A brief scan with Sorin’s potent spiritual senses confirmed that the deities of Pandora were well and truly gone. Only demigods remained alongside their demon equivalents, God Seeds, and Heralds. In just a few minutes, the power dynamic on Pandora had complexly shifted.
Our guardian deities are gone, and so are the evils. Wait… That’s not accurate.
Sorin had personally seen seven of the evils enter Mount Olympus, but Hope was still nowhere to be found. Ratten and Hyde had disappeared in the conflict and were still missing in action.
The power vacuum had very real and immediate consequences. Cultivators in the street immediately began asserting their dominance over their neighbors. Grudges that had been brewing for centuries suddenly erupted. Clans an organization launched opportunistic strikes against their enemies.
“What do we have here,” said a Flesh-Sanctification cultivator, pulling a machete out of a cooling body. “You’re so weak I can’t even sense your cultivation. Come here and let me put you out of your misery.”
Sorin frowned as the vicious man brought back his cleaver and summoned forth waves of sanctified mana. Surprise bloomed on his face as the energy dissipated before even reaching Sorin’s admittedly weak body.
This death mana sure is bothersome, thought Sorin as he inspected his body. The corruption from Death even more so.
“Wait, this is all a misunderstanding! I’ll just be off—”
The man’s voice cut off as Red-Eyed Devourer melted down his body and refined its energies. Only small amounts of corruption were spared at Sorin’s request.
Violence, Madness, Jealous, Hatred, and Strife, thought Sorin as he inspected the small clump. Death and Disease in surprisingly large amounts. There’s obviously Hope, but there’s something else I can’t quite put my finger on. Interesting. Was it the mysterious ninth form of corruption?
Sorin’s spirit swept through his surroundings and identified various forms of corruption weakening humanity wherever he looked. Hope augmented humanity, as did the ninth mysterious form. The plot thickens. It looks like its not just Hope that’s been meddling.
Already, cultivators were assembling at the borders to repel demons and claim portions of the newly added city sectors. Hope and despair filled the air in equal measure.
Others have the demonic assaults handled, thought Sorin as he brought his attention back to his own situation. The first order of business is checking on my friends, the Hargrave Clan, and the Kepler Clan. I’ll be able to plot a path forward once everyone’s safe.
Sorin plucked a Thread of Strife and used Dance of the Tail Biter to pierce through the void. He appeared next to Gareth, Lawrence, and Lorimer, who were surrounded by myths, Agents, and other unsavory individuals.
“Sorin, you’re here!” exclaimed Gareth. “What the hell is going on?”
Sorin didn’t immediately answer the question and fired off a massive python full of poison, holding back just enough strength to keep his body stable against the intrusion of death-aligned energies.
Fifty cultivators and demons melted down before they even realized they were dead. The influx of nutrients did wonders for Sorin’s wounded body and armed his poisons to begin a counterattack within the battleground that was his body.
“Isn’t that much obvious?” Sorin said to Gareth. “This is an apocalypse. Own city’s just been scrunched together with seven other cities, and it’s the same for the Pandoran continent as a whole.
“Everyone is scrambling to obtain resources and secu8re alliances. We need to find shelter, sources of information, and resource channels if we want to survive.
“Lawrence, if you’d be so kind as to collect the loot before Lorimer eats it all?”
“Wait, what?” exclaimed Lawrence. “Hey, back off Lorimer!”
The swift rogue swept up two thirds of the storage items before Lorimer could devour them whole. And to the rat’s credit, it wasn’t a complete waste to have him devour their contents. Sorin could feel the rat’s cultivation inch up to the midway point of the three-star level until it suddenly halted, and Lorimer slumped over with a tired expression.
“You glutton,” said Sorin, picking up Lorimer and putting him in his pocket and feeding him a few drops of his own blood. “All you do is sleep and eat.” He then turned his attention to the storage items and shattered them to save time. A pile of random objects appeared on the ground, from which Sorin separated divine crystals, corrupted or otherwise, and crystalized corruption. “These will be the most reliable currency going forward. Gold is essentially meaningless in a situation like this.”
“We should rendezvous with the Night Hawks to hunt down any agents and myths who’s escaped,” said Gareth. “I can sense them up north. The fighting is intense.” Sorin couldn’t help but laugh at his naivety. He frowned as Sorin laughed. “What’s so funny?”
Sorin shrugged. “What’s the point of supporting old institutions when they’re all corrupted, Gareth?” To emphasize his point, Sorin took out the hundred or so crystals they’d collected and peeled away the whiteness that had been fused into them. “This, Gareth, is Hope. The corruption of humanity, willingly absorbed and condoned by none other than the Night Hawks.
“We’ve all been corrupted, Gareth. It’s just a matter of how. That’s why Stephan and Daphne changed so drastically. That’s why Astley is going crazy. The Historical Amnesia, the strange shifts in behavior in this dreadful city. It’s all because of this.”
