A world polluted by evil gods (4): “He is cute, isn’t he?”

Si Qi didn’t understand why Chu Feng was suddenly nervous.

Thirteen years ago, Si Qi had suddenly transmigrated into this body. At the time, he didn’t know his past identity, nor why he had come here—he only clearly understood one thing: he was here to save the world.

Along with his awakening came the memories left behind by this body, spanning from the original owner’s birth to their death at the age of eighteen.

Age five marked a particularly significant turning point in the original owner’s life. On that day, weak and sickly since birth, he pleaded with his parents and older brother to take him out for an outing. His family, loving and indulgent, couldn’t bear to deny him and put aside their work to accompany him to a countryside estate.

Unexpectedly, the harmonious family outing turned into a tragedy when they encountered a wild forbidden object. The parents and brother died gruesomely in front of the original owner’s eyes. Protected at the center by all of them, he was the only one who survived—by fulfilling the rules set by the forbidden object. He had to trample over the corpses of his loved ones to forcibly contain it, barely escaping with his life.

Forbidden objects were creations of evil gods, spawned to pollute the world. Anyone who contained a forbidden object would be constantly plagued by chaos and madness, losing their sanity, growing extreme, and ultimately going insane.

A child who had just witnessed the violent deaths of his family couldn’t possibly resist such psychological corruption. Yet countless people coveted the Marquis’ vast estate and schemed to seize the fortune left to the frail orphan, stripping him of the last treasures his family had left behind.

At just five years old, the original owner experienced overwhelming malice from the world. He was consumed with hatred, filled with a desire to destroy everything. His rage became uncontrollable, and he ultimately became a slave to the forbidden object, killing all those who had wronged him.

At that time, few people even knew such things as forbidden objects existed. So for a long while, no one suspected the sickly child, too ill to even run freely, of being the cause.

The original owner continued to feed the forbidden object in his possession, growing increasingly adept at killing. He used it to capture more forbidden objects, surrendering himself fully to evil and becoming a symbol of death and chaos.

Because of his actions, the once peaceful world rapidly crumbled—wherever he went resembled a scene from the apocalypse.

By the time he turned eighteen, hardly one living soul remained in the empire. Then, a strange individual suddenly appeared. Their face was hidden, their identity completely unknown, and without warning, they launched an attack.

Attacks like this had become routine for the original owner in recent years. At first, he didn’t take them seriously. But during the fight, he realized that the opponent’s powers were bizarre—completely different from those of forbidden objects. The unfamiliar system suppressed his own abilities, placing him at a severe disadvantage.

Realizing he couldn’t win, he decisively chose to self-destruct. The immense evil power within him surged into the sky and earth, scattering countless deadly forbidden objects across the world, bringing despair and disaster to many places.

That strange man, despite his mysterious powers, couldn’t stop it. He could only watch helplessly as the world descended into even greater misery, eventually being completely devoured by the evil gods.

In a way, the destruction of the world was largely the original owner’s doing.

That’s why, when Si Qi transmigrated into this world, he made a different choice during the trip to the estate with the original owner’s family: he pretended to be sick as soon as they arrived. His parents were wracked with guilt, blaming themselves for dragging their frail son on such a long journey and making him suffer.

The adults stayed by Si Qi’s side all day, carefully tending to him, and never went to the place where the forbidden object had originally appeared.

It wasn’t until deep into the night, when his “illness” had finally stabilized and his parents and brother had gone to rest, that Si Qi quietly left his room. He made his way to the location from his memories where the forbidden object had emerged, forcibly contained it, and threatened it into obeying his commands.

Forbidden objects were intelligent and knew how to bully the weak while fearing the strong. Seeing how familiar this person was with its rules and weaknesses, and how his will was so firm that he couldn’t be tempted, it quickly gave in and surrendered.

And so, man and object began a path of conquest—destroying all who stood in their way. In just a few years, they had successively contained dozens of forbidden objects that were destined to appear and plunge the world into chaos, saving countless lives that would have otherwise perished in those disasters.

However, as time went on, the frequency of forbidden object appearances grew. Si Qi alone could no longer keep up. He began to actively seek out capable individuals, entrusted them with sealed objects that had already been contained, and had them act separately to solve problems across the globe.

