I Became the Progenitor Vampire
Chapter 391 - Chapter 391: Chapter 393 Post-Battle Bounty, The Peculiar Divine Artifact (8000 words)

Chapter 391: Chapter 393 Post-Battle Bounty, The Peculiar Divine Artifact (8000 words)

P.S. I have a modest goal this month–I want our monthly ticket rankings to break into the top 100… cough cough, even though this goal seems a tad unambitious, I would be quite satisfied if we achieved it. If anyone still has some monthly tickets, please quietly cast a few votes. I clasp my hands together in gratitude.

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The Space Gate, reinforced with the Divine Power by the God of Plague, was absolutely indestructible in simple terms.

Under normal circumstances, Lide wouldn’t have been able to destroy it.

But clearly, he was not in a normal state at the time.

Because…

Land of Bone-Burying (Undead Plane)

Level: Rare (Next level: Rare, upgrade requires 1,000,000 Power of Death)

Power of Death: 343,253,902

…

Yes, 340 million Power of Death.

God only knows how thrilled he was when he saw this on the attribute panel.

As soon as he saw the Power of Death on his attribute panel, he immediately devised a plan to pull the rug out from under them.

The fierce Half-Ratmen had been pouring out of the Space Gate non-stop for over five months during the war.

Moreover, the fierce Half-Ratmen were mostly Level 8 or 9, with countless at Level 10.

The Power of Death provided by these high-level lives after their demise was more than ten times that of the pigs in a breeding farm.

The core force of the Land of Bone-Burying is the Power of Death. Possessing such ample Power of Death, Lide finally had the confidence to destroy the space channel connecting the two planes.

The God of Plague was not a fool, either. Before executing his plan, he had already spent a massive amount of Divine Power to fortify the space channel, and this Ancient Evil God could sense that Lide did not possess the power to destroy such a solid space channel.

But reality is always cruel. Despite all the God of Plague’s calculations, he could never factor in Lide’s ultimate trump card: the Power of Death.

However, the cost to destroy the Space Gate was not cheap.

Lide originally had 390 million Power of Death on his attribute panel, meaning that it took a full 50 million Power of Death to shatter the Space Gate.

Spending 50 million Power of Death for a Divine Artifact, Lide felt like he had struck it rich to the point of getting a cerebral hemorrhage.

But on the other hand, one could imagine how much the God of Plague had invested.

Yet, the huge plans of this Ancient ruler ultimately came to naught.

Interestingly, it could be said that the God of Plague’s actions had fattened up Lide.

If it weren’t for the opponent constantly sending fierce Half-Ratmen to attack the Land of Bone-Burying, he would not have been able to accumulate over a hundred million Power of Death.

If the God of Plague knew this cruel reality, who knows what he would think; perhaps even spitting out another mouthful of blood could not express the hatred in his heart.

At this moment, within the Land of Bone-Burying, the Divine Artifact–the Crystal Ball exuding a Death Aura–initially opened with Chaos and the Eye of Death, had now quietly closed.

Although the aura it emitted was still too horrific to articulate, it clearly lost its target and seemed somewhat sluggish.

The God of Plague was able to open the Space Gate because of the sudden burst of power from that skull tore space apart, and only after the two corresponded did he anchor the spatial coordinates.

At this moment, the divine essence within that skull had already been devoured by Lide. Now, it had turned into a dried specimen, devoid of any lingering power.

The core of its power–the horn wreathed in arcs of electricity–had become a weapon in Lide’s hands.

Thus, without any internal support, the God of Plague naturally lost its anchor to the Land of Bone-Burying, separated by countless dimensional planes.

Lide had previously felt a great danger, but, at this moment, he sensed it no longer.

The warriors from Dawn City below, upon witnessing this scene, had expressions that were quite a spectacle to behold.

Originally, they thought that with the help of Fierce Half-Ratmen and the Divine Artifact, the God of Plague had made its appearance within the Land of Bone-Burying and a desperate battle was imminent–with many ready to face death in combat.

But in the end, almost comically, they did not face a life and death struggle against the Divine, and now, it seemed Lide had even seized the enemy’s treasured artifact.

The feeling was like ascending from Hell to Heaven.

With this, the incident triggered by the battle of Risier City could be considered tentatively concluded.

