis losing control of the Shard Tower's guidance device, the Demon Shard could no longer bombard the Originium veins of the Silver Mountains with its chaotic and redundant information flow, which greatly relieved the pressure on the Doctor and Amiya.

"Prepare for annihilation!"

The doctor released the potion bottle she was biting and shouted a warning. Lotin had warned her that if the demon fragments, now free from Theresis's control, came into contact with matter in reality, they would cause annihilation, banishing everything around them from reality.

Fortunately, with the help of the mine, the Doctor was able to unleash a burst of Originium energy at the level of a fetal movement. This energy confined the annihilation reaction to a small sphere. Thanks to timely evasion, no one was injured by the annihilation.

The tangled remnant soul was banished back into the Originium's internal space by the Doctor, and the deformed flesh quickly crumbled under the devouring of the carrion-eater's branches.

"Phew, cough cough, it's finally over. We did it."

The doctor slumped to the ground, while Amiya supported her to prevent her from collapsing completely.

She proved to Lottin that she was not just a fragile porcelain doll; she, like Skadi, was capable of standing by Lottin's side, supporting him, and accomplishing what only she could do.

"Thank you for your hard work, Doctor. Your efforts are very encouraging."

Lotin rarely showed emotion, but the morbid and obsessive devotion of his girls was enough to satisfy and warm his extremely suspicious nature. His expression was clumsy, but it was enough to convey his feelings to the Doctor.

"Then you must take good care of me from now on, darling."

"You can look forward to it until you are completely satisfied."

The Doctor's efforts saved Lotin an extra TP to deal with possible emergencies. Her efforts were not just about showing off, but also about increasing Lotin's strategic initiative. Therefore, Lotin generously promised the Doctor extra pampering.

"Your Highness, is it absolutely necessary for you to go this far?"

Despite the great disagreements and conflicts between Therese and her brother, which even escalated into a bloody civil war, they were still blood relatives.

"We absolutely have to go this far."

“Theresis knows exactly what he’s doing. No matter how unfavorable the situation is for him, he will steadfastly pursue his path. Killing him completely is the only way to stop him.”

Loting knew all too well what the mindset of someone driven by such a strong obsession was like, because he himself was that kind of person.

Terra has never lacked such calm and determined madmen. Regardless of whether their paths lead to destruction and depravity, they all stubbornly pursue their own will. Lotin and Theresis are such people—perhaps Theresis carries an even heavier burden.

This is precisely why Lotin had no choice but to kill Therese.

"The era of you two kings is over, Theresa."

Lotin did not mock Theresa's wretched state as a prisoner; instead, he coldly extinguished Theresa's last hope with a single statement.

Chapter 292: Let's stir things up!

At the Gemini Queens' concert, the auditors in charge of managing the kitchen are overwhelmed by the unexpectedly high food consumption, and they eventually have to impose strict sales limits on the dreaded Agorians.

"The banquet of the land people is really meager."

At least the banquets hosted by Heratia allowed Skadi to eat to her heart's content until she left, while the land dwellers could only awkwardly offer her treacherous advice.

Skadi wasn't enjoying herself at the banquet. She was keeping a close eye on the frigid snowfields north of Sami, keeping an eye on the high-dimensional ruler "Infinite Echoes of Rexon." However, the bioelectric signals that required maintaining a clear image at a sufficient distance for an extended period of time made Skadi very hungry, so she simply replenished some of her biomass consumption by eating a lot at the banquet.

"That doctor from Rhodes Island is very hardworking, but next time Nautilus must accompany me first."

Skadi continued to expand her vision through her familiars. The collapsed structures that had been wandering in this white desert had been cleared away by the white, carapace-covered Terrorfish, but the high-dimensional ruler "Infinite Echoing Rexon" that occupied this place remained still, as if waiting for some opportunity.

"How is the battle going, Lord Nautilus?"

Helene Marth, one of the twin queens, was noticeably more proactive in resisting the threat of evil. As soon as Nautilus returned to the real world, she eagerly inquired about the battle situation.

In stark contrast, the White Queen Ivignad seemed less concerned about the threats from the desolate region.

"With twin queens, how long can this power structure last in Letania?"

Loting muttered to himself that the twin empresses were not as close as they presented to the public. Anyone with a little knowledge could see the increasingly clear rift between the two empresses. In Loting's view, the state between the two sisters, where "Ivignad became the Great Empress and Helinmat became the Little Empress," could not be maintained for long.

In fact, both of them are normal rulers who can run a country well. Theoretically, Lotin doesn't need to care about the political situation in Letania. However, the activity of the demons makes it necessary for Lotin to ensure that the Witch King continues to guard the wasteland in his current state. Lotin does not want to see him return to reality or be killed completely.