More and more people joined his cause and learned the truth about the evil gods’ invasion. They gradually formed a disciplined army.

At the same time, many more people suffered from unimaginable tragedies—becoming orphans or wanderers.

Most of them joined the army without hesitation once they learned of its existence. Even knowing they lacked the strength to wield a sealed object, and would remain peripheral members kept in the dark. Even understanding that containing forbidden objects often required human lives as a cost, and that joining meant living under the constant threat of death—

They didn’t care.

They simply believed that if their life could be the price to fight back against the thing that killed their loved ones—if they could ensure those horrors would be forever locked away underground, never again able to harm a single person—then they were willing to go all out and fight to the death.

The adults who passed selection joined the army. The children, with their futures ahead of them, were placed in orphanages founded by Si Qi—places where they could still have a happy childhood, even after tragedy.

These seemingly ordinary and peaceful orphanages were actually the direct training grounds for the temple army. The children were not told the truth. Only those with exceptional potential would be chosen, undergo evaluations, and be granted a sealed object to become a part of Si Qi’s forces—devoting their lives to peace.

It could be said that this was an organization free of any selfish interest, existing solely to save the world.

Its members were scattered across the globe, in every field and social class. Perhaps the street sweeper or the princess in the royal palace was a part of the army. But aside from Si Qi and a few involved parties, no one knew their true identities—or that these vastly different individuals would, at Si Qi’s command, unhesitatingly give their lives for the sole purpose of forging a future for humanity before the apocalypse arrived.

Because of this, on Si Qi’s eighteenth birthday, the empire that should have already been destroyed still stood safe and sound. Although the global population was decreasing at an alarming rate, it wasn’t yet to the point where finding a living person was nearly impossible, as in his memories.

It was all thanks to Si Qi—and the tireless efforts of every member of the temple knights.

When Si Qi first heard the title “Child of the World” from the Mirror of Truth, the first person he thought of was the strange individual who had killed the original owner in his memories. Later, in his search for the whereabouts of the Child of the World, Si Qi scoured the entire world until he finally focused on someone he had accidentally seen when he was eight years old.

At that time, he firmly believed Chu Feng was just a bastard who had used a forbidden object against him. He remained extremely wary, and whenever the night grew quiet and his mind was idle, he would involuntarily recall Chu Feng’s appearance. This deeply frustrated him—he thought Chu Feng was hateful, yet he could never catch any evidence of him using a forbidden object.

Eventually, when Si Qi began to suspect that Chu Feng might actually be the Child of the World, he belatedly realized that perhaps the reason he had fixated on Chu Feng so much was because he had seen him once in his past memories—knew he was the one who would save the world and end the original owner’s life.

Because of that, even now, Si Qi still didn’t fully understand what this particular obsession with Chu Feng meant. Meanwhile, Chu Feng, due to a power he had suddenly acquired, saw that when Si Qi said, “I like him very much,” the monster behind him didn’t flicker—so he was abruptly and unavoidably made aware of the truth.

Of course, even though he knew… he didn’t have the courage to say anything about it…

After realizing that the commander liked him, Chu Feng tensed up, assuming that this was some emotion every “enforcer” would inevitably feel toward him. He certainly didn’t welcome the idea of the commander doing this or that to him, and then swallowing him whole.

So, he kept quiet, neither reacting nor speaking.

Si Qi glanced at Chu Feng, certain that—since Chu Feng wanted to maintain good relations with him, the marquis’ son—he wouldn’t just casually leave the orphanage. Feeling reassured, he left Chu Feng there to look after the children and called Igor to continue handling affairs with him.

Igor was one of the few people who had known Si Qi from very early on and was aware of his true identity. Many matters that weren’t suitable to delegate to others were entrusted to Igor to handle—he was one of Si Qi’s most trusted subordinates.

“Senator Will has been acting strangely lately,” Igor reported to Si Qi. “He’s secretly sending people to search for vagrants and orphans. Everyone who’s been taken into his backyard has vanished.”

Si Qi asked, “What’s your theory?”