Of course, this conclusion meant that the former ruler of yesteryears temporarily could not find Lide. If indeed he managed to discover the whereabouts of Dawn City once more, then the consequences…

“Your Highness, how should we dispose of this Divine Artifact?”

Upon seeing that the situation was under control, Emi spread his bat wings and flew up to Lide’s side, his expression oddly fixated on the gray crystal ball connected by multitude of gray fine lines in the sky.

He had once obtained a portion of the God of Plague’s power and naturally knew the terrifying power contained within this artifact.

But he had not anticipated that it would fall into their hands in such a manner.

If the God of Plague were still present, even if they had obtained it, they could do nothing against the artifact since the enemy had already imprinted it with a spiritual mark.

But now, with the God of Plague lost in an unfathomable abyss, far from the Main Plane, and with the protection of dual forces from the Main Plane and the Land of Bone-Burying blocking the sensing from the other side, the artifact was effectively left without an owner.

It could be said at this moment, the artifact lay on the chopping board like meat, ready for disposal.

Yet Lide did not rush to respond. After carefully sensing the power within the artifact, a slowly blossoming smile appeared on his face.

He had patiently allowed the God of Plague to accumulate its power, and it wasn’t solely for this artifact.

He sought much more.

“Emi, do you sense it?”

Hm? Startled, Emi looked at Lide with confusion, “Your Highness, what do you mean?”

“Sense it with your heart.”

Following Lide’s guidance, Emi immediately focused his attention on the crystal ball, and after a moment, his face revealed an uncontainable surge of elation.

“Your Highness, the divine essence… this, this artifact actually contains such enormous divine essence!!”

His tone was extremely excited, his voice becoming shrill, as Emi struggled to put his overwhelming feelings into words.

Divine essence, he sensed within the crystal ball an essence akin to a tidal wave.

He knew the God of Plague’s artifact required divine essence to control, but the amount transferred was beyond his expectation.

With the collapse of the Space Gate, the Ancient Evil God could no longer sense even its Divine Artifact, so that essence was beyond its control.

Now, the crystal ball, infused with terrifying power, not only became Lide’s possession, but the rich divine essence within it also became his spoils of victory.

Moreover, an important point was that this divine essence was very easy to manipulate, a convenience incomparable to the essence Lide had painstakingly drawn out bit by bit from the God of Plague’s skull.

“Yes, this contains the divine essence of the God of Plague.

Divine Artifacts are not so easily controlled; the power required is immense. That Ancient Evil God spared no expense in its attack against us.

“But now, all this is ours,” Lide said, his smile vibrant as a brilliant starry sky. The strategy just implemented was simple, but the rewards were extraordinarily rich.

After a brief pause, he cast a meaningful glance at Emi.

“Get ready.”

Huh? Emi blinked in confusion at Lide’s gaze but before she could respond, Lide had already flown straight toward the crystal ball.

Even without anyone in control, a Divine Artifact is still a Divine Artifact, its emitted power enough to instill fear in the most resolute of warriors.

Especially the Eye of Chaos and Death within the crystal ball. Though it had closed, the aura it emitted was still filled with darkness and savagery, and one could feel their thoughts being invaded just by drawing a little closer.

That was a higher level of power, not something that could be withstood by sheer will alone.

Lide’s eyes were cold as he stepped closer to the crystal ball.

And sensing the threat, the crystal ball began to emit a grey energy, attempting to repel Lide.

But Lide ignored it, his power surging, rising with an aura filled with darkness.

With a slight wave of the horn in his hand that was wreathed in electrical arcs, a pulse of power nearly identical to that of the God of Plague emanated outward.

The crystal ball, without a master to guide it, immediately sensed the incredibly familiar aura and its resistance began to wane.

Lide seized the moment, his energy growing increasingly terrifying, forcefully dispelling the Artifact’s last thoughts of resistance.

And hundreds of thin grey energy tendrils connecting the Artifact suddenly injected into the crystal ball under Lide’s pressure, then the scene returned to calm.

The tentacle-like energy tendrils disappeared, leaving only the crystal ball suspended in the air.

Lide’s face remained stoic, the opposition was merely a lamb to the slaughter, and all he had to consider was how to consume them.

Right hand turning into a palm, he slowly approached the crystal ball and then, using the origin power obtained from devouring the Evil God’s head, reached out to touch the fearsomely powered crystal ball.