"Relying on the Eternal Palace of the Witch King, we withstood the riot of the demons, but the Witch King's legacy, the Eternal Palace, was severely damaged. Therefore, the Witch King asked me to negotiate. He is willing to become the wall of Letania in the wasteland, on the condition that Letania provides him with minimal support."

No sooner had Loting finished speaking than Helena Matt stared at him with a look of astonishment and anger, and immediately said:

"How much did the Witch King's lackeys give you? We can give you twice that amount as a tithe."

“It’s not a tithe issue, Ms. Herlemat, it’s not a tithe issue at all.”

Moreover, it's not that Lotin didn't want to collect double the tax, but rather that the benefits of the tithe mechanism depended only on the number of taxpayers, and not on the amount of tax each taxpayer subjectively wanted to pay.

“I cannot stay in Letania forever. The demons of the Burning Wind Hot Land and the Black Stream Tree Sea still need to be monitored and dealt with. Letania must find a way to protect itself.”

"Therefore, the Witch King cannot die, but at the same time, we cannot allow the remnants of the Witch King's faction to pull him back to reality. Therefore, these actions must be taken over and carried out by you alone, and we must be vigilant to prevent the remnants of the Witch King from getting involved."

The giant knight, unusually righteous, refused the temptation of the tithe. The current situation was like patching a wooden barrel full of holes; naturally, the more things that could be used to patch it, the better.

"Do you believe the Witch King is trustworthy?"

At this moment, Ivignad also entered into Lotin's conversation with the Black King. Unlike the Black King, she had little interest in wiping out the remnants of the Witch King's party, just as little interest in dealing with the threat of evil. Lotin remembered that in the original work, this person would deliberately allow the remnants of the Witch King to do some small things.

"He can indeed be considered trustworthy in the face of evil."

“If you feel it is necessary, I can even guarantee that if the Witch King has any intention of returning to Letania after the problem of evil is resolved, I will banish him forever without any conditions.”

Without a doubt, Helhunzoren was also a typical Terran madman. Lothin had no doubt about Helhunzoren's patriotism. However, towards the end of his reign, he himself fell into defeatism and pessimism caused by witnessing the failure of the previous civilization, and then put forward goals that were too far ahead of Letania.

"May I assume that you are trying to provoke us?"

Ivignad's tone carried a hint of hostility; Lotin seemed to have touched upon her most cherished interests, hence her rather sensitive reaction.

The biggest difference between the twin queens is that the White Queen Ivignad's desire for power far exceeds that of the Black Queen Helimat. If Lotin hadn't visited Letania at this time, she probably would have brought in twenty Golden Law Guards as executioners, just like in the original story, to silence Helimat.

"Do you have any other ways to deal with the threat of evil spirits?"

"If not, do as I say, Gemini Queen. My patience is limited."

As always, Loting chose to start with reason. He had clearly explained the necessity of supporting the Witch King in his fight against the evil. He was not asking for the opinions of the Twin Queens, but rather giving them a choice—neither of them had actually offered a perfect solution.

"Ah, I see, so you were threatening us—"

Ivignad's words were interrupted by the whooshing sound of the hammer and axe. The candles were extinguished by the shockwave, the ground was easily smashed, and the entire sorcery tower teetered on the brink of collapse from the blow.

"Stop your nonsense, Ivignad! Is it your wish to see Letania reduced to ashes in annihilation?"

“If you can’t do this, I’ll find someone else. Guess how many powerful figures I’ve killed in Qazimir who used to hold absolute power?”

"All of them, everything!"

Lotin began to unleash his oppressive aura and killing intent, causing even the twin queens who had defeated the Witch King to shudder. It seemed that not directly participating in the battle against the Sea King had given the two queens of Letania some unrealistic hope regarding the power of Nautilus.

"How utterly insane..."

Ivignad didn't think Nautilus was exaggerating or making empty threats; on the contrary, it answered her long-standing question about Kazimierz—it seemed that this was why the young knight was able to become a knight-king with almost absolute control over Kazimierz.

She understood: Nautilus's method was simple and brutal—to slaughter all the stubborn rebels, killing as many as possible until the remaining people could only tremble and choose submission. At that time, even with the entire nation's military strength, Casimir was utterly powerless to resist.

It was only then that Ivignad realized how presumptuous, reckless, and impulsive her actions had been. Her understanding of Nautilus's power also shifted from a vague concept to a concrete one—no existing Terran nation could truly defy his will.

"Leytania will support Herhunzoren in continuing to fight against the evil. Please forgive our rudeness."

"Protecting Letania from the annihilation of evil is the most important thing."

Ivignad decisively chose to bow her head and apologize. At the moment, all the political disputes in Letania seemed to be unimportant. She understood that if Letania could not become a shield against evil, he would carry out a major overhaul of Letania's ruling class.

Worse still, if Nautilus really lets Letania go unchecked, Letania will become a second Foehn-like land.

"It would be best if you could understand nature, Ivignad."

