Shepherding Humanity

Xu Zhi checked Yusean's profile again.

"She has a high IQ but is antisocial and withdrawn. While she’s revered as a genius, she has a secret she keeps hidden from the world: She’s a big fan of tragic villains."

Xu Zhi took a sip of tea. "She’s the kind of person who doesn't side with the heroic protagonists when watching movies and TV shows. She would rather self-insert into the tragic villains instead and desperately cheer them on."

Grantham was a great and just man.

But this person was completely different. She was a radical who dreamed of becoming an infamous villain.

"What a maidenly dream." Xu Zhi bit down on his apple. "So you want to become the next Medusa?"

……

At this moment, Yusean was biding her time.

She hid in the interplanar passage and watched as those loony players reformed the Evil God Cthulhu. After they had left, striding over mountains and rivers, she discreetly led her Rubik’s Cube species out of the passage.

She was a rectangular creature that was essentially a dark red iron brick. It was even harder for her species to move around than those Slimes which were round and had strong “ahoges” to propel them forward by hitting the ground.

Naturally, she had considered this when evolving her species and had come up with a solution. She quickly lined up her subordinates and made the ones behind bite down on a brick corner of the ones in front, forming a “snake” made of square blocks like the one in the “Snake and Apples” game. This allowed them to quickly slither around.

She glanced at the towering giant in the distance, then sneakily left in a different direction. "I've memorized the map. First, I’ll head to the island prison of Karlson and rescue Charlotte whose magic has been sealed."

While slithering along, she murmured: "Since I’m shaped like a box, I’ll go by the name of Pandora in this world."

"I am Pandora's Box! I contain within me all the world’s disasters. I am misfortune, I am deceit, I am the plague, I am terror, I am the source of all evil… She who opens me will gain supreme power."

She happily continued: "Charlotte, I can’t wait for you to open Pandora’s Box so that I could share my power with you."

……

The Kingdom of Babylon, year 805.

Grantham’s 100 days of mourning had gone by, and trouble was stirring. In the Academies and Magic Sects, there were many voices raised in protest, refusing to recognize Ermin as the next ruler.

After all, each of the previous monarchs had only gained their position after bathing in the blood of their enemies.

But in less than three days, Ermin had put them in their place. Garbed in her alchemical bio-armor, she had the power of an Epic Seventh Level and quickly suppressed all dissent.

However, on that day, Gorgon Island violently trembled, and the sea churned.

"I'm back."

A woman dressed in witches robes walked out, leisurely strolling through the sky as she headed towards the Kingdom of Babylon.

She was the terrifying being who had reigned over the ancient Age of Darkness, the fabled monster used to scare children to sleep in the past hundreds of years. She was the forbidden figure of legends feared by all. Now that the Emperor of Alchemy was no longer there to keep her in check, she had finally returned.

"Flower of Death!"

Clouds swirled in the sky, forming a black rose that blotted out the sun. The entire royal capital of Babylon was covered in shadows.

"The Empress of Death, Medusa!"

With a solemn expression, Ermin stepped out to face her.

Ermin’s unique magic, which used vibrations to control sound waves, was tricky and difficult to defend against. Though she was barely at the Epic Level after putting on her alchemical armor, she could put up a good fight against the mighty Medusa. 

However, after half a day’s struggle, she still lost in the end.

"Grantham had quite the disciple. To think that you managed to injure me…" Medusa expressed her surprise after spitting out a mouthful of blood. Then she turned and left, declaring thus: "Ermin, I will not kill you. I'll simply reclaim my mountaintop Kingdom of Roses. Like with Lilith back then, I’ll let you rule the Kingdom of Babylon, but you'll have to provide me with men on a regular basis. "

Medusa’s temperament was the same as ever.

She would always give her opponent the opportunity to grow stronger because she desired a mighty foe.

Like how she had broken into the Epic Seventh Level when the Emperor of Alchemy had pushed her to the brink of death back then, she now needed someone to pressure her so that she could break through her human limits and reach the level of a demigod.

"I’ve lost." Ermin smiled bitterly. The Dark Age has returned once again.

In less than thirty years, Medusa had regained control over the Kingdom of Roses and evil witches ruled the world once again.

Wanted witches who violated the Three Great Commandments could now openly walk the streets and no longer had to hunt men while lurking in the shadows.

Today, like any other day, Medusa was sitting in her palace with her eyes half-closed. "Back then, I was an ambitious and arrogant woman who stood on this world's summit. But now, I only want to reach the level of a demigod and gain immortality. I know better than anyone that my era, the era of Evil Witches has passed. I’m only trying to pressure Ermin into becoming stronger."

"Ermin, you’re still lacking. Will you be able to reach the next level and help me breakthrough?"

Medusa took a deep breath.

She had already demanded that Ermin hand over the potion Grantham used to gain a third bloodline, but was informed that it was all gone.

This was only natural. After all, Ermin had known that Medusa would be returning soon. And it was also true that these forbidden potions have all been used up. Back then, the Emperor of Alchemy had wasted all of the remaining Phoenix’s Blood on the Seven Little Witches who were all extremely untalented.