Feeling an outsider drawing near, the crystal ball instinctively repelled, but hindered by the absence of its master’s commands, it could only gradually allow Lide to draw closer.

Whew–the last gap was crossed, Lide’s palm pressed directly against the crystal ball, a cold touch transmitted through,

then evil and dark auras spread out from the crystal ball, flooding into his body like the raging torrents of a river.

Like a level twelve hurricane whipping up towering waves.

But after countless Divine Calamities shattering and rebuilding him, Lide’s body was now so resilient it was beyond simple description.

Furthermore, being in the Land of Bone-Burying with billions of the Power of Death as his backing, this backlash was insignificant.

The power surged tenfold in strength and dominantly suppressed the energy, and after all was stable, his spiritual power slowly spread into the crystal ball.

Suddenly, he felt the tightly closed Eye of Chaos and Death.

Instead of recklessly exploring that immensely evil power, he spread his spiritual power like a spider’s web, moving around the periphery of the crystal ball.

After a short while, he found a mark enveloped in surging grey Divine aura.

The aura of the God of Plague.

This crystal ball had been marked by the God of Plague’s soul imprint. To control this Divine Artifact, one must erase the traces of the other and leave his own behind.

However, the only problem was that erasing a soul imprint in the throes of Divine power was not so straightforward–it required either tremendous strength or delicate operation.

Lide’s eyebrows slightly furrowed, unwilling to delay, he directly mobilized the Power of Death and sent it surging toward the crystal ball.

With over three billion of the Power of Death, he had the privilege to be willful.

Within a few breaths, the dense Power of Death in the Land of Bone-Burying surged from the gray clouds in the sky, becoming so concentrated that it coalesced above the Land of Bone-Burying.

Then, under Lide’s control, it directly invaded the Crystal Ball.

The uncontrolled Crystal Ball, although it triggered some of its power to defend itself, was still suppressed by his unreasonable Power of Death.

Ten minutes later, a sound of unwillingness and sharpness came from inside the Crystal Ball, and then with a clink, light-grey Energy Crystals fell from inside the Crystal Ball like shattered glass.

The Crystal Ball that had just emitted a fearsome aura immediately retracted its presence.

Lide nodded slightly, the God of Plague’s Spirit Imprint had been crushed by the overwhelming Power of Death.

Without hesitation, he directly imprinted his own soul mark upon it.

In just a few breaths, supported by the raging Power of Death, Lide successfully claimed the Divine Artifact for himself.

The moment the soul mark was engraved, Lide clearly felt a connection established with the Divine Artifact. The Crystal Ball that had resisted him now became exceedingly docile, allowing his power to explore and enter.

However, what made him frown was that at the very center of the Crystal Ball, the chaos and Eye of Death still emitted a dangerous presence that he could not affect no matter how he tried.

After thinking it over, Lide decided not to delve deeper for the moment and shifted his gaze.

After seizing the Divine Artifact, the divinity of the God of Plague, which Lide had deliberately ignored, was fully exposed to him like a young girl slipping off her bathrobe.

Feeling the terrifying power of that divinity, Lide turned his head and looked over at Emi, his eyes subtly shifting.

Then, with a single step, he appeared right in front of Emi.

“Emi, prepare to accept the divinity of the God of Plague. This power can help you achieve transcendence…”

Ah?

Even with Emi’s composed demeanor, he couldn’t help but shudder upon hearing these words, his eyes brimming with an incredulous delight.

“Your Highness…”

Lide gave a slight smile.

“I have already absorbed enough divinity. Though the divinity inside the artifact can still benefit me, it won’t significantly increase my power any further, and continuing to consume it would be of little effect.

You’re different, your body has been transformed by the God of Plague, and during our time in Risier City, you even withstood the descent of that Evil God.

Only in you can these divine traits be perfectly utilized.”

“Your Highness, but…”

Seeing Emi about to speak, Lide waved his hand to cut off his ramble.

“No need for more words, I’m not discussing this with you. You only need to obey the command.

Moreover, achieving transcendence means taking on more responsibility. Dawn City doesn’t need deadweight.”

Lide’s firmness immediately made Emi close his mouth.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Lide hesitated no longer and waved his hand, and the Crystal Ball harboring chaos and the Eye of Death slowly floated in front of him.

