Chapter 1578
The puppet’s wooden mouth split even wider, cracking at the edges. Thick, black-red blood began to gush out from the widening seam, and it poured in streams that made the sight almost unbearable.
Tiana and Chantelle instinctively drew closer to each other, a bone-deep chill gripping them. A shared, unspoken fear filled the air – something terrible was about to descend.
The puppet chuckled. “Stanley, I’ve waited for… here… in this cursed Underworld Kingdom of the Dead… for 100 years. From the moment they buried me, I knew you’d never let go. Even after all this time, I knew you’d still crave the Elixir of Immortality.”
Stanley shouted, his voice wild with denial. “No! No, you’re not real! You can’t be real! I saw you die – I remember everything! I was there when the Demon Queen forced the arsenic poison down your throat!
“First, you vomited blood, even spitting up your internal organs! Then, you went into convulsions while the light in your eyes gradually dimmed and was replaced by blood red…”
The puppet’s entire body began shaking violently, letting out a malevolent roar that echoed through the chamber. “Why? I treated you as a brother among our people, as my own flesh and blood, only to have you betray me in the end! Why did you hand me over to die?”
The fear drained from Stanley’s face, replaced by a cold, snarling grin. “Why? Simple – because I wanted to live forever. I wanted the Elixir of Immortality, Maximillian. You can’t blame me for that.
“We were just kids – seven years old! But I knew even then what the Elixir meant. It was a miracle, a gift from the heavens to mankind! To drink it was to defy death and become eternal! And even at seven, I couldn’t resist that kind of temptation.”
He sneered and added, “So, of course, you had to die in my place. If you want to hate someone, hate the Demon Queen for being heartless and cruel.”
With a heavy crack, the puppet collapsed onto the floor. Its voice screeched through the air, filled with despair and fury.
“Stanley, I’m going to kill you. I want you to suffer and die in agony from poison just like I did! Why? Why did you do this to me? You don’t deserve eternity – you don’t even deserve to live! I’ve waited for this moment… for 100 years!”
The puppet let out blood-curdling shrieks as more blood continued pouring from its face, though no one could understand where all this blood was coming from. It seemed to appear out of thin air, the thick, viscous blood flowing endlessly from within the puppet’s form.
Gradually, the blood began seeping into the puppet’s eyes, nose, and other facial features, making it look exactly like a desperate, helpless person filled with hatred who wanted revenge but was powerless to achieve it.
“I’ll kill you, Stanley. I must kill you and make you feel the same torment and suffering I endured…”
The puppet’s voice grew weaker but more venomous with each word.
Stanley burst into maniacal laughter that echoed through the tomb like the sound of a madman celebrating his victory.
“Maximillian, even if your vengeful spirit truly still lingers in this world, it’s too bad that after 100 years, you still can’t do anything to me! I was able to kill you back then, and you still can’t touch me now!”
His arrogance knew no bounds as he gloated over his childhood victim. “Look around you – this Underworld Kingdom of the Dead, your eternal resting place, has been conquered by me! Eventually, I’ll follow in my ancestors’ footsteps and conquer your lands, killing people like you…”
He laughed maniacally, madness bursting through every word.
Chantelle could not stand it any longer and gritted her teeth as she spoke to Andrew, “Mr. Lloyd, we have to help him! This scumbag almost fooled us completely with his lies!”
Tiana’s lips trembled as she looked at Andrew. “Andy, the guy on the throne is one of our own Holtrien people. He was just a child when he died all those years ago, and you can see how intense his resentment and hatred still are after all this time!”