The earthling was immensely irritated that he was being led by the nose by this rancid, decomposing pile of fat and rot, but the powerful warlock clearly knew the right words to speak.
Ordyntsev perfectly understood that the chances of saving the Great Serpent were not just slim, but practically zero.
In these circumstances, the only way to find out why he had even appeared in this world was, paradoxically, to hear out the utterly deceitful chaos servant.
"Taishi-san, I'm listening attentively," Ordyntsev politely nudged the conversation forward.
"Excellent, just excellent," the cultist waved his sausage-like fingers. "I knew you would decide to hear me out. This is what sets you apart from the residents of this pathetic little world. They are like serpents in a pot, thinking that all they see is the entire universe. Oh, my apologies, my remark about serpents was not directed at you."
Pleased with his own joke, the chaos servant laughed heartily, clapping his hands on his voluminous, quivering belly.
"Of this world?" Stas was determined to extract as much useful information from the conversation as possible. It meant that any attempts to provoke him he would simply ignore.
"Exactly, my friend. Although I was born here too, visions and dreams have shown me how plain and pitiful we are compared to the true universe! Countless worlds, beings, and magical laws – that's what I'm talking about. Compared to them, our world is shockingly primitive."
"Was this told to you by the servants who arrived with your archdemon?" Stas asked casually, earning a sly, cautionary wag of the staff.
"Ah, you're cunning, my friend. Always trying to catch old Taishi off guard. But I'll answer nonetheless. No, all this was told to me by the loyal servants of the previous, as you named him, 'archdemon,' or as we call him, the Lord of Chaos. Having suffered defeat, they hid, concealed in objects and seals away from the world's gaze. But soon they will emerge and reap their harvest. And this harvest will be enough for us all to occupy an important position in the retinue of one of the lords."
Stas did not interrupt the chaos servant, listening eagerly to his words. It was an incredible opportunity to learn such unique and rare information that it was physically impossible to find anywhere else.
At this moment, the earthling wasn't even bothered by who was telling him all this.
Needless to say, the Red Plague very much liked what he saw.
"That's the situation, my friend, that's the situation. Now, do you see how insignificant the lives and aspirations of all these petty people seem? Worlds like this one are countless, although ours is somewhat rare by its nature. And do you know why it's countless?"
"Because the universe and chaos have no end," Stas concluded thoughtfully.
"Wonderful! Absolutely correct!"
"This is indeed intriguing," Stas nodded. "However, I am equally interested in what exactly you have learned about the Great Serpent?"
"Oh, that big stubborn fellow?" Taishi clearly lost some of his enthusiasm. Talking about the glory of chaos seemed to please him much more. "Honestly, it's quite a boring and obvious story, in which only one small but very important detail will be of interest to us."
Stas quickly looked around, ensuring they wouldn't be interrupted at the most unexpected moment or that enemies weren't closing in from behind or elsewhere.
"Oh, don't worry, no one will disturb us," Taishi correctly interpreted Stas's movements. "The story began simply. As soon as the Lord of Chaos fell, the Serpent King chose to seclude himself in hopes of combating the blessing of rot. But whatever he did, his efforts were in vain, as our plane is rightfully considered one of the best poison makers in the entire universe!"
Stas froze, trying to sense that elusive feeling that briefly touched his mind. It seemed as if he saw the serpent struggling in the ocean depths, trying to cope with the poison consuming it.
"But the blessing was stronger than him," Taishi continued. "Whatever he did, it merely delayed the inevitable end. Tormented by unbearable agony, the Serpent King decided to resort to a last and quite unexpected measure. You know, this great spirit possessed some predictive abilities. Using them, he, employing his status, passed through the world's defense and plucked you from the realm of chaos. You were supposed to be dead, but the serpent's power specifically pointed to you."
Listening to this story was both fascinating and terrifying. Perhaps because something inside Stas, what he had never even suspected existed inside him, was now readily affirming every word of the warlock.
"The moment was chosen perfectly. You had already left your world, losing its protection, but had not yet been consumed by impermanence. However, when he realized who exactly he had obtained, the Serpent was greatly disappointed. Weak, having no magical powers, you seemed a huge mistake, and if not for desperation, he would have thrown you back where he took you from."
Foreign feelings washed over Stas with all-consuming anger and despair. He saw himself, or rather, what was left of him. Although chaos had barely touched him, his skin and part of his muscles had already begun to dissolve and change.
Stas noted involuntarily that Leviathan suffered far less, although she was much more vulnerable.