The Crystal Ball, slightly larger than a fist, was not transparent and carried a degree of dimness; the chaos and Eye of Death at its core were fraught with an evil presence.

With one thought, the divinity inside the Crystal Ball began to slowly transfer out.

But at that moment, the imprisoned chaos and Eye of Death within the Crystal Ball opened slightly. In that instant, it seemed as though the world dimmed.

The surrounding evil aura swiftly gathered strength, wildly intensifying.

An indescribable terror pervaded the hearts of every warrior, as if a stone weighing millions of tons pressed on their chests, a feeling even more terrifying than facing an Ancient Giant Dragon directly.

Lide’s brows furrowed, as he felt this crystal ball seemed even more extraordinary than he had imagined. What exactly was the existence within this eye?

But he didn’t rush to delve deeper, continuing instead to manipulate the divine substance.

With each breath, a wind suddenly whipped up around them, and the divine substance within the crystal ball slowly diffused out like mist, then surged into Emi’s body under Lide’s control.

Emi, at this moment, was like a sponge, absorbing the divine power.

Below, the watchful 18th-level Beastman King Kapp’s pupils shrank sharply at the sight.

Even though separated by a thousand blades’ distance, he could vividly sense the terrifying energy contained within the grey mist that emanated from the crystal ball.

Several top-tier warriors nearby, whose eyes were also sharp, showed looks of envy. Everyone knew that this time, Emi had truly struck it lucky.

And indeed, as anticipated, after the grey mist surged into Emi’s body, his aura began to climb steadily.

At the end, his presence was as towering and oppressive as tall mountains, inspiring terror and awe.

In the entire Land of Bone-Burying, only Lide’s strength surpassed his; all others, even the 19th-level Withered Bones, could only be suppressed by him.

Moreover, Emi’s aura continued to surge violently, becoming more and more domineering, even seeming to distort light and space at this moment.

Several minutes later, when all of the divine substance in the crystal ball had been absorbed by Emi, Lide immediately withdrew his hand.

Looking at Emi in front of him, who seemed like a volcano about to erupt, he gestured with his hand.

“Go find a quiet place for meditation. The place where I stayed before wasn’t bad; I will have someone continue to guard you.”

“Yes… Your Highness…”

Emi’s face, now bearing a pain he could not hide, quickly turned around to descend after responding.

The turbulent and violent power within him was nearly splitting him apart; he had to straighten out that power as soon as possible, or else he might explode even having previously endured the power of the God of Plague.

After Emi entered the underground area where he had just meditated, Lide felt quite pleased.

Before long, Dawn City would see the rise of a second Transcendent.

Truly, the rich leading the way for the rest…

Coming back to his senses, he turned his gaze to the Land of Bone-Burying.

Even now, the Land of Bone-Burying still resembled the aftermath of a great battle.

Injured warriors were receiving treatment from the Bloodline, with Blood Mages who could draw energy from blood directly taking on the role of priests, and blood was in endless supply around them–so long as one still breathed, they could be brought back from the brink.

Of course, the real Dawn Priests had also joined in the effort to help.

The defensive wall, standing eighty blades high, was covered in dense claw marks. Having withstood continuous assaults for several months without collapse was in itself an impressive feat.

Inside the area enclosed by the walls, shattered bodies of Fierce Half-Ratmen littered the ground like trash, the entire view devoid of the white bone floor, everything covered in blood and limbs.

Broken war blades, snapped longswords, fractured shields…

Coupled with the charred flags and the foul-smelling air.

Everything spoke volumes of the scale of the battle that had recently taken place here.

The scene was pervaded by an indescribable fierceness.

Upon seeing this hellish landscape, Lide’s expression changed little.

His gaze swept once over the warriors below, still looking up at him expectantly.

He felt a stirring in his heart.

Perhaps, after months of fierce battles, Dawn City needed a proper conclusion.

After pondering for a short moment, his ringing voice echoed across the Land of Bone-Burying.

“My people, the warriors of Dawn City.”

The warriors below immediately lifted their heads, their ears perked, eyes gleaming as they looked towards Lide who was floating midair.

“This five-month bloodshed has been a calamity for Dawn City.

Yet only through fire can steel be forged.

Your courage,

Your perseverance,

Your fearlessness,

Your noble qualities fill me with pride.

