The Last King Of Darkness
Chapter 194 - 139: The Fire Diminishes

Chapter 194: Chapter 139: The Fire Diminishes

The explanation the king had given him had far exceeded what was necessary.

Rod felt much better in his heart all of a sudden.

Just then, he suddenly heard a roar as if coming from the void, as if countless steels were collapsing in an infinitely distant emptiness.

Rod looked up in astonishment and saw that the king had already left his position and flew into the Holy Fire.

The blazing Holy Fire seemed unchanged, but Rod felt as if it had bent, and for some unknown reason, a strong desire emerged in his heart to plunge into the Holy Fire, a desire so powerful that it felt like a lifelong dream.

But it was fading quickly, and when it completely disappeared, the king was back in front of him.

He looked somewhat weak, his pale face dotted with fine beads of sweat, but his eyes sparkled with an odd light.

"Rod, it seems you’ve noticed the unusual activity of the Holy Fire; you really are exceptional."

Rod’s heart started pounding fast, knowing that he might have accidentally glimpsed some great secret, and he carefully said, "King, if you cannot tell me, then don’t. I vow to keep the secret."

The king showed a gentle smile.

"Little Rod, since you’ve noticed, I’ll tell you. The foundation on which we survive, the Holy Fire, its source is dwindling. The framework of the firewood can no longer support its tremendous power. I must use my spirituality to maintain it, otherwise, it will collapse from the top like a mountain collapsing."

The king’s voice became solemn.

"Simply put, our Holy Fire is about to extinguish."

At that moment, Rod felt as if his heart had stopped beating.

The Holy Fire, about to extinguish?

Back at the Sword Pass, Rod still remembered the fear when the fire went out. And as the light of the fire diminished more and more, that intense sense of oppression and panic was deeply branded in everyone’s soul.

What would it look like if the Holy Fire that supports the entire Royal City and millions of people were to extinguish?

The king said solemnly, "In recent years, I have rarely appeared because of this. The Holy Fire constantly needs my protection, and even when I leave the Holy Fire Sacrificial Ground, I must leave my spirit here. My original plans have been interrupted because of this, and many achievements are being lost, but there is no other way. The Holy Fire relates to the fate of the entire kingdom, to the survival of the last humans on this gray dirt."

Rod felt as though his soul had fallen into a dark abyss, with numerous things hidden in the darkness tearing at him. When he spoke, his throat was hoarse, his voice seemingly coming from a distant place.

"Then what do we do?"

The king gently patted his shoulder, a warm heat emanating from his palm, instantly spreading throughout Rod’s body and dispelling the chill and fear.

"Don’t worry too much, I already have a plan, a solution, which I will execute at the appropriate time. Opening up Star City is my first step."

The warm breath enveloped Rod, making him feel as if he were bathing in the spring breeze, and he couldn’t help but ask, "King, what can I do?"

The king chuckled and shook his head, "Little Rod, you are still very weak, no different from a baby in our eyes. Your task now is to grow quickly. The more responsibilities you can bear, the less pressure on the people of Trolian, and the more I can free up my hands to carry out my plans."

Rod, feeling somewhat unconvinced, said, "I am strong, my Justice Execution... its one-shot power is great, and I can also extract souls. Anyone I hit... dies..."

"Oh, it’s called ’Justice Execution’?"

The king showed an indulgent smile and raised his right hand.

"Does it look like it?"

Powerful waves of Spiritual Energy emanated from the king, washing over Rod’s senses like waves upon waves of the tide.

Although he couldn’t hear the melody, the sensation was exactly the same as when he used his Spiritual Power Fifth Layer Melody.

Rod’s eyes widened, unbelievably looking at the king.

The king’s smile was faint, mixed with a strange nostalgia.

Suddenly, a loud noise erupted in the building. Rod looked up in astonishment and saw this huge egg-shaped building unfolding outward like a flower in bloom, with the mighty Holy Fire surging into the sky like a burning bud.

The next moment, a huge white light shot into the sky, its mighty force even able to rival the Holy Fire.

Rod was stunned, the powerful wave of Spiritual Energy engulfing him like a tsunami. This, compared to his Spiritual Energy Cannon, was like a firefly trying to outshine the bright moon—his only feeling now.

When the white light fell, the king looked at him with a smile.

Rod stammered, "King, do you also do one-shots?"

The king’s expression twisted slightly, "It’s Justice Execution."

"Uh, I meant, how do you also know it?"

The king laughed and said, "Didn’t you know? Each king’s characteristic is Eternal Burning Fire. Only then can we resonate with the Holy Fire, obtain the power of the Holy Fire, and protect the Holy Fire. The power of fire is the root of all powers; theoretically, we can simulate using any characteristic, as long as we understand its principles."

So there was such a thing... Rod knew that principles referred to the inner essence of a characteristic, like an engine that converts oil into power. According to the king, could Eternal Burning Fire be equivalent to the core of an infinite structure?

However, why did the term Eternal Burning Fire sound familiar?

Rod asked, "Why doesn’t the Guardian Fire need resonance from people?"

