Deadmeat Saga

Primo, the mastermind behind the scenes, accompanied the leaving group, helping to guard against any Dark Servant retaliation while dragging the Echo to the castle prison.

He wasn't drugged. He merely altered his status to show he was drugged. If he had to, he could have woken up at any time, but he didn't need to.

As for why they didn't kill the Echo on the spot? It would trigger the Dark Servants in the city, making them go berserk and killing innocents wantonly.

Primo and the undead siblings could already tell that this Echo was young, barely over a hundred years old. At such a growth stage, the number of subordinates and their quality remained manageable. This Echo would never put down his guard if he were older, more experienced, and cautious of his life, nor would he attempt such a risky move like infiltrating the heroic group!

Of course, if an Ancient Echo attempted it, things might have gone differently. But with Laverne on Gerhart's side, tracking all Echos in real-time, he knew he was dealing with a young and ambitious Echo, one of the other two who wanted to aid Ianuarius.

Either way, things worked out in his favor. Thanks to this Echo, he cemented his status in the heroic party and likely got deep gratitude from Domentzia.

"Thank you for being my scapegoat." Primo thought as he narrowed his eyes at the now-incarcerated Echo.

"No doubt about it. This man is an Echo." Italica, the living lich, said while playing with a badge.

"Thank you for your aid, Primo. Please, go and have some rest. We still need to search and kill all the Dark Servants in the city before we can execute him." Max the Doom Lord said.

"It would be a bit troubling to find them. Presumably, they got psychic directives to hide among the population and wait for orders. If we kill the Echo now, they will go berserk." The Reverand said.

"We will speak about the credits of finding and apprehending him later. For now, please have some rest." King Annibalianus kindly spoke to Primo.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. Isidorus, please share with His Majesty your findings." Primo said to Isidorus, who accompanied them.

"Yes, Young Master Primo." Isidorus lightly bowed, taking out a sheepskin parchment filled with two dozen names describing their appearance and location.

"This is?" King Annibalianus raised an eyebrow.

"Your Majesty, this is a list of all suspicious individuals who entered the city these past few days. After screening several times, I believe at least half of them are Dark Servants." Isidorus respectfully said.

"GOOD! The efficiency of the Black Hand is indeed high. I and the top experts of the Kingdom will catch and confine them immediately. If they dare resist, then they must be Dark Servants." King Annibalianus had a deadly glint in his eyes.

They can minimize the damage the city would sustain by confining them first. If they don't resist, then when the Echo dies, they will go berserk if they are Dark servants. They will remain the same and can be released and compensated otherwise. And if they dare resist? Off with their heads!

Of course, King Annibalianus could never guess that Isidorus confirmed everything. He intentionally added nine innocent (Converted) to make it more believable. The other 15 were all Dark Servants.

Without suspense, King Annibalianus led a large entourage of A and S-rank powerhouses, with the SS-rank Max and Italica, to capture the Dark Servants. With the detailed list, it only took several hours to round them up. Half a dozen resisted and were executed, including an S-rank champion, while the others tried playing dumb even while arrested.

And so, the night passed.

.

.

.

The next morning-

King Annibalianus, the Reverand, Italica, Max, Himeko, and her group faced a cell imprisoning a single inmate, magic-retraining circles lighting around. Of course, the inmate was the Echo, who faked himself to be called Baldri.

As for the others, they were isolated and confined in other cells, guarded by vigilant Black Skeleton Soldiers, ready to slay them at any time.

Due to several factors, they decided to execute him in private instead of a public execution.

"This is an Echo, a corrupt and abhorred being, a blight on this world. He shall be executed and purged in holy fire." The Reverand coldly said before respectfully bowing to Himeko. "Saintess Himeko, we bring you here for a reason. By killing him, you shall receive a great reward from the universe. This power shall greatly aid you and your companions on your quest."

It is a well-recorded fact that when Otherworlders slay a Corrupted or Echo, they and their group gain rewards from the universe. And killing an Echo was enough to create an SSS-rank group! To say the Reverand wasn't envious of the five group members would be a lie.

"Must I be the one to deal the finishing blow?" Himeko reluctantly asked.

Although kind and loving, she was not a pacifist. She knew that some people do deserve to die, monsters wearing human skin. However, she was ill-disposed to killing and violence. She much preferred talking things over tea and cookies. Of course, she knew that was not an option.

"Not necessarily. One of your group members can also execute him. It counts as your extension." Italica spoke.

"As Madam Italica said, that is indeed the case. However, you should still bear witness to it for experience." The Reverand nodded.

