"Who are you? What is your goal? Do you realize what you're doing? You're obstructing the rebirth of a nation."
The unexpected turn of events finally shattered Koscheit's calm demeanor. Just as his years of meticulous planning were about to bear fruit, such a massive disruption had occurred at this critical moment.
As an immortal who had lived for centuries, Koscheit was well aware of the power contained within the flames above. Even though he had great confidence in his Imperial Guards, facing such an attack, they would not be able to escape unscathed.
"Rebirth of a nation? Your joke is quite amusing. You don't actually believe that starting a war between Ursus and Yan will save Ursus, do you?" Seeing Koscheit trying to persuade him with words, Daniel couldn't help but laugh. He wasn't Talulah and wouldn't fall into Koscheit's trap.
If Ursus and Yan went to war, it might temporarily ease Ursus's internal conflicts due to the external threat. However, if the war dragged on or if Ursus lost, it would be catastrophic for the nation.
Ursus had made many enemies over the years through its constant wars. While it could afford to be aggressive when strong, any sign of weakness would be exploited by its enemies.
For example, Kazimierz and Ursus were sworn enemies, having fought for decades. Ursus had seized much of Kazimierz's territory, and even now, conflicts frequently erupted along their borders.
While Ursus was stronger overall, Kazimierz was no pushover either. The Silverlance Pegasi were a formidable force.
If Ursus went to war with Yan, Kazimierz would undoubtedly seize the opportunity to reclaim its lost territories.
"As for my goal, do you think I'm like you? Actually, my goal is simple—I just enjoy seeing you frustrated and helpless as your plans fall apart."
Before Koscheit could respond, Daniel continued. His earlier words were meant to strike at Koscheit, the Immortal Black Snake. You like playing with people's minds? Then taste your own medicine.
"What, are you getting angry and ready to fight? Unfortunately, you've already missed your chance. Bakudō #66: Six Rods Prison of Light."
Seeing the air around Koscheit distort, Daniel knew he was about to activate Talulah's Originium Arts. He immediately raised his left hand and cast Bakudō #66, not just once, but three times in succession.
Eighteen light fragments surrounded Koscheit's body, firmly restraining him. While theoretically, Daniel's current strength would have been enough to control Talulah with just one Six Rods Prison of Light, he wasn't taking any chances. After all, he wasn't entirely familiar with Originium Arts yet.
This was to prevent Koscheit from using Talulah's body to commit suicide. Even if Koscheit was possessing Talulah's body, Talulah's death wouldn't kill him.
"Koscheit, watch closely."
After restraining Koscheit, Daniel took out a tablet, tapped on it a few times, and then Koscheit's voice came from the device, followed by Talulah's voice.
"Listen, everyone currently in Chernobog. I am Talulah, the leader of the infected in Reunion." As Talulah's voice echoed from the tablet, it also resounded across Chernobog, clear and audible to everyone in the city.
"Reunion, Talulah." Talulah's voice rang out over Chernobog, causing most people in the city to stop what they were doing, curious about what she had to say. At the same time, many people's eyes burned with hatred.
"I know many of you hate me for bringing this disaster to Chernobog. Unfortunately, you're directing your hatred at the wrong person. In this disaster, Reunion is also a victim."
"Ursus curses! How dare she say that?"
Talulah's words provoked furious roars from many people in Chernobog. In a secluded alley, an Ursus girl angrily punched a hole in the wall beside her.
"Zima, calm down." Another Ursus girl beside her tried to soothe her anger.
"I know many of you don't believe me, but unfortunately, this is the truth. Don't you find it strange? Even though a Catastrophe was imminent, why didn't Chernobog evacuate as planned? Chernobog has many Catastrophe Messengers, and Ursus's Catastrophe Messengers couldn't have hidden the news of the impending Catastrophe.
So who concealed the news of the Catastrophe? Reunion doesn't have that kind of power. It was Chernobog's upper echelons who suppressed the news. If you have well-informed people around you, you should know that many nobles and wealthy individuals left Chernobog before the Catastrophe struck.
Why did they leave? Because they knew what was about to happen in Chernobog. Those nobles and wealthy individuals who didn't leave simply weren't high-ranking enough to know the truth."
"Natalya?" The Ursus girl named Zima turned to a tall, noble-looking girl with wavy white hair in their group.
"I only know that many nobles did leave early. In fact, if Reunion hadn't arrived so suddenly, I would have left too. But I didn't know about the Catastrophe."
"Ursus curses!" The wall suffered another blow.
"I believe you've also noticed something—why hasn't Ursus's rescue or military arrived even though so much time has passed since the events in Chernobog? You must be curious about the truth.
The truth is simple: the military actually arrived long ago. Before Reunion attacked Chernobog, the Third and Fourth Armies were already here. You must be wondering, if they arrived so early, why did Chernobog still fall? Where were they at the time?
I think some of you have already guessed—yes, the military was hiding within Reunion. In fact, Reunion was able to capture Chernobog thanks to their help. Without them, Reunion wouldn't have had the strength to take a mobile city.
Moreover, the chaos in Chernobog afterward was also caused by them. Some of you must be wondering why Ursus's upper echelons and military would do this. The answer is simple: it was all to make Chernobog collide with Lungmen in Yan. Some people wanted to start a war between Ursus and Yan, and Chernobog became the sacrificial lamb."
"What is he trying to do? Confront Ursus head-on?" As Talulah revealed the truth, Kal'tsit, who was walking through Chernobog, frowned.
"He's probably trying to redirect the blame. His goal is to take control of Chernobog. If he doesn't find an excuse to shift the survivors' anger, it will be difficult for him to occupy Chernobog. Besides, not everything he said is an excuse."