"Sending you into this world without any powers was risky, but the Serpent King could still make it not completely senseless. He took your and that little snake's body and spirit, then changed them, filling them to the brim not only with ordinary natural energy but also with his own power, which had not yet come under our influence."
The foreign sorrow was not unpleasant, just… sad?
"And here we come to the most interesting part," Taishi wickedly giggled, seeing the expression on the man's face. "The Serpent King wanted to establish and maintain control over the summoned person. Eliminate any possibility that something could go wrong. Guarantee the mission's completion, if you understand what I mean. But he couldn't do it without risking that chaos would reach you through the created connection."
"So he settled for half-measures, didn't he?" Ordyntsev sighed gloomily. "He implanted in me the desire to help him. A constant stimulus, an intangible leash that pushed me to new and new powers, aimed at achieving one single goal: his healing. No matter what risks awaited me, I would still have tried to cope with them."
"Exactly! Everything is exactly like that. Essentially, the person he found in chaos almost immediately died, replaced by the chimera that the Great Serpent molded from his parts and the remaining pieces."
Stas remained silent. It would be a lie to say he hadn't thought about this. Suspicious mutations, new abilities, incredible energy control, and his ack of emotions – there were too many signs that couldn't be ignored.
But hearing it so directly was disheartening.
"And here we are at this moment," Ordyntsev flashed his serpentine pupils. The revealed and subconsciously anticipated truth brought no relief but only made his soul writhe in anger. "I don't believe this whole conversation was started just for the sake of it. Get to the point."
"Of course, of course. Our conversation was so warm that I involuntarily got lost," the Red Plague spluttered, choking on his phlegm. "Here's our offer. Although your thoughts and aspirations are more suited to a completely different plane of chaos, there is something in you that has always been supported and respected by all of us. The desire for eternal life. The desire to break free from the cycle of rebirths and achieve immortality! Death is just a minor nuisance that needs to be stepped over and moved beyond."
Taishi spread his arms invitingly.
"Why cling to old orders when you have no relation to them? Created through deception, Shiro-san, you owe nothing to anyone. For once, you have every right to choose what you personally need, not someone else. But perhaps the way I look disturbs you? If so, believe me, that's also not such a big problem. My appearance only shows that I can take in and manage far more chaos than others. But if you're ready to give up most of the gifts, then that will be your choice! Moreover, we possess an impressive library of various techniques and practices of many destroyed and enslaved clans."
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
The earthling remained silent, letting the powerful warlock continue to speak. But words at their level didn't mean as much as the art of energy control.
Mental tendrils, previously burned in the flames of the anti-chaos technique, tightened stronger and stronger around the man's mind.
It was not hard to see how their sharp tips, glowing from the energy invested, broke through the field that destroyed them and stabbed into the head of the Serpent.
Taishi the Red Plague was rightfully considered one of the most experienced recruiters of the plane of rot in this world. His mental skills were at the highest level.
"I agree," Shiro nodded firmly, taking a step towards the warlock. The mental bonds penetrated even deeper. The anti-chaos field, trembling, began to retreat. "I am ready to serve chaos. You are right, the knowledge you possess is too valuable to simply ignore."
The closer the Serpent came, the more Taishi's puffed and bluish lips contorted into a pleased smirk. His control continued to grow. The process was difficult as it was necessary to fight the still-operating technique, but the Red Plague managed. So far, he had not found a way to disable the field, but now it was not critical.
Throughout the conversation, he patiently picked the lock to the creation of the Great Serpent.
Taishi was genuinely glad. Such a valuable ally would allow their plane and the inner circle of warlocks to soar even higher.
What more is there to say if the Red Plague wouldn't mind if the otherworlder joined their group after accepting rot, becoming the sixth member?
Some might find it strange that Taishi was ready to recognize as equal someone he himself had subdued, but here one must understand that the plane of rot was somewhat different from many other chaos planes.
If in the plane of wrath they usually followed the law of the strong, in the plane of pleasure things were decided by complex intrigues, and in the plane of change knowledge mattered the most, then the plane of rot rather relied on some kind of unity.
In other words, if representatives of other planes joyfully tore each other's throats to snatch a bit more power, then rot… did the same, but with a constant understanding that it was better to work together for the better of the entire plane.
Finally, Shiro approached close enough to freeze just a step away from the giggling warlock.
Something gurgled in Taishi's stomach, after which, pushing aside the silver mask, he vomited some indeterminate filth into his hand.
Stas did not even flinch from what he saw.
Busily wiping off the vomit, the Red Plague admired the quivering lump of flesh in his palm.