As part of her heroic group, the members are the extension of Himeko's power. If they kill the Echo, Himeko's Universe Feedback will trigger, benefitting her and all her members. It was tested and proven.

"Let me do it." Domentzia volunteered with a chilly light in her eyes.

The man wanted to rape her, so she was naturally furious.

"... Okay." Himeko pursed her lips and nodded.

There was a tacit understanding between everyone. Indeed, it was only appropriate for Domentzia to be the executioner if she wished to.

"Do not prolong his suffering since it is pointless. You won't be able to extract any information from his mouth, and every moment he lives brings danger to us.." The Reverand reminded.

The Echos were loyal agents trained to resist torture and Mind Magic. Furthermore, if they dared delay too long, the Echos might notice this and send experts in full force. It was better to execute him.

Primo didn't object to this arrangement. He partially feared that if he took the kill, Gerhart might steal the credit since he had Heaven Rewards the Righteous, and the universe would attribute it to Gerhart. If that happened, question marks would rise, and his identity would be in danger! Of course, there was a chance the credit would be split half-half or attributed to Himeko, or perhaps they would receive double benefits! But that wasn't worth the risk of exposure.

Soon, the cell door opened, and Domentzia entered the room with a stone-cold face, dagger drawn. Harsh training under Ianuarius included many subjects, including torture and the killing of criminal slaves. So killing an Echo, a human-shaped horror worse than demons was not a problem for her.

Without saying a word, Domentzia arrived in front of the Echo, prepared to end him with a swift strike, a mercy almost too kind for him.

Baldri looked at Domentzia's stone-cold face and suddenly grinned. "Heh. That kid Ianuarius raised you well as a tool of his image. Too bad your conditioning was not yet complete."

"Are those your last words?" Domentzia apathetically asked.

Baldri's grin vanished, knowing his provocation held no effect. He wanted to disturb the girl's mentality and engrave a weakness in her, but with the current circumstances, it was too difficult. If he blabbed on, she would execute him.

Instead, he turned to look at Primo, who was watching everything. He overheard the conversation and roughly knew that this honest-looking Sword Saint was not as simple as he seemed.

"How did you do it?" Baldri expressionlessly asked.

"Do what?" Primo tilted his head.

"How did you suddenly suspect me? My disguise was flawless. Why did those three listen to you? Convincing all three to betray within a day is almost impossible. And how did you obtain that tier 6 Magic Restraining Shackle? How did your cousin casually gift you something so scarce and priceless?" Baldri asked, confused.

If it were just one of these points, Baldri wouldn't find it too odd. After all, coincidences happen. But when all three of them are combined? It was like lightning hitting the same person several times in a row. 

"You have no right to ask this, scum." The Reverand frowned. Although a spark of curiosity rose in him, he wouldn't let the man continue to speak poisonous words in their ears. Echos were masters in psychologically exploiting others, and playing their game was foolish.

Primo calmly smiled and said nothing. He also understood that wasting his breath on the man was pointless and would highlight flaws, so it was better to stay silent.

Baldri frowned, knowing that Primo didn't fall for it. He wanted to speak more but was interrupted by a swift series of stabs in the throat.

Stab* Stab* Stab* Stab* Stab* Stab* Stab* Stab* Stab* Stab* Stab* Stab* Stab* Splat* Thud*

Within three seconds, Domentzia rapidly stabbed Baldri in the neck before decapitating him for good measure. Throughout the process, her eyes were cold, devoid of human emotions.

Baldri's separated head rolled on the floor, still alive due to his vast vitality, but was only able to move his eyes and lips. But soon, that also ended as Domentzia ruthlessly stabbed the temple with an Aura-clad dagger, destroying the vulnerable brain.

The moment he died, nine of the fifteen nearby captives began to go berserk. The Black Skeleton Soldiers ruthlessly stabbed them through their lower spine, incapacitating them.

"Go! Kill them quickly." Italica urgently said.

They would further strengthen the group, so they were held barely alive.

Primo and the other three rushed to kill the nine Dark Servants without hesitation. Primo killed three, while the other three killed two each. None was new to killing, and these Dark Servants deserved no mercy.

Once the killing ended, Primo still didn't receive any reward, making him subconsciously frown.

"Weird. Why didn't I get anything?" Primo thought.

Just as he wondered about it, the Reverand spoke, "Good. Now, we must purge their bodies. Only then will you be rewarded."

That made Primo's eyes twitch. "The hell? I killed Ma Yang and Ianuarius and burned them after he took their talents. Why didn't I receive feedback then? Is it because I killed them before I absorbed the talents? So stingy!" Primo complained.

That was 100 billion points! 100 billion! It made Primo feel the hurt.