Igor replied, “If it were just sadistic killings or some other perversion, there would at least be bodies. But there are no traces left in the backyard at all.”

Si Qi nodded. “Send someone to investigate him. If it’s a forbidden object, contain it immediately. If it’s not, hand him over to the parliament and let them deal with it. Let my brother know—he’s been looking for a reason to kick this guy out of office.”

Knowing how much Si Qi cared about his family, Igor was more than happy to take this on himself—hoping it might earn him more of Si Qi’s favor. “Understood, Young Master. I’ll handle this personally.”

As expected, Si Qi looked at Igor, and his tone softened from its usual cold and businesslike demeanor. With a faint smile, he said, “You always put my mind at ease.”

“It’s an honor to serve you,” Igor replied gently, looking at Si Qi with warmth. “Your will is the direction we all follow.”

…

As an orphan who had genuinely grown up in one of the orphanages, Igor quickly became a target once he made contact with those involved. Late at night, he was drugged and kidnapped to a villa in the countryside.

Once he arrived and was assumed unconscious, Igor suddenly sprang into action and knocked out the group of kidnappers. After searching the backyard where the orphans and vagrants had been held, he found little evidence and instead snuck into the main building—into the senator’s bedroom.

The senator, startled awake to find someone standing by his bed, quickly gave himself away. He reached under his pillow for a pipe and tried to shove it into his mouth, but Igor kicked him across the room. His large body slammed into the wall with a loud crash—yet strangely, none of the guards in the villa reacted.

Groaning in pain, the senator howled, “Who the hell are you?!”

Igor casually caught the pipe midair, toyed with it in his palm, and said calmly, “A Knight of the Temple.”

The senator clearly recognized the name of this infamous organization. His face contorted in fear, and his voice trembled, “I—I didn’t…”

Igor cut him off. “Tell me how this forbidden object works. And know this—you don’t want to find out what happens to those who lie to me.”

“I don’t know anything about any forbidden object—AAAAAAAH!!!”

The senator’s pupils contracted as he watched his finger fall cleanly from his hand, screaming in agony.

Even though he’d seen forbidden objects devour people with mystical powers before, it was a completely different experience to have something like that happen to himself. He was utterly broken.

Igor’s expression remained calm and friendly, as if he were just chatting with an old friend. He leaned back comfortably on a single-seater sofa and asked, “Where did you get this forbidden object?”

“I… I…” The senator was sweating profusely, his round face soaked. He looked at the boy in front of him with horror, instinctively trying to lie, but the fear of the “rules” he sensed from Igor’s power made him keep silent instead.

Igor didn’t rush him. He knew the power of the sealed object he carried—it would make anyone who heard a question uncontrollably open their mouth to answer.

Sure enough, the senator’s sly expression began to crumble. Overwhelmed by a compulsion to confess, he hurriedly covered his mouth and blurted out in fear, “It’s The Omniscient Church! They gave me this sacred item!”

“Senator, is this how you repay our kindness?” A sudden voice echoed through the room, startling both of them.

Without hesitation, Igor reached for his sealed object and turned to attack—only for his body to freeze in place. He could only watch as a robed figure approached step by step, speaking with an almost pleased tone: “Who would’ve thought such a fat fish could be hooked by a mere senator. I know you, ‘Mr. Honesty.’ The sacred object in your hand has caused countless believers to betray our god and leak church secrets. Who could have imagined we’d encounter you on such a lovely evening—surely this is a sign from the great deity guiding us.”

Igor’s expression was tense, and his heart slowly sank.

The man used the gentlest tone to perform the cruelest acts. He took out a small knife and casually pried open the pipe Igor was clutching tightly in his palm. Blood and shredded flesh fell to the floor, giving the official watching a perverse sense of satisfaction.

The man then ran his hands over Igor’s body, searching repeatedly, and finally found an object that resembled a forbidden object.

It was a gavel, commonly seen in courtrooms—small, yet exuding an air of solemn authority. The longer one stared at it, the heavier their mood became, triggering uncontrollable recollections of their past mistakes.