And the last portion was given to his apprentice, Ermin.

"To brew the forbidden potion of ascension, we’ll need to use Phoenix’s Blood as a base, but hundreds of years have passed and the Phoenix is no longer in its infancy. It’s gone beyond the Epic Level and has reached the Demigod Level; in this world, it is now invincible. As a matter of fact, back then, after having lived his second life, the Emperor of Alchemy had tried to get some more Phoenix’s Blood but was grievously injured by the demigod Phoenix."

Medusa frowned and quietly continued. "Does this mean that I’ll have to slay a god if I want to become a god? No, I do not necessarily have to follow in his footsteps and use a potion to ascend. If I do so, won’t it prove that I’m completely inferior to him?"

At the end of the day, Medusa was an extremely proud woman. "If the Emperor of Alchemy could blaze his own path to ascension, then who says I can't do the same?"

At this time, she received a message from outside.

"One of the Rose Witches’ alchemical workshops located on the west side of the Balchik Mountain Range, close to the desert, had been attacked by an unknown party. We’ve lost all contact with them."

Medusa was unconcerned. She believed the culprits to be nothing more than rebelling orthodox witches, and left the matter to her subordinates.

A few more hours passed.

"The Fourth-Level mages who went to investigate the scene all went crazy. They must have seen something truly horrifying and ran away in a panic. They bled from their eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, dying from excessive blood loss. It was an extremely miserable scene."

"They died instantly? What kind of horrifying thing did they see? Interesting, this is really interesting." Empress Medusa sat on her throne, frowning while lightly tapping her fingertips. The witch ministers standing below her did not dare to make a single sound.

Another day passed.

A Sixth-Level Legendary Evil Witch was sent out to investigate. She too went mad in an instant, and was wandering around in a stupor when a passing-by witch found her.

As the first person to come back alive, she was brought back to the Palace of Roses. She must have seen something extremely horrifying; her hair was disheveled and her eyes erratic. She had completely lost her mind.

"There are no injuries or traces of battle. Macbeth is a Legendary Witch, one of the strongest beings in the world, how could this have happened?"

"To think that even a Sixth-Level Legendary Witch…"

"What exactly did she see!??"

In the Rose Palace, all the witch ministers looked terrified. Fear and tension such as they’ve never felt before began to spread through the royal court.

The oldest and strongest human emotion is fear, and the oldest and strongest fear is the fear of the unknown.

When one stood at the entrance to a yawning abyss, it was only natural for most people to turn away when faced with the dark unknown. Yet, it was also natural to be filled with a desire for exploration.

Fear was both tragic and alluring.

"We must investigate this!"

"Mages are eternal seekers of truth!"

While many witches felt afraid, they were also excited to explore the unknown.

"Macbeth has gone mad, and it’s uncertain if she could be cured." Medusa took a deep breath. "However, I can find out what happened to her by reading her memories."

Medusa's palm gently caressed Macbeth's forehead, and a hazy memory slowly emerged.

Deep within a forest.

Macbeth was in the middle of her investigation when suddenly, the hazy form of a terrifying creature that towered above the clouds appeared before her. With that single glance, her mind broke down. It was a lifeform on a level far beyond her understanding. A jumble of words spoken in an alien language filled her mind. And thus, the Legendary Witch went mad.

A single glance was all it took…

*Cough!*

Even though she saw only a memory of this scene, Medusa’s face turned pale. Fear permeated the depths of her very being, she didn’t want to die.

She hurriedly bit down on her lips to shock herself awake.

"Empress Medusa!"

Her retainers nervously cried out. She was suffering a backlash just from the memory of what had happened?

"I'm fine."

Medusa slowly lowered herself back onto her throne, but a trace of fear lingered on her face.

"I couldn’t even make out its shape in that memory! What did it look like? A black mist? A clump of dark green mud? I couldn’t tell at all! You cannot look directly at it! You cannot describe it! It’s an existence that cannot be observed by human beings! Because the moment you look at it, your brain would break down from the strain!"

An unfathomable lifeform that cannot be seen or heard, huh?

Medusa pondered for a moment, recalling what she just heard. She had felt as if an ancient primeval evil had whispered directly into her ears. It was a horrifying jumble of words, spoken in a dark and twisted alien language:

"Wow, someone is here again!"

"She's a beauty! Yosh! Hello, pretty lady!"

"Huh? Why did she start to vomit blood the moment she appeared? Is she having a nervous breakdown? Why is she frantically running away after seeing us?"

"Could it be that we talk too much?"

"F*ck! I think it’s because we’re too ugly! This is all because of Akina’s Speedster’s distorted aesthetics!"

"Guys, I'm tired. How much longer until we reach the desert? Do we have to go to the desert to beat up the Phoenix BOSS, and get its blood for Ermin as a meeting gift?"

….

*Cough!*

When Medusa heard these chaotic voices, she couldn't help but cough up blood.

What the hell is this?

Is this its unique characteristic?

She had a terrified look on her face. "How could its thoughts be this chaotic? This creature is a natural disaster! This jumble of words that it’s constantly emitting… Is it some kind of spiritual curse?"