"Ursus won't give up." Kal'tsit said.
"With his power, he can force Ursus to back down. It's great, isn't it? I wonder if we can get him to join Rhodes Island as an operator. It would make our lives much easier. By the way, let's have Amiya persuade him. Is he a seven-star, eight-star, or even ten-star operator?" The Doctor began muttering to herself.
"Even if he joined Rhodes Island, you wouldn't be able to command him." Kal'tsit listened to the Doctor's muttering, her expression somewhat helpless.
"Even if I can't command him, it doesn't matter. Others wouldn't know that. They'd have to consider his presence."
"Talk to Amiya about it yourself."
"All of this was a conspiracy orchestrated by the dukes behind the Third and Fourth Armies. Reunion was merely a pawn. A mysterious person once came to me with a deal, offering the infected a mobile city—Chernobog.
I once believed that the enemy of the infected was all non-infected individuals. But now I understand that both the infected and non-infected share a common enemy—the nobles at the top of the empire. They have never regarded the lives of the lower classes as lives.
Although I could say that even without me, the empire's dukes would have found a way to achieve their goals through others, this disaster was ultimately caused by me, resulting in the deaths and injuries of many of our brothers and sisters. Therefore, from this moment on, I am no longer the leader of Reunion.
The new leader of Reunion will be FrostNova. She will lead everyone in finding a path to survival. But before that, I will issue one final order: to expose the imperial soldiers hiding within Reunion, all Reunion members must remove their masks. Everyone will supervise each other to identify who among us are imperial soldiers.
Once discovered, immediately send a signal. Patriot and FrostNova have already begun their operation with the shield guards. They will eliminate the masterminds behind this chaos."
"Don't look at me like that, Koscheit. If you dare to do these things, why are you afraid of me revealing them?" Seeing the fire in Koscheit's eyes, Daniel couldn't help but laugh.
Some things can only be done, not spoken. Once revealed, they would cause an uproar. Just like the situation in Chernobog, many people had noticed the problems, including some survivors. But so what? They didn't dare to reveal the truth.
"Mr. Shen, this will lead to large-scale conflicts." Amiya looked at Daniel and spoke.
"I know, but Amiya, no revolution in this world can succeed without bloodshed. Relying on the charity of others to improve the status of the infected is impossible. You once said during your mobilization that even if there were a complete cure for Oripathy, it would be difficult to普及.
When you have time, read more books from Yan. Actually, once this is over, I'll find some books for you to read."
Between nations, strength is paramount. Truth lies within the range of cannons. Daniel understood this all too well. The history of his previous world's China was a cautionary tale. This was also the main reason he pursued power so relentlessly. In his previous life, he hadn't had the ability or opportunity to seek power, but now things were different.
It's better to have power and not use it than to need it and not have it.
What allowed him to persuade Wei Yenwu and suppress Koscheit? Of course, it was his power.
"Alright, it's time to resolve Talulah's issue. Officer Ch'en, Amiya, don't resist. Let's go see Talulah."
With that, several colorful feathers drifted down from the sky, pulling Daniel, Ch'en, and Amiya's consciousness into Koscheit's mind.
The Feather of Xuanyuan and Kyōka Suigetsu both belonged to the realm of illusions, but there were things only the Feather of Xuanyuan could achieve that Kyōka Suigetsu couldn't. For example, invading someone's consciousness.
"Hey, Koscheit, how does it feel now?"
In Koscheit's mental space, as soon as Daniel and the other two entered, they saw a white-clad, elegantly dressed Feline Koscheit. Before Koscheit could speak, Daniel instantly appeared beside him and slapped him away.
"Speaking of which, Talulah used to prefer military uniforms, but after Koscheit possessed her, she started wearing elaborate Lolita dresses. Who would have thought Koscheit had a penchant for cross-dressing?"
"Tell me, Koscheit, do you often cross-dress in your free time? Or is your true gender actually female?"
Considering that Koscheit might have once been a warrior like Talulah, possessed by the Immortal Black Snake, it was possible that before Koscheit, the Immortal Black Snake had been female. After all, for beings like them, gender wasn't a significant concern.
As he spoke, Daniel didn't stop his actions, continuously slapping Koscheit. Such humiliating attacks infuriated Koscheit, but unfortunately, he had no way to change the situation.
Koscheit had never encountered someone as unorthodox as Daniel. Even when Koscheit and Wei Yenwu had their intense feud, they would still exchange pleasantries when they met. Daniel, on the other hand, went straight for the attack.
"The will of Ursus. I wonder how it came into being. National fortune? This power is somewhat similar to the power within the He Shi Bi. But why is it evil? Was there a problem during its creation, or is it because of this world? And why is it that only Ursus has a will, while other nations don't?"
While attacking Koscheit, Daniel pondered these questions. Koscheit's existence was vastly different from that of gods like Nian.
"Talulah, stand up. Is this really you?"
While Daniel was attacking Koscheit, Ch'en walked over to Talulah, who was curled up in a corner, her eyes hollow and lifeless.
"Ch'en." After a long while, Talulah's empty eyes showed a flicker of recognition.
"Talulah, is this how you honor Alina's memory? Have you forgotten what she once told you?" Seeing Talulah's despair, Daniel smashed Koscheit's body with a slap and then shouted.
Whether it was the mention of Alina's name, Ch'en's presence, or Daniel destroying Koscheit's body, Talulah's eyes gradually regained some life.
"Alina." Talulah called out the name with a tone of deep nostalgia.
Alina had been the light of Reunion. It was hard to imagine that someone from a remote village could have such profound insight, seeing through Talulah's issues. If Alina hadn't died, Koscheit's conspiracy would never have succeeded.
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