The man stroked the sealed object as if caressing the soft skin of a lover—cherishing and coveting it—then said to Igor, “Alright, Mr. Honesty. Now comes the judgment phase. Please maintain your fine habit of honesty, and tell me—who is the commander of the Temple Knights?”

Igor remained expressionless.

He knew better than anyone what the effects of the Truth Gavel were. It compelled anyone being questioned to speak their true thoughts within fourteen seconds.

There were only two ways to avoid this: one was to die in advance; the other was to lie.

But this man clearly wasn’t going to let him die so easily. Even if he was left with only a breath of life, the man would find ways to keep him alive—until he had squeezed out every piece of valuable information from Igor’s mind.

So, Igor took a deep breath and said, “I don’t know.”

Thud. A soft sound, so light it was like an egg falling gently to the ground.

The official beside them, clutching his severed finger in agony, stared at the boy whose finger had just dropped but didn’t even blink. Rage flared in his chest.

The calmer Igor looked, the more it enraged him. He wanted to see this wretched boy howl in pain, to suffer the cruelest tortures the world could offer. He shouted, “Whose orders are you following to come after me?!”

Igor replied, “I don’t know.”

The official was about to ask another question, but the man caught on and snapped, “Shut up! Do you want him to die?!”

Igor smiled brightly—a sunny, radiant smile that sent a chill through the official’s heart and filled him with inexplicable fear.

“I don’t,” Igor said cheerfully.

Lying came with increasing consequences. Offending the authority of the Truth Gavel meant accumulating sins for each lie—and receiving increasingly severe punishment.

The first lie cost a finger. The second lie cost two. The third lie—an entire arm.

A slender arm dropped to the floor. Strangely, there was no gush of blood—the severed limb was sealed by some mystical power, preventing even a drop from leaking out.

The Truth Gavel punished sinners but would never allow them to die prematurely. No matter how severe the torment, death would only come after the judgment was complete.

But if Igor lost his tongue, his vocal cords, and all organs capable of revealing secrets, he would no longer need to fear betraying the god he held dear in his heart.

The man realized what Igor was trying to do and grew furious. He didn’t dare ask another question—doing so would let Igor succeed in his plan.

But the official, filled with hatred, wasn’t as cautious.

He both feared and loathed the boy. Just seeing Igor’s smiling face filled him with terror. In a panicked rage, he screamed, “You think dying will make this go away? I’ll find the person you care about most—torture them, slaughter them—and make sure you’ll never find peace even in hell!”

Igor chuckled, bright and cheerful. “I don’t have anyone I care about most.”

The official watched in horror as Igor’s skin suddenly vanished, leaving him standing like a skinless demon. The sight was unbearable. Trembling, he whispered, “You’re lying!”

Damn it—did this guy not feel pain? He had nearly gone mad just from losing a single finger!

Igor seemed to realize something from that outburst. Speaking rapidly, he said, “I’m not lying. I’m cruel. I’m savage. I hate this world. I despise everything beautiful. I betrayed my faith. I don’t love—”

Before the final sentence could be finished, Igor’s body was suddenly and silently broken down by an invisible force. The man watching turned pale with fury, his whole body trembling.

The senator stood frozen, filled with an indescribable emotion. But instead of facing it, he forced himself to laugh loudly, excitement in his voice: “Excellent! I’ll feed his flesh to the dogs! I’ll toss his head into the Temple Knight’s cathedral, so everyone knows what happens when they cross us!”

“Shut up!” the man snapped, glaring at the senator. The sacred object in his hand trembled violently—as if rejecting him—shaken by what had just happened to the boy. This made him furious.

“The commander of the Temple Knights never lets a grudge go. Do you want him to raze this entire city in revenge?” the man snarled. “Pack up his body and send it back. That’s the only way we might slightly ease his fury.”

The senator was stunned. “You’re all such cowards!”

The man sneered, looking at the senator as if he were already dead. Pity tinged his voice. “You’ll soon understand why I’m doing this.”

The senator shivered uncontrollably.

Si Qi received a blood-soaked corpse.

