Chapter Fifty-Five: Escape from Purgatory Island (Part Two)

The chaos within the castle only grew worse. Despite the deployment of a vast number of puppet warriors, the rampage of the savage beasts could not be suppressed. The magical beasts roared madly, and, reveling in their long-lost freedom, unleashed their unique powers to destroy every structure they could reach in the fortress. Those gifted with magic spat fire, summoned icy rains, whipped up gales, and stirred mud and sand into storms.

Every resource area was subjected to utter devastation in that moment.

Rare magical plants were wiped out forever, never to be seen again. In the sky, countless magical birds shrieked as they soared, their red and green feathers like two sovereign kings in flight. Great fireballs erupted from their beaks, crashing into the alchemical tower and battering the magical shields, sending waves of blue flames rippling outward.

This was their vengeance, an outpouring of fury and hatred for the Alchemical Fortress.

Heinz watched all this with an ashen face, his heart grown cold.

Shuey Glaire’s methods were simple, direct, deadly, and effective.

The crystal ball in his hand had flashed several times, but the small wooden cabin by the lake remained silent. Clearly, before releasing the magical beasts, Shuey Glaire had already dealt with the island’s greatest guardian—Lancelot.

How he managed it, Heinz could not fathom. Lancelot was a peak warrior, and now he had vanished without a trace.

Had Lancelot been here, not even the demon god would have frightened them, let alone these beasts. But now, even surviving this ordeal seemed nearly impossible.

Heinz sighed deeply, finally setting aside his crystal ball and raising his staff.

Seven different-colored magic gems were embedded in his staff, all of which began to shine at once, and a torrent of magical energy surged through his body.

Unlike mages, who infused their staves with power to amplify their spells, alchemists reinforced their strength with meticulously crafted equipment, drawing magic from their staves to perform feats otherwise impossible.

“Spirits of nature, heed my call and release the radiance of your lives…” Heinz chanted the incantation of a nature spell, his peculiar and arcane words gathering into a green glow in his palm.

“Death’s Embrace!” Heinz whispered, flinging the verdant light.

As the green radiance lit the sky, countless thorny vines erupted from the ground, conjured from the underworld—a vampiric demon plant.

One nature spell after another was unleashed, but the chaos only intensified. The magical beasts, faced with the alchemist’s attacks, grew ever more frenzied and furious.

Tonight was destined to be a night of blood and death.

Even if every beast were destroyed, the Lancelot Empire would still pay an irreparable price.

Tonight, Heinz was fated to be a loser; all that remained was to see how much dignity he could salvage.

Suddenly, the trembling earth released a pained moan, like the cry of a dying soul.

The castle shook violently, as if struck by an earthquake.

From afar, a thunderous roar rose—the voice of a giant.

Heinz recognized it instantly, his face turning ghastly pale. “Shuey Glaire, so you really did unleash the Demon God?”

A towering figure appeared before the castle, swinging a massive chain-hammer that swept like a mountain, shattering a section of the castle wall in a single blow.

In sheer strength, nothing compared to the Demon God. Each step it took reduced buildings and resource areas to rubble.

Its destructive power alone was equal to all the magical beasts combined.

Perhaps cowed by the Demon God’s might, the beasts scattered in terror. Driven by instinct more than intellect, they fled as far as they could from a superior being.

The Demon God roared.

This monstrous entity was too powerful to control, but for Gong Hao, who needed only destruction, that was enough. Destruction was the Demon God’s essence, its sole purpose. Without a master’s guidance, it would attack everything it saw with mad abandon.

Now, Gong Hao had released this demon and led it here.

Amidst the carnage and blood, shattered bodies and strewn limbs, one figure stepped lightly onto the earth, appearing before Heinz with grace and calm.

It was Gong Hao.

His golden hair fluttered in the wind as he lifted his head to glance at the top of the alchemical tower.

He called out, “Master Heinz, how do you like the surprise I’ve prepared for you?”

Within the castle, the Demon God raged, puppet warriors hurling themselves in vain to stop it, the battle a scene of slaughter.

At the center of the chaos, Gong Hao stood at ease, as if none of this concerned him.

Though Andrew desperately commanded the puppet warriors to kill Gong Hao, for some reason, the order was never carried out. Gong Hao simply stood there, untouched.

He gazed up at the tower, laughing—his golden hair dancing, his face radiant with boyish joy.

Heinz sighed.

He finally gave up, leaving the tower to face Gong Hao.

They stood across from each other.