You are my subordinates, the children of Dawn, and guardians worthy of respect and admiration from all residents!

It is because of your bravery and valor that Dawn has remained unscathed, our families and our land safeguarded.”

Lide’s gaze was intense, his tone sinking a few notches.

“But during this ordeal, countless companions have left us.

Those warriors who shed their blood will not be forgotten by me, nor by the citizens of Dawn City!

Their names will be engraved on the Monument of Dawn Heroes; their heroic deeds will be recorded in the annals of Dawn City’s history; their families will be cared for by Dawn City.

And all of you will receive the rewards I bestow!”

As he spoke these words, his voice suddenly surged, then with a profoundly stirring tone, he firmly declared.

“Now, in the name of the Lord of Dawn, I proclaim.

The war of the Ancient Evil Gods’ invasion into Dawn City is officially over.

We have triumphed!”

The last sentence left all the warriors below stunned.

After a moment, someone began to shout, and a tumultuous roar of noise and joyful cries erupted throughout the Land of Bone-Burying.

We’ve won, we’ve won!!!

This nearly five-month-long war had finally ended.

During these months, the Sun Eye did not rest, from rise to set, from dusk to dawn, the entire Dawn City enveloped in gunfire and the sounds of battle.

Warfare was the sole recurring theme in Dawn City over these five months.

Even the most steadfast warriors, in the face of such relentless battling, could feel the weariness deep within.

It is in times of chaos that one longs for peace.

Now from their ruler’s mouth, the one for whose glory they had guarded with their lives and souls, came the words: they had won.

This overwhelming surprise even brought tears to the eyes of the stalwart warriors.

Yes, we’ve won!!

“Hahaha!! Long live Dawn City!!!”

“I knew it!! No one can withstand the power of Dawn City!! We have won!!”

“That bitch-born Evil God!! Even if you crawl out from the abyss, you will still become a ghost under my sword!”

“Long live!”

“Praise Dawn City, praise the Kachar City Lord!”

“Long live His Excellency Kachar!!”

The noise of celebration nearly brought down the city walls, and the cheering became a high-pitched victory anthem over the Land of Bone-Burying, this bloody battlefield.

Many people were jubilantly tossed high by the crowd, and even many warriors who were strangers embraced each other tightly.

Eventually, the fervent sounds of celebration spread out from the Land of Bone-Burying, and numerous support staff outside began to run madly through the city, shouting at the top of their lungs.

“His Excellency and our army have crushed the invasion of the Evil God!! We have won!!”

We have won.

Under the predawn sky, the mercury-like moonlight made the city gleam brilliantly.

And those believers who were praying softly burst into indescribable excitement when they heard the shouts from the streets.

“Praise His Excellency Kachar!!”

“Praise the dawn!!”

“By the Goddess above, we have triumphed!!”

Tears streamed down the faces of many believers at this moment, neighbors hugged in their pajamas, couples kissed each other, and families embraced one another tightly.

The entire city erupted into commotion, waves of cheering broke out one after another, making the mountains on both sides of Dawn City seem to tremble with the sound.

But after a moment, everyone felt that this subdued way of celebrating couldn’t satisfy their excitement, one by one, the residents, in their pajamas, didn’t care anymore and started to take to the streets, and under the moonlight, began to celebrate wildly.

This night, Dawn knew no sleep.

Everyone remembered this night of victory.

And after this battle, the spirit of Dawn City’s people soared to an alarming degree.

And Lide, the one who led them to victory, became the object of everyone’s feverish praise and worship.

From that point on, no one could shake Lide’s position, nor could anyone overturn his rule. On this land, he was worshiped in the most passionate way by everyone, he was the one and eternal king.

—

—

—

With the dawn breaking, although many people who had celebrated all night began to go back to catch up on sleep, there were still a large number of residents crazily celebrating on the streets.

In Moonlight Square, this massive square capable of accommodating hundreds of thousands of people had become a sea of joy, with residents playing their instruments on the side, and many young girls dancing to the music.

The City Hall had set up free food distribution points around the square, bread coated with honey, various fried snacks, large chunks of roasted meat…

The logistics department was busy making food for the entire city, and despite being weary, the smiles on their faces were beaming. Many residents even brought out their home-made delicious food for everyone to enjoy.