“Corpse” was putting it generously. What arrived was a shriveled skeleton with some muscle barely clinging to a human shape. The abdomen was sunken and hollow. Internal organs, skin, and limbs had been meticulously arranged beside the body. Even seasoned enforcers, used to terrifying scenes, couldn’t help but gag at the sight—turning away in revulsion.

Si Qi recognized immediately who it was.

The memories of the other person surged endlessly in his mind. Si Qi stepped closer and closer to the table reeking of blood, reached out, and touched the arm that had fallen earliest, its skin still intact. He gripped it tightly.

He didn’t dare imagine how much pain the other person had endured.

What made it even harder to accept was when the enforcer said to Si Qi, “…He’s still alive.”

Even though all his organs and blood were gone, conditions utterly insufficient to sustain life, he was still alive—living in unbearable pain, no longer even human.

Si Qi’s tone held no emotion: “Where is the sealed object from his body?”

The enforcer replied, “It’s gone.”

Si Qi’s gaze turned ice-cold. He understood why Igor had ended up like this. He also understood why Igor was still alive.

Because the judgment wasn’t over.

“Use sealed object B-31 to stop his time. Preserve his body.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Notify Congress. At 7 p.m. tonight, every member must be at the scene on time. I have something to show them,” Si Qi said calmly. “Bring two more people. Move the body for me.”

The enforcer understood instantly.

Chu Feng saw Si Qi again the evening of the day after he left the welfare institute.

The boy appeared calm and no different than usual, but the overwhelming stench of blood emanating from him made Chu Feng wonder just what he had done not long ago, and why the smell clung so persistently.

What made Chu Feng even more uneasy was that the monster, once quiet like a sleeping dragon, now exuded a dark aura. Its bloodthirsty and berserk form made its anger unmistakably clear to any observer. It roared and howled, the sound tinged with invisible sorrow that made listeners feel unsettled.

Seeing the monster express such rich emotion, Chu Feng came to a sudden realization: perhaps the things floating behind each person were manifestations of their souls. For ordinary people, they were faint and pure; for the corrupted, a murky black; and for enforcers who had merged with their sealed object, they were condensed darkness. But this person…

He seemed too deeply tainted by that realm, transforming himself into a demon—silently guarding a world that no longer welcomed him.

Now, the demon was howling in rage. Had something unbearable happened to him to make him this way?

Chu Feng stared at the boy, who gave him a small smile. “Brother Chu, it’s late. You haven’t gone to bed yet?”

Chu Feng carefully studied his expression. There were no flaws. The mask on his face had long since fused with his very being, making it impossible to show his true self. Only the depths of his eyes were numb and profound, which pained Chu Feng now that he knew the truth.

For a moment, an indescribable impulse rose in Chu Feng’s chest. He walked up to the boy and gently hugged him, trying to offer comfort through his actions, and said, “Are you okay? You look like you’re in pain.”

The boy showed rare surprise and quietly leaned into Chu Feng’s embrace, allowing himself a moment of escape. After a while, he chuckled softly and said, “What are you talking about, Brother? I’m fine!”

Chu Feng didn’t know how to respond. “But…”

“What are you doing?!” A furious voice exploded from upstairs. Si Qi’s older brother roared, “Let go of my brother!”

Chu Feng quickly released him and tried to explain, “I…”

“I felt a little dizzy just now. Brother Chu helped me stay upright,” Si Qi said, lifting his head toward his brother. “Brother, where are you going?”

Hearing the explanation, his brother couldn’t hide a hint of delight and chuckled, “Something happened in Congress. I’m going to deal with it.”

“Thanks for your hard work, Brother. Be careful on the way,” Si Qi responded considerately.

“Good boy.” The young man affectionately patted the boy’s head, shot a wary glance at Chu Feng, and said with zero apology, “Sorry about earlier, Mr. Chu.”

Chu Feng said, “…It’s okay.”

Thinking back, his actions had indeed been impulsive.

Not only could it have exposed something, but the monster behind the boy hadn’t calmed down at all. Instead, it was now staring at him even more terrifyingly. Being targeted by such a beast was incredibly stressful, and he didn’t even have the energy to care about the threat from this high-ranking young man.

He only recalled everything later that night, when everything was quiet. That was when the young man returned in a car, followed by his subordinates, all visibly excited.