Gong Hao smiled. “I see anger, fear, terror, and guilt in your eyes, but not surprise. You already understood what was happening, didn’t you? You just kept lying to yourself, refusing to believe.”

“How did you do it? Why does the Demon God and the puppet warriors refuse to attack you?” Unexpectedly, Heinz ignored Gong Hao’s accusations and asked this question instead.

Such was the obsession of an alchemist—pursuit of knowledge above all.

Gong Hao chuckled. “Simple. The puppet warriors don’t attack me because I increased my badge’s authority—just a matter of raising its command level. Sorry, I did it behind your back. As for the Demon God, you’re unaware of something called elemental resonance. Remember? The Demon God was created through elemental resonance. I happen to possess that ability. Before it could attack me, I used elemental resonance with my own magic—having once had a very close encounter with the Demon God, I know its soul energy and resonance frequency perfectly. I can mimic it well enough for it to mistake me as its kin. I can’t command it, but at least it won’t attack me.”

“My God…” Heinz moaned. “I should have realized—your magical talent… Shuey Glaire, you truly are a genius.”

“Funny, that’s just what Neil said before I killed him.”

“Neil? Then Pierre was right…” Heinz shook his head regretfully.

“Yes, he was. So I killed him as well.”

“You?” Heinz stared at Gong Hao in shock. “You mean Pierre never planned to harm Her Highness?”

“He targeted Isadora, the princess’s maid. Unfortunately, when he discovered it was the princess, he fell to my soul burn and soul impact. He was no longer in control. Cross’s shock spell couldn’t kill him, so I infused his body with battle energy.”

“Soul magic? You actually stole soul spells?”

“Of course. Otherwise, how could I have awakened the Demon God and adjusted my soul resonance so easily?”

Heinz’s whole body trembled violently. He shouted, “You awakened the Demon God with soul magic? Not alchemy?”

Gong Hao laughed. “You see now? Yes, I’ve unraveled the Demon God’s secret. I must say, Electra was a true genius—no one could have imagined his methods or his identity as a magician, let alone a soul mage like myself. That’s the secret to his control over the Demon God. No alchemist has ever mastered soul magic as he did…”

“Oh, my God,” Heinz groaned, clutching his head.

In that moment, the secret he’d failed to decipher in a lifetime was revealed by Gong Hao. Perhaps now he could die without regret.

“Too bad I’ve only just become a soul mage. To fully control the Demon God, I’d need to be a fourth-level soul mage at least. For now, I can only ensure it won’t attack me. Still, it seems to prefer it this way.” Gong Hao smiled as the Demon God rampaged in the distance.

“You bastard, stealing forbidden arts! You’ll go to hell!” Heinz roared.

“Is it so rare? It’s better than using living people for experiments. If hell exists, you’ll get there before me. And as for soul magic—yes, it requires killing, but in the Lancelot Empire, there’s no shortage of the deserving dead.”

Gong Hao’s cold tone foretold the bloodbath to come.

Heinz exhaled slowly, resigned. “Thank you for telling me. When did you discover the secret?”

“In the shortest possible time.”

“So you planned all this?”

“Yes. From the moment I saw you extracting those filthy things from the servants, I planned to wipe you all out.”

“You could have just left!”

Gong Hao shook his head. “If I’d wanted to go, I could have left long ago. I stayed for the chance to destroy this place with my own hands.”

Heinz howled, “I can accept death as my penance, but I cannot endure this destruction! Do you realize what you’ve done? You’ve sent the world’s greatest legacy into oblivion! You could have been the greatest alchemist!”

“Of course I know,” Gong Hao laughed. “That’s exactly what I wanted. I endured for nearly four years. Contrary to your belief, I’d spare your life just to destroy this evil hell. As for alchemy—without you, I’ll still succeed.”

Ah, this was what he had longed for.

Though the flames in the alchemical tower’s first floor had been extinguished, every book was reduced to ash. Every plant was destroyed, beasts set free, the castle dismantled, and even the finished potions and rarest materials were gone—clearly, all Gong Hao’s handiwork.

Turning, Gong Hao addressed the huddled, trembling servants. “I know you’re surprised and confused, not understanding why I did this. Now I give you the answer. It’s simple—our master…” Gong Hao pointed at Heinz and shouted, “He’s a wolf in human skin! Every month, the servants taken away—do you know where they went? This old bastard used you for experiments! He killed you, harvested your souls, even used the dead to create undead puppets. The flesh golems and demon spirits—they’re all made from your lives!”

“No! Impossible!” The servants cried out in horror.