Dwarves, Beastmen, Bloodline, goblins, Half-Elves, even One-eyed Giants and Double-headed Ogres all joined in the revelry.

The entire scene was filled with a harmony and concord that outsiders couldn’t comprehend.

But the revelry outside didn’t belong to Lide, who hadn’t left the Land of Bone-Burying at that time.

As the celebration began, all the warriors had evacuated the defensive walls.

And Lide had placed all the crossbows and movable equipment on Dawn Square.

At this moment, the desolate Land of Bone-Burying was left with only him.

The only difference from before was that now the Power of Death in the Land of Bone-Burying was at its absolute peak.

The most eye-catching part was the circular area with a radius of five hundred blades within the defense walls; it had all become the Land of Corruption.

After several months and millions of fierce Half-Ratmen consumed by the Land of Bone-Burying, this Land of Corruption had reached Advanced Level, and the area around the core Space Gate with a hundred blades radius reached Perfect Level.

If used to nurture the Death Flower, it would easily bloom in large numbers.

The war was over, and while the crowd outside was celebrating, it was time for him to clear up the loot.

This piece of Land of Corruption was merely a small addition to this war–too much excitement for anyone to handle.

Lide sat alone atop the twelve-layer White Bone Altar, next to the floating Angel Wings. The gain was so substantial that he needed to audit them one by one.

The first was naturally his level.

He had leaped directly from Level 19 to Transcendent Level 23, far exceeding the plan he set before seclusion and laying a solid foundation for his upcoming hunting of the Black Dragon in the Sludge Swamp and the conquest of the Underworld.

Second was the over three billion Death Aura on his attribute panel, an utterly breathtaking gain, which unlocked the Frost Giant Dragon, activated the twelve-layer White Bone Altar, and even facilitated the transformation of the Twelve-winged Blazing Angel.

The third was Emi’s level, which, barring any surprises, might mean that Dawn City would welcome its second Transcendent in a month or two, an irreplaceable factor in his strategic planning.

Fourth was the arc-wrapped Evil God’s Horn, where the origin power of the God of Plague was sealed. He had only consumed a minimal part of it, and this horn was also tied to the Divine Position of the God of Plague…

Finally, it was the Divine Artifact in his hand–the Crystal Ball.

After a brief tally, Lide felt this was more than just striking rich; it was more like a windfall that could cause a stroke.

“Save the best for last, let’s check the Divine Artifact first…”

Lide, in high spirits, took out the Crystal Ball, and after a slight sensing, frowned at the chaos and the Evil God’s Eye at the heart of the ball.

He had no time to attend to this strange eye before, but now the more he thought about it, the more he felt there was something extraordinary hidden, as if it concealed a remarkable secret.

Upon opening the attribute panel, the characteristics of the gray Crystal Ball appeared before his eyes.

Ancient Evil God’s Eye

Quality: Inheritance Artifact

Skill: Death Gaze (Manifests a chaotic Evil God’s Eye suspended in the sky, scrutinizing the land below. The owner of the artifact can survey any location observed by the chaotic and deadly eye. The farther or broader the observed area, the larger the Divine Power needed.

Enemies who gaze directly into the chaotic and deadly eye will undergo a Divine-level will check–if they fail, they’ll be inflicted with a negative status–a Fear debuff, reducing all attributes by 30%.)

Lord of Black Magic (Casting Dark Magic will receive an extra evil power boost, and the magic will be perfected automatically, reducing 70% of Magic Power consumption, while casting time for all non-Forbidden Curse spells is fixed within 5 seconds.)

Special Skill: Ancient Inheritance (This is the eye of an Ancient Evil God; it could be integrated into one’s own under certain conditions to gain all the power of the Evil God’s Eye. Note: This process will subject one to the erosion of ancient power.)

Explanation: An Ancient Evil God’s eye was condensed by strong Divine Power into a Divine Artifact which still maintains its vitality. Its true potential is far from realized and can only be fully harnessed by implanting it into a body.

Upon inspecting the Divine Artifact’s attributes, Lide’s brow immediately furrowed.

There was no denying that the artifact far surpassed his expectations–not because it was mighty, but rather because it turned out to be an Evil God’s eyeball.

Moreover, even more astonishing was that after such an extensive period, it had not lost its vitality and could still inherit the power of the Evil God’s eyeball.