Following Patriot's declaration of "I would ask for nothing better," everyone in the vicinity was stupefied.
"Buldrokas'tee, do you understand what you are saying?" Kashchey turned his head toward him.
"I understand perfectly," Patriot replied, his voice unshakeable. "For decades, I have had enough of the oppression and slaughter brought by Ursus. Did you think a few words would make us stand by your side?"
"No, never!"
He leveled his halberd at Kashchey. "There is a pain greater than death: a life worse than death itself. Every Infected knows this feeling intimately."
"If this country cannot be fundamentally changed, then it is better if we join the doctor and burn Ursus to ash! A clean wasteland of pure white is better than a land riddled with man-eating mines!"
"We're dying anyway," FrostNova added, stepping forward. "So why not take all of you down with us? Why should only the Infected suffer while you noble lords enjoy a lifetime of luxury and wealth?"
Hearing this, the surrounding Infected raised their weapons toward the figure one after another.
Indeed—if they didn't resist, they died in the mines. If they did resist, they were crushed by the Ursus fleet. Why not join the doctor and set all of Ursus ablaze?
"See, Kashchey?" Xia Yu laughed. "They stand with me. They would rather die than leave my side."
"If Ursus acted with even a shred of humanity, who would willingly throw away their life to seek destruction?"
"But your goal isn't destruction." Kashchey fell silent for two seconds before looking up at Xia Yu. "If you truly wanted it, Ursus would already be a sea of fire."
"You are still standing before me. You still want to win a future for them. You are still that knight sealing an evil god within your own body. You haven't yielded to it yet, have you?"
"And my answer?" Xia Yu's face showed no surprise. She knew that against an immortal like the Black Snake, any petty trick would be seen through after the initial shock; he had thousands of years of experience, after all.
Of course, she hadn't planned on relying on tricks to force a compromise anyway.
"One thought leads to heaven, another to hell," Xia Yu said, looking at the flames erupting from her body. "Whether I yield to it depends on the answer from you and Ursus."
"Tell me: can the Infected have a peaceful and quiet future?"
Kashchey fell into a deep silence.
He knew exactly what she was demanding. However, if Ursus lost the Infected—tools so easily exploited—the nation's booming economy would take an immediate hit. It could even become the fuse that triggered a total internal collapse.
But if he didn't compromise... those flames would bloom across the snowfields today. Whether Ursus would even exist tomorrow would be a toss-up.
One option was a slow death; the other was immediate annihilation. Both ran contrary to the Black Snake's designs. He wanted a flourishing, powerful Ursus, not a fractured, decadent ruin.
But did he really have a choice?
Kashchey knew he didn't.
He had to compromise. This was the result of having one's lifeblood held in another's hand. Kashchey—or rather, the Black Snake—could never bear the consequences of losing Ursus.
For the sake of the empire, he had to yield. It was clear this woman had read him perfectly from the start. She had even watched ten warships invade without acting earlier, just so she could use the momentum of their destruction to corner him today.
"You understand me well," he said, looking at the knight wreathed in fire. "You know I can never abandon Ursus. It is my everything. I am the extension of the will of Ursus."
"All you immortals are more or less the same," Xia Yu smiled. "The Kirins are obsessed with choosing heroes; the Tianshi of Yan give everything to protect the common people... the examples are endless. As for you, the undying Black Snake, did you think your existence was a secret? I have a friend who has a very deep impression of you."
"Back when the Khagan's iron hooves ravaged the lands of Ursus, people like you hid in fortresses, not daring to take a single step outside. When you finally had to wag your tails and beg the Nightmare armies for mercy, she recognized you."
"Later, as she and I traveled this land, she told me about you and the stories of the Hippogryphs. You cowards, who once trembled under the Khagan's scimitar—you dare call yourselves an empire now?"
"Who didn't submit under the hooves of Kharanduu Khagan?" Kashchey replied indifferently. "The Nightmare horde crushed the rule of the Hippogryphs, destroyed the courts of the Pegasi, and pressed the heads of the Draco until they knelt. Until they met the King of Kings, they were invincible."
Logically, this wasn't much of a 'dark history.' It wasn't as if he was the only one who had lowered his head. However, she used that history to prove she knew his identity...
"The friend you speak of—is it that woman?" Kashchey asked curiously, testing the waters. "Two hundred years ago, she came seeking Ursus's aid, wanting us to send troops to Kazdel. Ursus refused. Yet, she still gathered the armies of four nations, trampled Kazdel, and slew the Demon King of that generation."
Hearing this, Patriot looked up sharply at Xia Yu.
"Yliš was a mediocre king," Xia Yu answered. "He wanted to change the fate of the Sarkaz but lacked the power. He was thrust onto a throne by the Royal Courts, and the ambitions forced upon him eventually led to his death."
"It seems Ursus made a mistake in refusing her," Kashchey shook his head with a touch of regret. "We should have participated in that war. Perhaps then we wouldn't be so ignorant of you today."
"No need to fish for information," Xia Yu shook her head. "I didn't participate in the siege of Kazdel. If I had entered that battlefield, we likely would have crossed blades."
"You sympathize with the Sarkaz?" Kashchey looked at her, his expression unreadable.
"I sympathize with all who suffer," Xia Yu corrected. "Regardless of race or status."
"But she started that war," Kashchey pressed. "Aren't you friends?"
"Yes, the kind of friends who love and kill each other," Xia Yu gave a brilliant smile. "If she stood on the opposite side of me, I would cut off her head without hesitation. No matter—she'd just come back to life in a few decades anyway."
Xia Yu pulled Kal'tsit out as a shield without the slightest hesitation.
"Enough. We've wandered off-topic long enough. You should have made your choice by now. Do you want to live or die?"