Canton stared at Gong Hao. “Master Glaire, is it true? All the servants… must die?”

Gong Hao looked at Canton and nodded sadly. “I’m sorry. I’ve tried to study the demon seeds for years. But this old man never shared them. All I know is, each of you has one in your body. When they hatch, you die. I cannot save you.”

Canton trembled. “So, we’re doomed?”

A flash of sorrow crossed Gong Hao’s eyes. He nodded softly. “Yes. I can prevent any more from being created, but I can’t save you. The method I used to remove the soul seed isn’t suitable for you.”

Despair overwhelmed the servants.

“Kill the old bastard!”

“Kill him!”

The servants shouted in unison, surging toward Heinz, whose face twisted with ferocity.

He raised his staff.

A string of cryptic incantations burst forth. The charging servants all stopped, clutching their chests and crying out.

Canton looked to Gong Hao, pleading, “Master Glaire, help me! Something’s inside me!”

Sorrow flickered in Gong Hao’s eyes. He quickly drew a sharp knife and plunged it into Canton’s body.

A shrill scream erupted from within Canton.

“I’m sorry, Canton. This is all I can do for you,” Gong Hao whispered in his ear.

Canton, untrained and helpless, gazed at Gong Hao and slowly collapsed to his knees. He looked down as Gong Hao withdrew the blade and laid open his belly, producing a bloody sphere before him.

Agony swept through Canton, and as life ebbed away, he murmured, “Thank you… Master Glaire.”

He fell.

The awakened demon spirits devoured the servants’ flesh and organs, then crawled free from their bodies. Though newly spawned and weak, dozens of them were still formidable.

Heinz muttered an incantation, and thick green vines wrapped him in a protective cocoon. Deprived of their target, the demon spirits turned their greedy, bloodthirsty eyes on Gong Hao.

“In the name of the pact, let the wind’s protection be everywhere, the wind’s counterattack unstoppable… Vortex of the Wind!”

With a flurry of incantations, Gong Hao summoned a whirling cyclone of razor-sharp winds around him. Any who dared attack would be flayed alive.

For a moment, the demon spirits hesitated, unsure which side to attack first.

Heinz watched Gong Hao in amazement. “The Vortex of the Wind? Shuey Glaire, you astound me! Not only did you steal soul magic, you’ve already become a formal wind mage? Incredible—I don’t recall you having so much time to train. How could you master two schools of magic?”

“There are many things you can’t imagine, old man. And for that, you have only yourself to thank,” Gong Hao replied coolly.

“Is that so? But with your meager abilities, you still won’t escape the fate of being devoured by demon spirits! Even as a dual mage, you’re just a novice!” Heinz raised his staff for a fatal blow.

“Pity I disagree,” Gong Hao sneered. “Perhaps you should taste it first.”

Another string of arcane words flowed from Gong Hao’s lips.

Heinz hesitated, suddenly feeling something writhing inside him.

He stared at Gong Hao in disbelief. “You! What did you do to me?”

Gong Hao shrugged. “Remember the demon dragon in the central area? I thought it fitting you experience what your victims suffered, so I took some soul seeds from that dragon and secretly planted them in you as well. Now, feel your organs being devoured by demon spirits. It’s what you deserve.”

“No!” Heinz screamed in madness.

He frantically summoned his power, trying to halt the growth of the seed, and fumbled for potions from his pouch.

Gong Hao looked at Heinz with sorrow and pity. “Don’t waste your effort. The seed in you is different. I changed the incantations and added something special. It’s beyond your knowledge and your potions.”

“What did you do to me?!” Heinz howled.

“Nothing much. Just a little experiment with your body—just as you’ve done to others. Didn’t you notice the demon spirits you just spawned?”

Heinz looked in shock. The newborn demon spirits were already staggering, unable to stand.

Soon, they collapsed, vomiting blood and dying.

“My god, how did you do it?”

“It’s simple. For newborns, their resistance is weakest. A little toxin solves everything. And the source is the soul seed inside you. I told you, it’s unique—made just for you. For now, it only works on demon spirits’ young, but soon I’ll have a poison for all of them. The demon army you and your nation rely on will be no more.”

“No!” Heinz cried in despair.

The specially planted seed devoured his organs; even a master mage could not resist harm from within.

With the loss of his magic, all the vines vanished. Heinz collapsed, eyes wide to the sky.

A formidable mage, he could have defeated Gong Hao in a fair fight. But he died instead from Gong Hao’s cunning and his own arrogance.

