Super Righteous Player-Chapter 1269 - 299: The Rotten Husband’s Demon God Body

In a certain sense, at least one thing the Decay King said wasn’t wrong.

That is, the one he has become now is no different from when he had just completed his ascension ritual... or even from when he was a young boy.

One could say that he has made no progress—and thus stepped into "eternity."

He is still the boy who, while gambling with the "White Robe King," was castrated for cheating;

He is still the youth who hid his murderous intent for years and assassinated the White Robe King in a bathroom;

He is still the eunuch who exterminated almost all of the White Robe King’s heirs, helped the "Iris King" take the throne, and covertly controlled the nation’s affairs... only to be executed by a kind-hearted man who flew into a rage for the first time in his life—a revenge seeker left with nothing.

Even after ascending to divinity, Atabanus still harbors hatred toward the "King."

This is why the Decay King performed such bizarre and exceedingly difficult ascension rituals... Though he had the chance to become a god and ascend to a level of existence far above mortals, his heart remained shackled by vengeance.

His desire for ascension to the Gold Rank was, in all probability, "hatred" itself.

For the ascension ritual relies on an eternal desire for elevation, a resolve to endure the void of the ascension path’s lonely journey. Only upon reaching the Light Realm and immersing in its fountain can one release the realized desire.

The Decay King, driven by his obsession, completed the first half of the process.

But he could never truly "let go."

Precisely for this reason, he always fell short—never becoming a true god.

—From any perspective, Atabanus had already completed his revenge.

The White Robe King was assassinated by him, the King’s heirs—including Iris King’s thirteen brothers, six sisters, and two young siblings—were slaughtered one by one. Even Iris King himself perished during Atabanus’ ascension ritual, causing the demise of the Gupta dynasty.

But even so, Atabanus remains incapable of letting go of this hatred, this humiliation, this agony he once suffered.

Even though the root of it all stemmed from his "cheating."

Now, as a god, he still cannot forget his past. And because of this, the dark Annan of his memories was able to weave a conspiracy, drawing the Decay King out through "gambling."

Similarly, the light Annan, predicting the Decay King’s character flaws, defeated him in a nightmare. Even when the Decay King arrived in person and held an absolute advantage, Annan still defeated him effortlessly.

And now...

Because of "being defeated by a mortal while in his divine form," Annan’s existence has added yet another layer of humiliation to the Decay King.

To erase Annan—or rather, to prevent Annan from settling accounts with him in the future—the Decay King went as far as to serve as a dog for the Worm.

Thus, the Decay King gained a new "lord."

However... the image used by the Worm is precisely that of the dark Annan.

In other words, to remedy the shame orchestrated by dark Annan, the Decay King sought refuge with someone fundamentally no different from dark Annan—the Worm...

"Always enduring humiliation, always petty and narrow-minded... and always too proud to admit his faults."

As Annan’s voice fell, the flames bursting before him dissipated just in time: "Do you plan on attempting another backstab, Atabanus?" freёnovelkiss.com

Facing the Decay King who was approaching him, Annan raised the scepter in his hand without fear or hesitation and stepped forward.

Rather than keeping his distance, he began to move closer to the Decay King.

Radiance flowed beneath Annan’s feet, and a prismatic phantom gradually solidified behind him.

The Decay King was not the least bit startled by this.

"I have waited long for this moment."

The Decay King said calmly.

He no longer used that overly soft tone to say cryptic and sarcastic remarks.

Instead, he grew solemn.

Like a boy whose voice had yet to change, he spoke with the tone of a normal person.

"Indeed, I am despicable in character—a petty and vengeful man. But I swore, I would never again succumb to fear. No matter how this ends, I am ready."

When Atabanus gambled with the White Robe King years ago, it was his first failure in life... and the first time he’d tried to cheat his way out of failure.

But his overwhelming fear caused his cheating to fail utterly. He was subdued by guards at the table, marked as a slave, and declared the loser.

The White Robe King’s whispered words from that moment have haunted him ever since.

"—Not all players fail, just as not all who are born face ruin. Yet even so, victors are as rare as immortals... because no one can accomplish the impossible.

"—You are clever, but that’s all. Relying solely on wit cannot make one a perpetual victor... Wisdom without courage is like a bird without wings, like fire that has lost its warmth."

Since then, Atabanus would sometimes, on sleepless nights, replay that game in his mind.

He wondered, was his defeat inevitable at that time?

Or was it that, after losing his composure under someone else’s control, he crumbled—step by step?

—Undeniably, it was the latter.

It was fear that cost him victory; fear that made even his cheating fail.

From that moment on, Atabanus swore to possess "courage."

He desired to regain the wings of a bird, the warmth of fire.

He aspired to soar high into the sky and reclaim freedom... he yearned to make others feel the fiery intensity; to bring agony and wailing to anyone who dared point fingers at him.

Under the ancient slavery system of the Gupta dynasty, he managed to assassinate the King as a slave, kill royal heirs, usurp power, and murder civilians. Any single one of these crimes could earn him a death sentence—and be considered leniency.

If he were truly a coward, there was no way he’d dare commit these earth-shattering sins time and again.

—But does "not being fearful" truly equate to having "courage"?

"That was merely hatred and malice clouding your heart, blinding you to the guiding lens of wisdom. Yet you arrogantly believed you could stare down that fear."

Annan let out a sigh and continued to approach the Decay King: "As expected. Even to the end, you haven’t changed one bit. You’re still stuck at the starting point of your life... still frozen on the day that shattered you in despair, Atabanus."

"Even if, this time, I start with a single J."

The Decay King murmured, his steps still unwavering: "But this time—I will never again lack the courage to play my hand."

As the distance between them closed to five strides.

Annan and the Decay King simultaneously raised their right hands.

Behind Annan, the Valkyrie forged of light appeared once more, synchronized perfectly with him, her right arm transforming into a sword of light.

The Decay King’s right arm simultaneously began to crack open.

The skin ruptured like the surface of a plaster statue, bursting forth blinding white light.

This was the light of truth.

From the broken fragments of his skin emerged the alabaster brilliance of the divine—