Chapter 186

Chapter 186

The King’s body could no longer support him standing. Seated in his wheelchair, he watched the scene before him with nervous excitement. When he saw that Xu Duoyi was showing no resistance at all, he seemed to relax considerably.

The Queen stood behind the King, her expression indifferent, her gaze resting on the pile of wood as if lost in thought.

Tu Nan quietly observed everyone’s expressions.

Suddenly, Dennis looked over at her.

She froze for a fraction of a second, then gave him a smile.

Dennis smiled back, then turned away and looked toward the altar again.

Tu Nan’s expression instantly went cold.

Maria walked to the King’s side, crouched down, and said something to him, her face tinged with concern.

Dennis’s body went taut at once. He forced himself not to look at them, but his peripheral vision still drifted uncontrollably toward Maria and the King.

Yesterday, he and Judy had already discussed it. All he needed to do was wait quietly and let things take their course…

The King pressed one hand to his lips and coughed softly twice, then shook his head at Maria.

Maria rose to her feet, worry still written across her face.

Just then, the Nun finally appeared, holding a candlestick.

Her attire was different from the last time Tu Nan had seen her. She had changed into a long white robe that wrapped around her entire body.

The only thing unchanged was that faint, almost imperceptible smile on her face.

There was no emotion in her eyes. Her lips were merely curved upward.

She walked to the center of the altar and stood before the bound Xu Duoyi.

Xu Duoyi’s hands had been raised and secured, her whole body fixed in the shape of a cross. She was tied firmly to the wooden stake to ensure she could not escape.

Holding the candlestick, the Nun nodded to her, then turned to face the crowd.

Behind them stood the enormous Faceless Divine Statue.

“Silence-” the Nun said.

Her voice was not loud, yet it fell clearly into every person’s ears.

The crowd, which had been noisy and restless moments ago, instantly quieted until even the drop of a pin could have been heard.

The Nun nodded in satisfaction.

“The deity has granted us life, sunlight, harvest, and all things. Every wish we make can be fulfilled because of the deity’s mercy and supreme divine power.

“We offer this sacrifice willingly, presenting our most faithful servant to our great deity.”

She turned and knelt before the Divine Statue behind Xu Duoyi.

“We ask the deity to grant us rain and dew, to grant us health, to grant us peace.”

The dense crowd behind Tu Nan knelt as well and cried out in unison:

“We ask the deity to grant us rain and dew, to grant us health, to grant us peace.”

“Please pray for what you seek in your hearts. The deity will fulfill your wishes.” The Nun’s voice echoed through every corner.

The Queen, Dennis, Maria, and the others all knelt as well. Even the King was helped out of his wheelchair and, with great effort, knelt on the ground, his head lowered as he prayed with sincere devotion.

Left with no choice, Tu Nan had to kneel with them, though she did not pray.

Only after a while did the Nun finally allow them to rise.

The King, his forehead slick with cold sweat, was helped back into his wheelchair. A subtle smile curved his lips, and his burning gaze fixed on Xu Duoyi atop the altar.

Everyone’s eyes were focused on Xu Duoyi, watching her with eager, fervent anticipation.

As long as they sacrificed the Saintess, their wishes would be granted.

Facing them, the Nun’s lips curved into a very, very faint smile.

“Now, the sacrificial rite begins-”

Holding the candlestick, she lit the woodpile beside the altar. The instant the flame touched the wood, it spread at once.
Wood soaked in tung oil had been piled all around the altar. Flames roared into the sky, the heat rising until even the air before them warped.

Xu Duoyi’s frail body was swallowed by the fire in an instant.

Tu Nan clenched her hands nervously, a layer of hot sweat breaking out across her palms despite herself. She looked toward the King beside her.

The King’s eyes reflected the wild blaze. The orange flames lent a touch of warmth to his pallid face, making him look as if he truly had recovered somewhat.

Maria stood behind him, both hands resting on the handles of his wheelchair.

Everyone’s attention was fixed on Xu Duoyi, who was surrounded by flames. No one noticed Maria.

Except-Dennis.

He dug his nails into his palm, his gaze flicking back and forth between the King and Maria’s faces. The oppressive heat around them sent sweat sliding down his cheeks.

What was Maria waiting for? Why hadn’t she acted yet?

Was she afraid?

In the end, she was still a girl not yet twenty. Faced with something like this, she was far too indecisive.

But if they did not act now, what if the god really did make the King better?

The moment the sacrifice was complete might be the moment the King recovered.

The longer this dragged on, the more variables there would be. Eugene had thought the throne was already in his grasp, yet in the end, hadn’t he still been caught in Maria’s scheme?

Dennis could not just sit here and wait for death.

He walked to Maria’s side. Maria seemed startled, glancing at him in panic.

“Brother, why are you…”

“I know what you’re trying to do,” Dennis said beside her ear, his voice low enough that only the two of them could hear.

All color drained from Maria’s face. She stared at him in disbelief.

“You…”

“It’s nothing.” He lowered his voice, the words almost bewitching. “I know what you’re thinking. It’s the same thing I’m thinking. Why don’t we compete fairly? As long as we get rid of him-”

He placed one hand on the armrest of the wheelchair. The muscles in his arm went taut, and with one hard push, the wheelchair shot forward beneath his hand.

The King had been smiling as he watched the blazing fire before him. In the next second, he felt his wheelchair lurch out of control.

He watched in terror as he drew closer and closer to the flames. His eyes bulged, and he shouted, “Help! Help me!”

Of the three people closest to him-Maria, Dennis, and the Queen-not a single one tried to stop him.

He tried to brace his feet against the ground to halt the wheelchair’s advance, but through a twist of chance, he instead tipped himself headfirst into the fire.

Tongues of flame instantly licked up the hem of his clothing. The searing heat against his skin made him scream as if his heart were being torn apart.

The Soldier at the side tried to rush forward and save him, but the Nun raised a hand and stopped him with a harsh command.

“The sacrifice has already begun. I will not allow you to ruin it. Since the King wishes to offer himself to the god, we should praise his courage.”

In the inferno, the King dragged his bloated body along. Hearing the Nun’s words, he wanted to argue, but all that came out were screams.

Below, the common people stared in shock at this sudden turn of events.

They were not qualified to approach the altar closely. All they could hear were the King’s cries of agony, each one more wretched than the last, sending chills down their spines and making their hair stand on end.

At last, his voice grew weaker little by little, until there was no sound from him at all.

A deeper confusion rose in everyone’s heart.

Why had the King screamed so miserably, while the Saintess at the heart of the flames had not made the slightest sound?