Gong Hao gazed at Heinz’s corpse, an edge of sorrow in his eyes.

“Shuey, Shuey! Spare me, please! I know I was wrong, don’t kill me!” Not far away, Andrew ran toward him, shouting.

The Demon God had slaughtered all his puppet warriors and continued its rampage.

Seeing Heinz’s tragic demise, Andrew abandoned all pride and dignity.

He watched a demon spirit crawl from Heinz’s corpse and die, understanding everything.

Falling to his knees, Andrew kowtowed desperately. “Shuey, Shuey, help me! Please remove the soul seed!”

“You know I can’t, Lord Andrew,” Gong Hao replied, eyes full of pity.

That honorific “Lord” was filled with irony.

“Oh, no, no! Shuey, if you can’t, at least don’t say the incantation. Let it slumber. I have medicines to control it. Give me time, I can solve this!”

“There’s no longer any need. The castle is gone, Heinz is dead. This island is free again. No other youths will come to suffer as we did. For you, there’s only just retribution… Sorry, I must kill you, Lord Andrew. I know you were kind to me, but I must do this.”

Gong Hao smiled. “Remember what you once told me? You said: servants may not always do as told. They’ll shirk, play tricks, think themselves clever. If you believe giving orders means things are done, you’re sorely mistaken… Lord Andrew, you were absolutely right. I never forgot those words. Now is the time to prove their truth.”

Andrew looked at Gong Hao in utter despair.

“No, Shuey, I beg you, spare me.”

“Spare you? How shall I answer to Fink, Biller, Sither, and the others? Who spared them? Did you ever feel pity when they begged you for mercy?”

“I’ll teach you all my master’s alchemy—all the magical inscriptions, weapon enchantments, scrolls, and advanced puppet techniques! Everything I know! Isn’t that what you always wanted?”

“Sorry, I no longer need to learn those from you,” Gong Hao replied coldly.

In his hand were Electra’s journal and Heinz’s life’s work.

The ruined castle finally fell silent.

The tower, once a symbol of status and glory, collapsed at last under the Demon God’s relentless assault. Its magical shield spent, it crashed to the ground. The Demon God, its soul energy exhausted, returned to eternal slumber.

All was over.

Heinz was dead, Andrew was dead, the apprentices and servants were dead, even the puppet warriors and demon spirits were gone.

On this land, save for the magical beasts who once ruled the island, no outsiders would remain.

The ground was awash with blood and torn flesh, the stench of rot and decay so thick it could choke a man.

Gong Hao stood alone in the center of the ruined castle, gazing around him, heart heavy with desolation.

Once, this place had been the Lancelot Empire’s beacon of hope. Now, it was nothing but rubble.

All evil purged, it was time to embrace new life.

From his ring, he drew a vial of potion.

Pouring some into his palm, he rubbed it evenly over his head.

His golden hair quickly turned black.

He shed his alchemist’s apprentice robe, casting it aside, and donned ordinary clothes before hurrying to the lakeside.

From his spatial ring, he drew a set of energy crystals, arranging them in the formation sequence. Gong Hao stepped onto the teleportation array.

Just as he was about to activate it, a frantic barking echoed in the distance.

A little black dog darted from the forest, bounding toward Gong Hao with excitement, licking and nuzzling him.

“Asahi? How are you here?” Gong Hao exclaimed in delight.

He noticed a leaf bound to the little dragon’s back, a message from the female dragon.

“Shuey Glaire, I know everything that happened in the castle—the Firebirds told me. You did well, and I’m grateful for all you’ve done. Asahi is free now, and her spirit was never meant to stay on Purgatory Isle. I sent her to find you. Take her with you; she won’t burden you and will be a great companion. Remember to treat my child well. —Lita.”

Setting the leaf down, Gong Hao hugged the little dragon. “Asahi, will you come with me?”

The little one nodded enthusiastically, though puzzled by Gong Hao’s new black hair.

Gong Hao laughed happily. “Alright, then, let’s go together.”

Suddenly, two piercing cries rang out above. Two great birds with flaming red wings circled overhead.

Red and Green.

Gong Hao’s heart stirred. He called out, “Do you want to come too? Let’s adventure, travel, and see the wonders of the world together!”

Red and Green answered with blazing flames launched skyward.

Then, in an instant, they shrank and perched upon Gong Hao’s shoulders.

Glancing back once at the distant castle and the lingering smoke, Gong Hao smiled contentedly. “Well then, everyone’s here. Let’s leave this damned place together!”