"Their strength is far below that of the Holy Fire, and for a spark of the Guardian Fire to become the Holy Fire, it had to undergo five transformations, consuming countless firewood and fuel elements, to achieve Eternal Burning. This is the gap in position, very hard to bridge, and that is why, over the years, we have only had this one Holy Fire in the Royal City," he explained.

Rod suddenly had a thought, he remembered the positions of the stars, their state was exactly from "Weak Burning" to the ultimate "Eternal Burning", and their positions also went from Unburnt Fire, Dull Fire, Fiery Fire, Golden Fire, to finally become the Eternal Fire.

Exactly five transformations.

And Rod also remembered, the Holy Fire was also known as the Eternal Fire.

Is there any connection between them?

Rod fell into deep thought, and at that moment, a beam of white light broke through the air and fell beside the King, awakening him.

Looking up, it was Archbishop Horus.

He anxiously asked, "King, why did you initiate the Holy Fire Sacrificial Ground? What is that spiritual energy cannon?" He glanced at Rod warily, "Is he a Doomsday believer?"

The King chuckled and said, "Horus, has your mind gone bad? Calm down, I just spotted a new star and got excited, so I opened the sacrificial ground."

Horus’s wooden face then returned to normal, and he complained in a low voice, "King, by doing this, the elders will come nag at you again."

"Enough, don’t say such disheartening words. We haven’t initiated the Holy Fire Sacrificial Ground for four months, the people are too repressed. We need the belief in victory to inspire their hearts, Amendo would understand. You should go back now, just follow the regular procedures after initiating the Holy Fire Sacrificial Ground," the King explained.

Horus had no choice but to nod, and turned into a beam of light and vanished into the sky.

"Alright, young Rod," the Kings said as he turned, "I just wanted to tell you, you’ve been using your characteristic wrong, it should be you using the characteristic, not the characteristic using you."

Rod had a slight epiphany. Previously, he used the power of the stars by merely sensing and touching the stars, then the power flowed naturally. This method indeed had flaws; no wonder Qingyu also mentioned his incorrect way of using his characteristic. It seemed he needed to study it carefully when he returned.

The King keenly noticed Rod’s slightly somber mood and said with a smile, "Don’t be too disheartened. Your own characteristic is always unique, even if someone else is exactly like you, there are subtle differences. Eternal Burning Fire isn’t omnipotent either, simulation is always just simulation, the power is always less than that of a perfectly controlled characteristic. And the Eternal Burning Fire is too rare, there are only four people in the entire Trolian Kingdom who possess it, I believe, it wouldn’t be any different among other humans."

Rod exclaimed, "There are other humans? Are we really the last Human Kingdom?"

The King mused, "Well, that’s not easy to say. We’ve lost a lot of historical data, but according to limited records, we have indeed communicated with humans outside Trolian before. We even have a specific school organization aimed at finding humans beyond the Ashen Lands...Alright, I’ve said too much today. Young Rod, always remember, your fire spark is very special, make use of it to grow quickly. The entire Trolian is eagerly awaiting the emergence of a new star."

Rod hurriedly said, "Is there anything I can do to help you?"

The King smiled, "If you really want to help, go find some firewood. You can find out about the origins of firewood in the General Military Department, and also, remember to keep the matter about the Holy Fire secret, for now, only the two of us know."

Rod exclaimed, "Just the two of us?"

"Yes, because they would oppose my method," the King replied, his finger gently tapping Rod’s forehead, "And their spirits are too strong, they also wouldn’t be able to accept this oath. Remember, do not use your spiritual energy to break this oath, otherwise I will think you’ve broken trust."

Rod sensed a strange connection in his soul, as if linked with the King’s, but it had no effect on him.

The King stood up, weariness showing in his expression.

"I have finished speaking, go back now, young Rod."

After speaking, he turned into a long streak of firelight and flew back to the Holy Fire.

And Rod was lifted by an irresistible force and taken to the outside of the Holy Fire Sacrificial Ground.

It was only then that Rod understood why the ground of the plaza was concave.

This huge building now resembled a blooming flower, each "petal" fitting tightly together, clearly well-designed from the beginning.

And at the heart of this stone flower array, the all-encompassing Holy Fire, was the crystallization of all their beliefs.

At this moment, the black fog had vanished without a trace, and Rod saw the sky for the first time.

Infinite light poured from the Holy Fire, bathing the entire Royal City in sunlight.

This was a city he had never seen before, a brand new city.

Two priests appeared by his side, bowing slightly, "Mr. Rod, the King has ordered us to take you back to Jinworth Academy, please cleanse your sins as soon as possible. According to the King’s orders, the General Military Department will not contact you any time soon, but please do not lower your guard."

After speaking, they each grabbed one of Rod’s arms and rose into the sky, flying toward the Lower City District.

Rod looked out over the city, every street and every alley filled with countless people.

The jubilant voices, even high in the air, were clearly audible.

He had never seen so many people before; it was as if a sea of people could drown this magnificent city, every face echoing with joy and happiness, their collective melody seeming to resonate through heaven and earth.

In that moment, any sinister dark existence retreated thrice before them, as Humanity proudly stood tall in the cosmos.

Suddenly, Rod felt an unprecedented emotion surging within him.

I must protect it.

He thought.

The flame of humanity will never be extinguished.