The Gentleman at the End

"Qualification"

The Old World known as [Sick Focus] has had a strict limit on the number of "Plague Masters" since the birth of the World. It's not that the World wants to limit such strong entities, but rather the World can only endure and accommodate so many Plague Masters.

However, the Sick Focus World is quite special, unlike other worlds which were 'rooted' between planes at birth and maintain fixed coordinates. Like trees in a forest, their roots deepen with time without leaving their position.

Yet the Sick Focus is a 'living world', with a kind of special mutation forming the sky-reaching tentacles— "World's Foot"—allowing this world to crawl forward in the relatively loose Outer Plane, even 'parasitize' and 'infect' other worlds.

It is exactly this world trait that swiftly drew the attention of the Main Material Plane.

When the Special Envoy arrived in the Old World, he unexpectedly discovered the patient's vast potential there, having even given birth to a being comparable to a True God.

Considering the world infection trait and potential danger of the Sick Focus, when it was at the peak of development, the united army of the Main Material Plane suddenly arrived, and war was imminent.

After locking down various rules and severe world destruction, patients couldn't even perform the most basic reproduction, and the spread of the plague in the entire world came to a complete halt,

forcing the number of qualifications to be reduced, unable to be increased.

Unless a new world is infected, and development is nurtured through the world's rules, more qualifications might appear.

In summary, the number of qualifications has not increased for a long time.

Moreover, often one qualification will affect the entire plague ecological pattern of the Old World, making the already fixed "Qualification" very complicated to change, and there has been basically no talk of qualification change.

For individuals, there are two ways to obtain "Qualification",

1. "Bestow"

The individual develops a unique, representative, and beneficial illness for the development of the Sick Focus World, reaching a level that can influence the world ecology, and has already established a sufficient organization scale, then will be bestowed qualification by the Sick Focus.

But with the failure of war and rule lockdown, as of now, there are no new qualifications to be bestowed, so this path is currently unfeasible.

Unless a new world arrives.

2. "Seize"

Challenge a Plague Master personally as a Silver Circle patient, and brutally kill him in order to obtain that qualification.

Considering the difficulty, the Sick Focus World has developed billions and billions of patients... Even the exalted Silver Circle patients number tens of thousands.

However, those who can match a Plague Master in Silver Circle state, counting throughout history, there are at most only three. And these three are merely thought to have reached the Plague Master's level, but truly in a head-on confrontation with a Plague Master, the probability of winning is minimal, let alone killing a Plague Master.

Thus, there has never been a qualification change in history.

But now, things have changed~ That minimal possibility has greatly increased with William observing the 'Blood People Carrying Coffin'.

The Blood Lord, unable to be thoroughly killed yet possessing "Qualification", is an opportunity.

The time returns to three days before the opening of the "United Theatre".

The two chiefs of the Fear Circus,

[Actor] William Behrens and [Clown] Art Kramer, are working together to set up a special tent for the performance in front of the Blood People,

also installing their 'children' in sculpture form at the tent's peak.

Once everything is completed, the two lean together against the theater seats, and William asks the most crucial question at this moment.

"If the plan goes smoothly, Art, through our 'children', you have contacted the coffin that encapsulates the Blood Lord's remains. How confident are you in seizing "Qualification" from the Blood Lord?

Bear in mind it's been thousands of years since the war ended,

we aren't sure what state the indestructible Blood Lord is in. Perhaps, between that blood coffin, he's already nearly restored, which is very dangerous."

Art, however, is completely unconcerned, even showing a mouthful of disgusting yellow teeth, "Hahaha~ Instead of seven-eight, if really restored to that extent, these bugs wouldn't have spent a fortune to rely on the Skin Factory... Isn't reopening the estate a better option?

I was part of that war, and I am well aware of what this vile and insane Plague Master, the Blood Lord, encountered~ That was a 'Divine Punishment' sufficient to kill a Plague Master.

Even if the Blood Lord's physical body is indestructible, his soul is utterly shattered, and his consciousness is completely obliterated, the recovery won't be simple.

Even if it infected your human world, completed the rules~ I estimate that he is still hard to repair, ultimately handed down by the Great Emperor."

"Hmm, makes sense~ Then let's assume the Blood Lord's physical body is indestructible, like a 'living corpse' carrying qualification, Art, are you really confident?

Moreover, perhaps during the process, the Seven Marquis, even the Great Emperor will interfere, or even Pierwina from the Mysterious Skin Factory as a collaborator with the Blood People may find trouble with you, and there's limited time."

Art continues displaying his mouthful of yellow teeth, starting to undress in front of William, taking off those loose clown clothes that seem stuck to his skin.

"You ask me if I'm confident?

When you, William, found me months ago, talked about blood coffin intel, and proposed the cooperation, I was already prepared.

The 'confidence' you want to know lies here! Everything is ready... My body has been waiting for the entry of qualification, waiting for the coronation."

Art's body no longer seems that swollen, chaotic, and inducing intense trypophobia,

the whole massive torso has been reshaped, forming an orderly Swollen Cathedral.

Countless clergy in boil-infested holy robes can be seen standing, sitting, or hanging inside the cathedral, waiting and welcoming the arrival of "Qualification".

When William sees this body, he can vaguely sense an indescribable Divine Aura, transcending the Pope's Attitude during the False Moon performance against Mr. Y.

"I am all set, just allow me to contact the coffin storing the Blood Lord's remains, and everything will be done smoothly! The next part depends on whether William's performance will go well, if he can lure out those Seven Marquis, especially the Great Emperor Pulaid."

...

[Mysterious Skin Factory - Top Floor Skin Drying Room]

As Art falls backward, plunges into it... Plop! As he collects the bright red, Art's physical body decays rapidly, dispersing into tiny tumor cells.

Using the "Abyss Feature" inherited from William for spatial infiltration, quickly drilling into the Blood Lord's remains, invading the depth of the bones.

Ah♪~Ah♪~Ha

The high-pitched and sacred hymn resonates here, also subtly paired with bizarre laughter,

pieces of sacred bright red curtains unfold from within the Blood Coffin, spreading to every area of the skin drying room.

The Blood Lord's remains, attended by the Sewed Holy Infants, as expected, have already been utterly annihilated, with only the physical body barely surviving.

Like gigantic scarlet bones covered instantly by numerous bone tumors, the barely stable physical form is completely destroyed under malignant tumor erosion, this is the Old World's most horrid disease, and Art is the master gathering of this disease, with perfect Outer Realm Divinity reinforcement.

The disintegration of the Blood Lord,

when three of the Marquis tore open the blocking curtain with full force and reached the Blood Coffin, they found nothing left in the coffin filled with Ancient Blood.

Neither remains nor sight of Art, yet something is felt to be {Fertility}.

Art's thought has already reached the world's deep,

a bright red stairway built from the Blood Lord's bones appears in front of him, and at the top of the stairway lies the sacred qualification, even before ascending, he can glimpse that intense golden light.

[Ultimate Ascension]

Art Kramer steps onto the long-desired ascension stairway, and the Swollen Cathedral within him is ready to welcome the acceptance.