"Don't worry, I'm holding back, otherwise this tower would have collapsed long ago."

Lotin shouldered his hammer and axe. The giant knight looked down at the twin queens and saw them implement Lotin's suggestion before he suggested leaving. His next step was to head to the Black Stream Forest, since it held more variables and unknowns than the Burning Wind Hot Land, which had already banished a high-dimensional ruler once.

Chapter 293: The Remnants of the Witch King and the Lich Clan

The most dangerous time for Letania has temporarily passed, but Lotin still has some trivial matters to arrange before leaving for Bolívar.

“My hunters seem to have some finishing work to do in Shevheim, so I would appreciate your country’s leniency.”

While Lotin was staying at the court in Letania, Laurentina was asking him how to deal with Arturo. Lotin instructed her to first imprison her in the Mountain and Sea Scroll, and then hand her over to Lateran for trial.

"In addition, you'd better separate the two descendants of the witch kings, or at least prevent them from playing together."

Upon hearing Lotin's words, Ivignad gave him a look that said, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Do you really want to see Dust Shadow Echo turn those children into monsters, then let your people die from the mineral disease under false pretenses, and finally let the remnants of the Witch King use this opportunity to reshape his physical body?"

How could Lotin not see that Ivignad was deliberately feigning ignorance in front of him? She had always adhered to the policy that the remnants of the Witch King's faction should not be left unpunished, nor should they be completely wiped out. She had always used these restorers as political bargaining chips to consolidate her power, which was simply nurturing bandits to enhance her own prestige.

"What is Lord Inotiles' opinion on how to deal with the two descendants of the Witch Kings?"

This matter was clearly related to eliminating the influence of the remnants of the Witch King in the process of fighting against the evil spirits. Therefore, Ivignad could not evade the topic by saying that Lotin had no right to interfere in Letania's internal affairs. So she tried to test Lotin's bottom line by lowering herself to ask for his opinion.

“Send that child with Oripathy to the Rhodes Island main ship for treatment. They can be allowed to meet and engage in any activity other than ensemble playing.”

“Princess Victoria once took refuge on Rhodes Island, which was safe and neutral enough.”

In the original storyline, Rhodes Island, which actually carried the characteristics of Kazdel, was a safe haven for many politically sensitive figures. After Lotin took over the throne of the Sarkaz Demon King, Rhodes Island's political attributes were further weakened. From this perspective, Rhodes Island can indeed be considered a politically neutral political refuge.

However, in this timeline, Rhodes Island often plays the role of an ally in cooperation with Lothing's actions. To some extent, it is also acceptable to regard it as part of Lothing's personal power. If those unstable factors can be contained on Rhodes Island, it can make Lothing feel more at ease.

"Then let's do as you suggest. With the demonic threat looming, Letania needs greater stability."

Ivignad knew that Lotin's bottom line was this far, and she had no choice but to grit her teeth and agree to Lotin's demands.

“By the way, Ms. Ivignad, I remember that Professor Fremont, the tower sorcerer, possesses magic that can banish people to the wastelands. Could you please extend an invitation to him in the name of the Letanian court?”

The Fremont that Lottin mentioned was the old lich he had complained about not replying to his messages at the Royal Council. He was the actual leader of the lich exile group, who had chosen to support the Regent until the very last moment during the Battle of Londinium.

“I can extend an invitation, but we can’t guarantee whether that elusive lich will actually show up.”

"I am grateful for the assistance of your esteemed court."

At this time, Lotin was unaware that it was they who had rescued Theresis and taught her Sarkaz magic about demons and the wastelands. Therefore, he tentatively decided to treat them the same as other groups that had helped the Regent—as long as they were willing to pledge allegiance and return to Kazdel to participate in its reconstruction, they would be forgiven.

However, Lothing was not without suspicion, because even the Banshee Royal Court, which had remained completely out of the public eye during the Civil War and the Londinium Incident, had returned to Kazdel to pledge allegiance. It was rather strange that the liches who had long served Theresis had not been purged after seeing the other races and royal courts that had helped Theresis pledge allegiance, yet they remained hidden.

"These liches are like they're hiding from me, like they're burying some secrets they can't let me know."

The giant knight muttered a dull, low monologue to himself. When Lotin sensed someone plotting something behind his back, hiding from him, he became more motivated than ever.

Of course, Lothing wouldn't just leave the matter to the Letanian court and wash his hands of it. He had already instructed his hunters to hunt down the lich, while W was responsible for bringing Arturo back to the Mountain and Sea Scroll and temporarily placing him under house arrest.

"Your will, Lord Nautilus."

Laurentina had just finished handing over matters concerning Chalk and Black Key with the Rhodes Island field team when she received a message from Lotin in the system chat interface, along with a portrait of Fremont—if the old scholar had to have a standard image, it should be Fremont's.

"Mr. Nautilus certainly enjoys ordering people around."