Shaking his head, he let the Black Skeleton Soldiers pick the corpses, dragging them to the Echo's cell for cremation.

While they needed to kill them themselves, it seems that the rules about destroying the corpse are less stringent. Anyone could do it, even those unrelated to the heroic group.

Primo also knew why this was the case. If another Echo obtained the remains of another Echo, he could absorb the other Echo into himself and create a new Echo. But such situations were too rare since Echos seldom acted in groups.

After gathering them, the Reverand cast Holy Flames at the remains, engulfing them in white fire and burning them to ashes.

As this happened, a phenomenon occurred. Himeko, Princess Libania, Princess Lydia, Scarlet, Domentzia, and Primo felt energy baptize them, forming a golden halo.

"So this is the legendary Universe Feedback. Truly deserving its reputation." Italica muttered.

"I envy them." Max nodded.

"With this, they shall become the hope of our humanity." The Reverand smiled.

"My daughter benefited a lot." King Annibalianus smiled.

Meanwhile, Primo checked the feedback.

 

Detected Universe Feedback from Divine Heroic Miko

Heaven Rewards the Righteous feedback was overwritten by Divine Heroic Miko feedback.

Total Feedback: 100,004,500,000

 

"Oh, wow! Everyone gets the whole treatment?! So generous!" Primo thought in shock. "If this were before, I would be thrilled. But..." Primo glanced at his energy and talents.

 

Race: Golden Noble Primordial Human(Evolvable)

Level: 70

Intermediate Compound Talents: Strength Supremacy, Endless Vitality, Ultimate Defense, Boundless Agility, Absolute Dexterity, Micro Perception, Super Intelligence, Phenomenal Instincts, Aura Sovereignty, Supreme Magic, Domain of Chaos, Mimick Bloodline

 

Energy: 5,152b

 

During these two weeks, Gerhart and his group charged toward the central nations, tirelessly conquering dungeons, including a tier 9 dungeon!

He had too much to spare even after splurging trillions of points to upgrade his core subordinates, two secondary bodies, Deadmeat Junior, and dozens of high-quality Banner Holders.

"Hm. I wonder what it would try to do now." Primo wondered.

Sure enough, the feedback searched for anything to improve Primo's body and found nothing, so it focused on enhancing his foundation further.

The next moment, his Golden Marrow received a new baptism, turning from golden to prismatic.

 

Race: Golden Noble Primordial Human(Chaos Marrow 10%)(Evolvable)

 

"Hah... It didn't happen to the main body. Is it because the Primordial Bloodline is higher quality?" Primo thought while he kept pretending.

Only when he saw Himeko stand did he also stand.

"Wow! I feel so powerful!" Himeko exclaimed in delight.

Looking over, Primo couldn't read Himeko's status, likely due to obtaining a status concealment talent, but from Himeko's changed countenance and golden tattoos, he guessed she got a Divine Bloodline and evolved into a Golden Noble.

The same was going for the other four women, each obtaining a Divine Bloodline. Princess Libania's hair turned pure white and emitted a blinding feeling of radiant light. Scarlet gained a wild air of pure violence like a dormant volcano ready to erupt, which Primo guessed was due to obtaining the Divine Berserker bloodline. Princess Lydia's hair turned emerald green, a fresh scent of spring wind coming from her. And for Domentzia, her hair turned a shade darker, a cold darkness surrounding her.

Unmistakably, each of them gained great talent comparable to his masters from his previous life.

"The universe protection is too exaggerated. They stuck their thumbs up their asses and still became this powerful. Now I get why Xenova hates them so much." Primo thought, his lips twitching.

In his previous life, his four masters had tier-8 talents, and he wasn't even sure if they had tier-8 Compound Talents. It was already sufficient for conquering the 100th floor of a tier 10 dungeon!

And they were not born with this power. They developed it through concentrated resources from their respective nations and the gods they served. Otherwise, they wouldn't have reached this level of talent.

Of course, Primo didn't express any discontent. He had something even more unfair, after all.

"Congratulations, Saintess. With this newfound power, we can surely save more people." Primo genuinely said.

"Yes! We can make the world a better place together!" Himeko cheerily said.

On this point, they fully agreed. They both valued lives. Naturally, their motives were completely different.

The Reverand, watching this scene with the others, spoke, "Saintess, I am sure you and your comrades shall save many."

"Yes. But don't be complacent. You are far from invincible in this world." Italica reminded.

"Or you might end up like myself," Max added.

Himeko shuddered before nodding. "Yes. I shall keep your words at heart."

While they were talking, Primo suddenly shivered.

"Crap! Neo's side had an accident at sea!"