"In principle, Ursus refuses all threats—" Kashchey started to use his official tone, but Xia Yu's expression went cold as she began to transform.
"However, for a powerhouse like yourself, principles can be compromised," he immediately pivoted. "May I ask what your demands are?"
"Demands? My idea is simple." Xia Yu pointed toward the Infected. "I want them to live."
"Oripathy is incurable—"
"I can cure it!"
"There are millions of Infected in Ursus. You, alone—"
"You know that isn't the kind of 'living' I'm talking about," Xia Yu looked at him coldly. "Don't change the subject."
"Fine, fine. You win." Kashchey raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. "But I must state first: I cannot change the overall public opinion of Ursus in a short time."
"Simple. I don't want to see the military attacking them," Xia Yu said. "That is all."
"That is unfair," Kashchey frowned. "Ursus cannot attack them, yet they can raid Ursus mines everywhere—"
"When has Ursus ever talked about fairness with them?" Xia Yu laughed mockingly. "You can't only call for fairness when you're the one facing an injustice. Why didn't I see you valuing those two words before?"
"My requirement is simple: survival. Two words. Can you truly not manage even that? If so, there is no need for Ursus to exist."
"I agree," Kashchey promised hastily, seeing Xia Yu's worsening expression and the active flames around her. "With today's lesson, even the most war-hungry noble won't dare send warships into the snowfields again."
"Good. Second point: you die," Xia Yu nodded and continued.
"Your Excellency... that is a bit much," Kashchey looked up sharply.
"Do you think I don't know? The one called Kashchey is just a part of the Black Snake," Xia Yu said coldly. "I don't trust you lurking inside Talulah. Only if you die does she have a future."
"Choose: Ursus, or your life!"
"...Ursus is my life," Kashchey replied after a long silence.
He had actually expected this. Given her protective stance toward Talulah, she would never tolerate his presence. A knight... he wondered which Draco king she had served, or if she was a Draco monarch of history herself...
Though she lacked outward racial traits, she really could turn into a dragon. If one counted lineage, who could be more 'pure' than her?
"I can agree to your request, provided you leave Ursus," Kashchey said slowly. "I will not tolerate a time bomb like you remaining within our borders. Who knows when you might fully detonate?"
"You don't want to involve these Infected who follow you, do you?"
He spread his arms toward Xia Yu. "Kashchey can die, but not here. I want to see you leave Ursus with my own eyes. Then, you may do with me as you wish!"
"Rest assured, even if I die, our agreement remains valid. All the Black Snakes will uphold it."
"Deal!" Xia Yu nodded. She couldn't stay anyway, so leaving Ursus was fine.
And the Black Snake... if it stayed hidden in Talulah's body, she truly had no way to eliminate it without hurting the girl. The Tarnished's spells were numerous, but most were for physical erasure. Performing 'soul surgery' was beyond her current capacity.
To achieve this, she had to threaten to destroy Ursus to force it out of Talulah.
"Fine. I'll go with you now." Kashchey completely relinquished control of Talulah's body, seeping out of her like a wisp of black mist.
"Doctor..." Freed from the control at last, Talulah slumped weakly to the ground, reaching out toward Xia Yu. "Don't... don't compromise with it..."
"The Infected... won't survive... let me... perish with it..."
Before she could finish, she fell completely unconscious.
"Yelena, help her back to rest," Xia Yu sighed, looking at FrostNova.
"Doctor..." FrostNova looked at Xia Yu with tearful eyes.
"Don't worry," Xia Yu gave her a bright smile. "I'll be fine."
"Yelena," Patriot added. "Take Talulah back."
"I understand, Father." FrostNova picked up the unconscious Talulah. She was like a heap of wet clay and hard to carry, so she eventually just scooped her up and headed toward the settlement.
"Can you control these flames?" Kashchey's black mist hovered near Xia Yu but didn't dare approach the burning Frenzied Flame. Whenever it tried to get close, the fire reached out, attempting to reduce it to ash.
"If I could control it, I wouldn't have to spend my life fleeing suffering," Xia Yu said without blinking. "Being burned a bit is no big deal. You're going to die soon anyway."
"I'm afraid I'll be burned away before we even reach the border," Kashchey said hollowly. "I said I could die, but I must see you leave Ursus!"
"Don't worry, I'm very fast," Xia Yu smiled. "It won't be much of a struggle for you."
Like hell it won't!
"You're the boss." Finally, Kashchey yielded helplessly, enduring the burning heat as he entered Xia Yu's palm.
"Doctor," Patriot said, walking up to her. "Forgive us... you have done so much for the Infected... yet we have nothing to help you with."
"I do what I do for peace of mind, not for rewards," Xia Yu replied without looking back.
"Perhaps... you could visit Kazdel," Patriot said, doing his best to help. "Her Highness Theresa... is a merciful monarch. The Sarkaz heritage is ancient; perhaps it can help you."
"I will write to them. The Wendigos... still have some connections."
"Merciful? The Demon King?" Kashchey couldn't help but sneer. "Am I hearing this right?"
"Theresa, huh... I've heard the name but never met her," Xia Yu sighed. "If there's a chance, I'll go see her."
"Enough, let's leave it here," Xia Yu said, looking at the fire surrounding her. "If I stay longer, the Frenzied Flame truly will overturn everything. I need to find a quiet place for a while."
"Take care, Doctor." Patriot bowed, and the surrounding Infected crowded around to see her off.
"Yeah. I'll find a friend to come check on you," Xia Yu nodded.
Then, a black object appeared at her lower back, and a burst of light carried her into the sky.
"You need a good place to stabilize the seal, right?" Kashchey spoke from her palm. "I have a recommendation. Lungmen in Yan is a rare international metropolis."