Sorin then looked inward and noticed that Hatred was a little too predominant inside his body. He reigned in his emotions to restore the tenuous balance. “Also, it’s not so simple as us versus them. Look at this.” He passed a stream of consciousness to Gareth, activated his Heroic Ability to generate a mental map.
“Eight sections of Olympia have now joined together. Each of them represents their own brand of corruption. Already, our section is under assault by all seven types of corruption. It’s the same in the other sections. They too have fallen under the influence of seven forms of corruption, including ours.
“We mortals… are merely a farm. A farm for whatever emotion or natural phenomenon these evils thrive on. And while we so willingly fed the Eight Evils, we helped them build Mount Olympus back up via the infinite dungeon. The several lucky individuals that managed to achieve Godhood have entered this place alongside the Eight Evils, are they more than pawns at this point?”
“But humanity—”
“Is in a good position,” Sorin agreed as he cut off Gareth. “It seems divinity was especially concentrated in our section of Olympia. That said, the other evils are no slouches. They each nurtured their own set of followers using corruption as a substitute for Divinity.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“We are strong, but we are outnumbered. What’s more, we are unprepared for this new reality. Now do you want to throw your life away and join whatever half-baked crusade the Night Hawks are engaged in or do you want to take time to make sense of the situation?”
Gareth struggled for as he tried to make sense of the situation. “This is too information, Sorin. Too much information I’d rather not think about. I—I need to go. Nothing is clear anymore.”
“What’s unclear?” asked Lawrence. “Things have gone to shit, and we need a hideout. We need a place to regroup. The only question is where we should go. Should we go find Stephan and Daphne? Should we go find Astley? I sent everyone messages but no one’s answering.”
Sorin shook his head. “They can’t answer because our communication devices were dependent on the Angelica Clan’s support. Now, only spiritual senses are reliable. Give me a minute to scope things out.”
His spirit spread out once more and mapped out the general situation in their section of Olympia. This time, Sorin brushed up against other spiritual senses and gauge their intentions.
Most of the demigods in Olympia are fearful, thought Sorin as he sorted out their respective intentions. A few are unusually aggressive, but no one is brave enough to challenge the Olympian clans, which have demigods stationed in their respective capital cities.
Already, Sorin could feel shifts in space as these demigods made their way back. Space on Pandora had compressed somewhat to accommodate joining with the other sections of the complete continent, shortening the journey.
After checking briefly on Daphne and Stephan and ensuring they were alright, Sorin focused on the Hargrave Clan. There was as tense standoff at Spider Manor, where five demigods and their supporting forces had surrounded the Hargrave Clan.
Even now, they don’t dare push too far. Grandpa Hargrave might have one desperate leg in the grave, but that’s to his advantage. He’s a literal catastrophe waiting to happen. Besides, he has Charles. Like demigods, God Seeds are the aces of humanity and not to be underestimated.
After confirming via spiritual communication that Grandpa Hargrave was fine, Sorin and his companions flew back to the Kepler Grand Hospital. Sorin was surprised to see that his apothecaries were still hard at work. There was tension in the air, but chaos had yet to break out.
“Sorin, you made it!” called out Mordecai as Sorin arrived at his clinic. “I tried reaching you at Kepler Manor but was told that you were out for something. I did my best to keep things rolling, but the people are nervous. The only reason they haven’t stopped working is because I convinced them that these tinctures are now extremely valuable.”
“They’re now more valuable than ever,” Sorin agreed. “Power is the new currency in Olympia. Has anyone tried causing you trouble?”
Mordecai shrugged. “There were a few optimistic individuals that tried to rob the hospital, but we and the physicians quickly put a stop to that. Thankfully, the very real possibility of being wounded is keeping everyone on their best behavior. No one dares antagonize the Kepler Clan.”
If only it was that simple, thought Sorin as he scanned the building for any lingering threats. “Keep up the good work while I scout things out. There’s something going on at the Kepler Manor that I need to investigate. I need to figure out where we stand politically in all this mess, and whether it would be a better idea to relocate.
“In the meantime, did you make any progress with the Ant Queen?”
“A little,” admitted Mordecai. “I’ve discovered fifty new Equivalent Spell Frameworks that should be of assistance.”
Sorin accepted an information jade and quite literally devoured it. Ophiuchan Simulation incorporated the new poisons into its simulations and continued to optimize for the eventual incorporation of his fourth hundred-poison.
“I discovered a few interesting things about corrupted poisons while I was away,” said Sorin. “We’ll talk about them when I get back. In the meantime, keep at it. Don’t worry about the Hargrave Clan—I can sense them mobilizing and retreating in this direction.” He frowned. “I think the Kepler Clan has offered the Hargrave Clan asylum, and the Hargrave Clan accepted.”
“Really now,” said Mordecai, looking unconvinced. “I’ll believe that when I see it.”