Chu Feng had excellent hearing, so even without trying, he could hear their conversation downstairs in the study.

“Haha, that Will died so miserably. They say his empty skeleton was hung in the Congress hall for everyone to see! Did anyone notice the expression on his skull? Tsk tsk tsk… I really wonder what horrifying thing he saw before he died!”

“Who was so powerful that they could gather all the congressmen this late at night? Eh, whoever it was, we should thank them!”

“Now that Will’s dead, Mr. Si can ascend without obstacles!”

The group buzzed with discussion. Lying in bed, Chu Feng rolled over, his thoughts racing. Had the marquis’s eldest son risen so quickly because of help from the Legion Commander? Was this horrifying event his doing?

Then, a familiar scent of blood drifted in with the night wind through the window. His body tensed. Just as he was about to speak, a pair of hands tightly covered his eyes and mouth. A hoarse, deep voice whispered, “Don’t move.”

It was Si Qi.

Chu Feng’s tension eased instantly. In a low voice, he said, “…Are you the one who saved me last time?”

The person behind him said nothing.

Chu Feng continued, “I remember your voice.”

Only then did the person behind him hum softly in acknowledgment.

Using the gentlest voice he could, Chu Feng asked, “Did something happen?”

Silence.

A deathly stillness.

The man simply held him tightly, burying his head in Chu Feng’s shoulder. After a long, long time, he finally said, “What kind of power is it that you have?”

Why did it make him feel so safe? Just seeing it made him relax uncontrollably, instinctively wanting to rely on it.

That power was terrifying—one that made Si Qi, who habitually dissected every emotion with reason and caution, fearful it could be used against him through forbidden objects.

He didn’t want to indulge in that feeling, but he also longed deeply to touch it.

Especially after he had nearly lost an important companion.

Chu Feng hesitated. “I don’t know what power I have…” He only felt like his vision and hearing had improved a bit, nothing more.

It was a flimsy explanation. Fortunately, the person behind him didn’t seem to mind his uncertainty and just held him quietly, not letting him move or open his eyes—domineering and forceful, as if controlling everything was the only way he could feel safe.

Chu Feng thought for a moment and said, “But I want to help you.”

Si Qi’s body moved slightly.

When Chu Feng said this, he didn’t really believe he could be much help. He thought of himself as a minor, insignificant figure with limited capability.

But Si Qi didn’t think that way. He recalled the intelligence he had extracted from that congressman—how the one who nearly killed his friend was the Omniscient Church. He also remembered the unusual interest that same church had shown in Chu Feng just days ago, and Chu Feng’s identity as the “Child of the World.”

So, the cold and ruthless Legion Commander said, “From tomorrow on, stay by my side.”

Chu Feng’s heart tightened at first, then slowly relaxed. The heavy weight he had felt was suddenly gone, as if he had finally let go of something that had long troubled him.

A moment later, he pursed his lips and, somewhat awkwardly, asked, “Then… can you let me go? I won’t run.”

Being tightly hugged from behind by another man all night wasn’t exactly the most pleasant experience.

Si Qi tightened his grip and said coldly, “You’re not in a position to bargain with me.”

“…Alright then.”

Chu Feng replied dryly.

As he spoke, he noticed the boy’s soul showing a contented and satisfied expression. Its wings wrapped tightly around him like a dragon guarding its treasure—not fierce at all, almost a little cute, and it nearly made Chu Feng forget to feel scared.

By the next morning, the cold and domineering Legion Commander still hadn’t let him go, using Chu Feng as a body pillow the entire night.

When the guest room door was knocked on, the Legion Commander stood hidden from view inside the room while the sweetly smiling boy stood at the door and said to Chu Feng, “Brother Chu, time for breakfast.”

Chu Feng looked at that face, feeling momentarily confused, then smiled and said okay. After closing the door, he turned to the Legion Commander standing with arms crossed and said, “That’s the young master who took me in. His name is Si Qi.”

Si Qi stayed cold and unresponsive.

Seeing that attitude, Chu Feng, still holding a grudge over last night’s incident, joked recklessly: “He’s cute, isn’t he?”