"Ah, the last one left, but I'll give it to you. It will allow your body to establish a connection with our plane in the shortest time. Swallow it, and then it will do everything by itself."
"Alright," Shiro nodded indifferently, reaching out to grab the quivering lump, but instead, a nauseating crunch sounded as he crushed Taishi's limb, squeezing it too hard.
Yes, warmasters had many drawbacks compared to classic mages. Their perception of energies was terrible, limited only to their own prana, and their techniques were very rarely created at a distance.
However, what could not be denied about warmasters was their speed.
Arms as firm as steel squeezed the trying-to-escape warlock, leaving him no room to maneuver.
But Taishi was not so simple either. His body became covered in a green film, then disappeared in a flash of a powerful explosion, only to crash onto the ground a bit aside.
Thrown back by the blast that occurred almost in his face, Stas could only smirk and wince from the pain in his head. Guessing the potential teleportation of the enemy, Ordyntsev, in a single effort, spent all his spiritual energy, trying to thwart a possible displacement spell.
He acted more on a hunch than with a clear plan, but one way or another, he managed to introduce some interference.
Unfortunately, after such a sudden expenditure of energy and the explosion, he could not get up, while the warlock began to rise.
His mouth opened to say something contemptuous, but a spiked club descending from behind ended his speech.
The warlock's body crashed to the ground like a sack of potatoes.
Emerging like an angel of death, the Serpent's sensei methodically brought down the club four more times, smashing the warlock's joints into a pulp and depriving him of all limbs.
Somewhat recovering from the consequences of spending spiritual energy, Stas quickly hobbled over to them, beginning to cover Taishi's body with seals he hastily pulled out from his bag. Then, a bundle of chains, padlocks, and locks was unsealed.
"So, are you still you, or should I also whack you with my club?" asked Jun with a smirk, but his serious look seemed to hint that a quick response was expected. "By the way, I don't get why you wanted to take this piece of shit alive."
"He might still be useful," Stas sighed tiredly, applying and fastening another coil of chains. "I have a couple of curious ideas that might reveal to us all the reasons for such success of chaos."
Engaged in what had become a routine task, Ordyntsev couldn't shake off the thought that he had indeed just walked on the very edge.
The plan to try to capture such a strong warlock alive came to him literally at the end of their conversation.
However, the man harbored no delusions. The warlock would have fled the moment he sensed danger. That magical teleport of theirs was something very difficult to compete with.
Hence, it had to be done so that the warlock was convinced of his own safety.
Besides, Ordyntsev's sensei allowed his student to sense himself.
Secretly asking Jun not to do anything until the signal, Stas voluntarily began to gradually weaken his technique, mimicking the success of the chaos servant's influence.
In other words, he personally allowed the enemy's bonds to penetrate his mind.
And it was an extremely dangerous and delicate game. As it turned out, even a small impact of the warlock was enough to very strongly cloud the mind. Another five minutes, and Stas himself would have turned off the barriers, ultimately losing to chaos.
At the same time, he could not strengthen the technique again so as not to alert the opponent.
In the end, the man almost saw nothing and understood nothing, so he acted more instinctively.
Fortunately, his plan was successful. And now he had an incredibly valuable trophy in his hands.
But it was time to make tracks. If what he saw and heard did not deceive him, then the allied forces were hastily retreating, leaving the battlefield to chaos. And the student and sensei had better follow them if they didn't want to deal with the numerous friends of the captured warlock.
Only, any decision, like allowing the warlock to speak, has its consequences.
"By the way, what he said, is it true? Are you really from another world?" Jun suddenly voiced the question Stas so feared. The supreme's eyes burned with unhealthy enthusiasm.
'To speak or not?'
Stas sighed irritably. In this situation, he could not win.
"Yes, he told the truth," Ordyntsev declared dryly, his demeanor clearly showing how little he wished to speak of it.
But obviously, Jun couldn't care less about such details.
"Holy tits of Amaterasu!" Jun's reaction turned out to be even more vivid. "So, you teach your student, teach him well, and then you find out he's from another, damn it, world! Demons take you, I have so many questions. Do you have other races there, or wait, do people even live there? Were you a human? That Great Serpent seemed to shuffle you entirely when he had pieced you back together. And how do people live over there? Are there wars, too? And warmasters? What's your history like? Are there demons as well? Now, stop ignoring your most esteemed sensei! I won't let you off that easily!"
Suddenly, the prospect of becoming a slave to the cult of rot didn't seem so repulsive to Stas anymore.