There Must Be Something Wrong With This Game!

COUGH. COUGH. COUGH.

Kael coughed, crawling out of the nutrient solution like a drowning dog and sprawling on the ground, gasping for breath.

Not a patch of skin remained on Kael’s body. His red muscles and white tendons were exposed, giving him a particularly grotesque appearance.

"Damn those Descenders. Damn Beist and Winston."

Fifty years of preparation, and he had thought victory was in his grasp. But failure came far faster than he had ever imagined.

As he replayed the events in his mind, he realized his preparations had been more than sufficient. His only mistake was foolishly attempting to control the Descenders.

The Descenders were harder to predict than madmen and more baffling than drunkards.

A single Descender was manageable, but once they gathered in large numbers, they produced unimaginable changes, causing their unpredictability to skyrocket.

’But it’s fine. I still have a chance.’

’I can still...’

"You’re out of chances for now."

A vast and ancient presence descended.

His form was as dazzling as the sun, an embodiment of the sacred itself. The mere act of looking directly at him felt like being scorched.

Seeing the being that had suddenly appeared, Kael scrambled to his knees and said piously, "O great god, please give me one more chance! I swear I will bring the sacrifice to you!"

"That’s what you said fifty years ago."

"That was because of the Descenders."

"And it’s the same now. Forget it. I’ve grown impatient with your foolishness and ignorance. I will handle this myself. You will stay put and watch."

"Are you going to execute me? Very well. If it is your will, I will meet my death with honor. All glory to you."

The figure of light fell silent for a moment, then sighed in exasperation. "Why are all of you like this? ’Oh, I failed, so you have to kill me now.’ What is wrong with you people?"

"Huh? Isn’t that just common sense? You’re a Demon God, after all."

"I know I’m a Demon God. I know my goal is to destroy everything. But I still need subordinates, don’t I? Among them, you may be stupid, but you’re not the stupidest, and your loyalty is unquestionable. Your only mistakes were failing to bring me the sacrifice and failing to bring ruin upon this world, but that’s not enough to warrant your death. Skills can be taught, but loyalty... that’s something you can’t just create."

Kael stood up sheepishly. ’This Demon God is not what I expected.’

"Of course I’m not."

He was a Demon God, after all; he knew what Kael was thinking without him having to say a word.

"I don’t have the best reputation among the Demon Gods—some Pseudo-man can even summon me. But that’s not important. What’s important is that I truly need the sacrifice from this place so I can infiltrate it further. Now, surrender your body to me. You can rest for a while."

"Of course, my Lord. I am willing to offer you everything."

"I told you, there’s no need for all that... Ah, forget it. Fine. I can only maintain this for less than a day. If I fail, I’ll have no choice but to leave this place. But I promise you, when I do, I will take you with me. And I’ll get you a new body."

"Thank you for your mercy, my Lord."

The newly resurrected Kael closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his pupils were gone, replaced by a white glow.

The Demon God, now possessing Kael’s body, read through his host’s memories and discovered that the man was indeed quite loyal.

He had been devoted from the moment they met, constantly releasing his worms to create plagues, eventually going so far as to falsify history and infiltrate the highest ranks of the Church.

Over fifty years, he had slowly replaced the entire leadership. With the exception of a few stubborn individuals, most of the Church’s higher-ups had become his pawns.

If not for his bad luck and overconfidence—thinking he could control the Descenders—Kael would never have ended up in such a sorry state.

But no matter. The Demon God had now personally descended. He infused the body with Divine Power. Now, it was time for a slaughter.

Just as he was contemplating how to torture those Descenders and the two who had ruined his ritual fifty years ago, a knock sounded at the door. A Priest asked from outside in a wooden voice, "Your Holiness, King Roland wishes to see you."

"One moment."

Wrapping the body, the Demon God surveyed the room. ’This place is a bit of a wreck,’ he thought. ’I’ll have to get my loyal servant a better place next time.’

This place was one of his gifts to Kael. Its Soul Pool could endlessly recall its user’s soul, allowing for immediate resurrection.

Leaving the room, the Demon God followed the Priest to the audience chamber, where he saw a very anxious King Roland.

Seeing "Kael" walk in, the King started. "I thought you were at the front lines," he asked.

"A god sent me back. What is the matter? Ah, never mind. I understand. A great horde of skeletons has begun to move this way, correct?"

"Yes, so I wanted to..."

"Purify them? Useless. Purification forcibly erases a soul, but these creatures have strong wills and have remembered their former lives. Purification will have little effect."

The King frowned at "Kael." He felt something was off about the Pope.

’He’s too confident... too casual.’

Before the King could voice his doubts, "Kael" spoke. "Oh, I just noticed you have a Heart-devouring Worm in you as well. In that case, why am I wasting my breath? Become my pawn, King."

The King’s guard frowned, his hand falling to the hilt of his sword. "Your Holiness," he said grimly, "what is the meaning of this?"

"Nothing. Just a simple deployment. Alright, Your Majesty. Give your body a little stretch, then hand the army over to me and go get some rest."

King Roland stared blankly into the distance. A trickle of drool escaped from the corner of his mouth, and he looked utterly vacant.

Nodding stiffly, King Roland said, "Very well. It’s all yours."

"Go and rest."

"Yes..."

The King rose like a puppet and walked toward the bedroom, his arms and legs moving stiffly in unison. He even slammed hard into a pillar on the way.

He seemed to have no reaction at all. With blood trickling down his forehead, he continued into the bedroom and slammed the door shut.

Watching the King disappear, "Kael" said, "Well, you all heard him. The King has given me command of the army. Mobilize now and intercept those Undead Creatures. Rest assured, the Priests of the Church will be with you. Every minute you hold them off, more of my Power will be restored, increasing our chances of victory."

The guard drew his sword, the sharp blade coming to rest against "Kael’s" neck.

"Who are you? What have you done to the King?"

"I detest those who can’t grasp the situation. Still, Kael did good work. To think you all have Heart-devouring Worms... Now, activate."

The guard’s body began to tremble violently.

It was not just him. Throughout the court, every official began to tremble. When the shaking stopped, each of them wore a vacant, doll-like smile.

The entire room fell silent. Only the Demon God’s voice echoed: "There. Now, go to war."

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