Sorin shrugged. “There’s a lot of political maneuvering going on. By the way, have you seen Gabriella? I can’t sense her in the hospital.”
“Chief Elder Ignis came to fetch her shortly before things got hectic,” explained Mordecai. “He used the opportunity to scare away anyone eyeing the hospital. I don’t foresee anyone being brave enough to storm the place in the near future.”
“Then I’ll be troubling you to hold down the fort,” said Sorin. “Actually, I’d feel a lot better if the three of you stayed here.”
“Reee!” Lorimer. He would not be left behind.
“Isn’t it dangerous travel alone right now?” said Lawrence. “Moving as a group would be much safer.”
“If you’re confident fighting a demigod, then be my guest,” said Sorin drily. “Because that’s what I might be up against, Lawrence, depending on the Kepler Clan’s current attitude.” The Grand Elder would likely push for unity, but Sorin knew from experience that there was no end to scheming in the famously brutal Viper Pit.
“Then take care,” said Gareth, waving Sorin away. “I’d rather stay here and think on things. You’ve given me a lot to think about. Also… I might be gone by the time you come back.”
Sorin sighed inwardly but knew that nothing he said would be able to convince Gareth. What he needed was firsthand exposure to the truth about corruption.
“Then be careful, Gareth,” said Sorin. “The world’s just gotten a lot more dangerous. Compromise is going to be the order of the day. Covenants and agreements that otherwise wouldn’t be made.”
“Right back at you, Sorin,” said Gareth. “Now that the gods are gone, that tincture your clan came up with just got a lot more valuable.”
“Don’t I know it,” said Sorin drily.
In the end, Sorin couldn’t convince Lorimer to stay behind. The rat remained in his pocket as a secret weapon.
Having said his goodbyes, Sorin held his breath and took a step towards Kepler Manor. His surroundings twisted, and Sorin found himself in a familiar welcoming chamber.
“About time you showed up,” came the familiar voice of Chief Elder Adrian. The mysterious man looked positively upset. “I was growing tired of suppressing this troublesome fellow. His physical strength is no laughing matter.”
Sorin’s eyes widened when he saw the tall man sitting cross legged on the ground. “Fenrig?!” he exclaimed. “You’re the one who bid against me?”
Chief Elder Adrian cleared his throat. “Well, in hindsight, it’s obvious that you were the one bidding, but I didn’t want to leave anything to chance. I knew you were more than acquaintances. Besides, didn’t you want that tablet? It all worked out in the end.”
“Fair enough,” said Sorin, stepping off the clan’s spatial anchor. “How bad have things gotten, and what should I prepare for?”
“Actually, things are going swimmingly, now that you’re back,” replied Chief Elder Adrian. “Now that the Divine Clans and their affiliated clans are gone, very few clans can boast having both a demigod and a God Seed, much less one that can fight off Death and Disease when they come knocking.”
“I’m sure that new Death Tincture has nothing to do with it,” said Sorin.
Chief Elder Adrian cleared his throat. “Right. That. Well, despite its relative importance, production is nowhere near where we want it. There’s only so many tinctures to go around, which forces us to concentrate our efforts on key allies.”
Sorin put his hand to his forehead. “Of course, there’s a catch. There’s always a catch. Might I have one of these scarce tinctures to see if I can optimize it?”
“Of course,” said Chief Elder Adrian, handing him two vials and an information jade. “One of these contains the tincture, while the other contains one of its key ingredients. The information jade contains the formula.
“Just so you know, the Grand Elder has made it quite clear that the clan must supply whatever they need to support you in such efforts. Speaking of which, here are the poisons you’ve been wanting. The remaining holdouts in the clan have seen the light, as it were.”
“There’s nothing quite like desperation as a motivator,” said Sorin, accepting the bag of holding. Inside it were 56 varieties of poisons Sorin had never seen before. More than double the estimated count.
Chief Elder Adrian chuckled when he saw Sorin’s surprise. “You’ll find names attached to all the ingredients. They want to make doubly sure that you remember their generosity going forward.”
“Fine. I won’t pass up valuable resources during an apocalypse,” said Sorin. “When will they be wanting to meet me? No, scratch that. How long can I delay? My body is chock full of death mana and death-aligned corruption that I don’t yet know what to do with.”
Chief Elder Adrian paled. “Are you saying you were still down there when the Undercity blew up?”
“Eh… I was on the edges,” said Sorin. “But that was enough to both almost die and see everything.”
Chief Elder Adrian’s eyes brightened. “Ah, that makes things a lot easier. Our clan is currently in a good position, so I’ll push to delay for 48 hours while you recover. We wouldn’t want anyone with firsthand information on what’s going, one who happens to be a supporting pillar of the family, dropping dead while he delivers the news.”
“Much appreciated,” said Sorin. “Looks like I owe you one again.”
“You owe me two, for rescuing your friend Fenrig,” said Chief Elder Adrian. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do. You two can catch up at your leisure.”