Lord of Prayer

Chapter 462: Chapter 294: It Can’t Go Back Anymore

’I am now Lord Siegfried’s slave...’

’His Lordship’s slave...’

’A slave...’

His wife’s unwavering voice echoed in his heart. In that instant, the Sea Monster felt as if he had been struck by lightning. His tens of thousands of Clones froze on the spot like soulless statues, their myriad faces displaying a dazed confusion.

It was just like when he was twelve, the first time he found out his mother was actually his sister.

It was unbelievable. The World felt like it was collapsing.

"No..."

Matthew’s Clones trembled, their bodies shaking slightly as they stared at the Siren. "This isn’t real... This isn’t real..."

The Siren’s face was cold. "It is the truth. I am no longer your wife. Stop pestering me. I’m afraid my master will get the wrong idea."

His wife’s cold, heartless demeanor, and the reverence for Siegfried in her words, became the sharpest of knives, stabbing straight into the Sea Monster’s heart. His vision went black and his spirit fluctuated violently, causing the surrounding area to warp and mutate to varying degrees as grotesque tentacles sprouted everywhere.

The Sea Monster’s mind was a blur; this felt like an unreal Nightmare.

’But they were supposed to be the loves of each other’s lives, who would never, ever betray one another!’

The Advancement ritual required both parties to be truly in love, and it forbade shortcuts like brainwashing, Mind Control, or coercion. The bond had to be built, bit by bit. This had troubled the Sea Monster immensely. He was a cold-blooded, ruthless creature; logically, love was something he would never encounter in his entire life. Yet, the Advancement ritual demanded it. To obtain greater Power and ascend to a higher plane, he could only force himself to try.

However, his countless attempts all ended in failure. The Sea Monster simply didn’t understand love, much less how to feel it for anything or anyone. The only thing he truly loved was Power. Consequently, none of the "girlfriends" he found ever loved him, and he never loved them in return. Just as the Sea Monster, disheartened, was about to give up, he encountered a young Siren Sea Demon.

At the time, while searching the underwater World for a suitable candidate, the Sea Monster stumbled into a war between two oceanic tribes. On one side were the Siren Sea Demons; on the other, the Shrimp Soldiers and Crab Generals, a tribe renowned throughout the ocean for their martial strength.

Not long after the war began, the Siren Sea Demon tribe was nearly annihilated. The law of the jungle was the natural Law of the World, and the Sea Monster had no intention of getting involved. But then, a strange, mournful cry reached his ears, stirring a faint sadness in his heart.

Surprised, the Sea Monster followed the sound and saw a young Siren Sea Demon weeping over the bodies of her companions. She shed not tears, but pearls, which fell in endless strands. Her keening cry seemed to hold some kind of Magic Power, and even the Sea Monster was infected by her grief. Just then, a group of Shrimp Soldiers and Crab Generals discovered them. Annoyed, the Sea Monster annihilated them with a casual flick of his power.

Seeing his immense strength, the young Siren Sea Demon immediately prostrated herself, begging him to intervene. The price she offered was everything she had—herself. The Sea Monster agreed without a second thought. In less than ten minutes, he had obliterated the Shrimp Soldiers and Crab Generals tribe and ended the war. Afterward, he took the young Siren Sea Demon with him, intending to raise her as a sacrifice for his ritual.

The Sea Monster didn’t hide his intentions. He told the young Siren Sea Demon everything right from the start. The young Siren thought for a moment, then swam forward and took one of the Sea Monster’s tentacles in her hands.

"You saved me. My life is yours. If I can help you grow stronger, it would be my greatest honor. I will become your wife and love you with all my heart, until the very end when I am sacrificed to fulfill your greatness."

And so, the Sea Monster and the Siren became husband and wife. After they had been together for over a month, the Sea Monster borrowed an Artifact from Fallen Paradise to measure their emotional progress. The result: the Siren had long since reached one hundred percent. His side, however, remained at zero. He still didn’t know how to love.

Their personalities were polar opposites. The Sea Monster was quiet, cold, and grim. The Siren, however, was surprisingly full of life. Since birth, she had yearned for the mysteries of the deep sea and was always clamoring for the Sea Monster to take her on expeditions into the ocean’s depths.

Furthermore, someone in Fallen Paradise suggested they go traveling, saying it was easier to build an emotional bond through adventure. So, the Sea Monster and the Siren set off.

They roamed the Five Oceans, delved into the Mariana Trench, visited undersea grottoes, reached a Coral Reef Heaven where no one had ever tread, and explored the Lost City hidden in the seas of Darkness...

As time went on, the Sea Monster discovered he was developing strange new feelings for the Siren. He wanted to take care of her, to be close to her, to treat her better. He even considered finding another sacrifice.

Before long, the Sea Monster was certain: it was love.

He would never forget that day. The sun shone brightly on a deserted island, a pleasant sea breeze drifting in from the distance. The Siren sat on a large rock, singing a beautiful ballad in her sweet voice. She turned to him, her brilliant red hair shimmering, and gave him a pure smile in the sunlight.

In that instant, the Sea Monster’s heart skipped a beat. He had fallen completely in love with the young, beautiful, pure, and vibrant Miss Mermaid.

After that, over the course of nearly three years together, they became devoted and steadfast lovers. Betrayal was something they thought could never possibly happen between them.

But now, that precious treasure, as radiant as a pearl, had been stolen away. She had even willingly become another’s lowly slave. The beautiful memories of their past were now covered in a grim filter, and the image of that pure, true-love mermaid shattered, gone forever.