***

The silence that followed Xinion's declaration was deeper than before, so profound it seemed to mute even thought itself. No one dared to move, to breathe too loudly, as the Minor God raised a delicate hand and traced a faint Sigil into the air. The gesture summoned into being a great circle of Light and Darkness intertwined, a Pentagram etched not with chalk, blood or even the usual magical drawings but with pure Divine Magic. Its five points shimmered with alternating silver and black, and each bore a glyph in a language known only to the Divine.

"The Pentagram of Anti-Corruption shall now activate," Xinion announced, his voice calm yet absolute. "Step forward, one by one."

The first to step into the Pentagram were members of Diams' extended family. Diams' cousin, Jeanie Mekdaren, moved with visible apprehension, her hands clenched at her sides as she passed the circle's edge. The glyphs flickered, light pulsing along the Runes, and an alarm was raised, making everyone tense. A soft hum surrounded her, followed by a burst of red light from beneath her feet.

— CORRUPTION LEVEL: LOW —

— CLEANSING IN PROGRESS —

— MAX LEVEL STANDARD PURIFICATION PROCESS IN PROGRESS —

She closed her eyes, bracing herself, as a wave of silver light rose and passed over her body. When it faded, she looked visibly lighter, both in stance and expression.

It was still not sufficient to purge all her corruption, however.

At a silent signal from Xinion, one of his servants approached and gently guided Jeanie toward a second Pentagram—this one freshly summoned by the God through a subtle motion upon the bracelet encircling his wrist. The new formation materialized with quiet precision, its arcane lines etching themselves into the floor in a soft cascade of silver light.

Jeanie entered without hesitation, though a trace of weariness had begun to show in her steps. The secondary purification commenced, quieter than the first, more refined in its execution. When it concluded, the servant led her to a nearby chair prepared for rest.

Her mother hurried to her side, visibly alarmed, but Jeanie offered a faint, steady smile in response, a silent assurance that she remained whole.

Diams, however, was not reassured. His eyes lingered on the fading glow of the second Pentagram, his expression shadowed by unease.

Others followed, from Diams' cousins to his aunt and uncles. Some trembled, some barely concealed their pride, but most of them were judged clean enough for standard purification. Their excess of corruption was erased slowly, and the majority returned to their places renewed but shaken. The rest of them was directed toward the adjacent Pentagram, where they underwent the higher-tier Corruption Purification Process in turn.

Then came the turn of Diams' cousin Kelzien Mekdaren.

The man who was no other than the son of Diams' uncle, Count Yanilko Yagavir, approached with the confidence of one born to Nobility, but the moment his feet touched the boundary of the Pentagram, the circle flared in violent protest. Strange and hollow screams, resembling ancient echoes, resounded from within the Runes, and dark smoke hissed up from his skin. Kelzien's veins lit with dark purple light. For a brief instant, his face twisted into something inhuman.

Then the warning appeared.

— CONTAMINATION LEVEL: CRITICAL —

— ABOMINY THRESHOLD BREACHED —

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"Max Emergency Purification Protocol engaged," Xinion intoned without emotion. "Step back immediately. He must be disintegrated."

"No—!" Diams surged forward. "He's my cousin! There must be a way! Let us contain him, seal him—"

"There is no containment for an Abominy," Xinion replied. "They are flesh-devourers and soul-eaters who contaminate everything within sight. Anything nearby rots away and is unsalvageable. Once they awaken, they do not stop. Even sealed, he would corrupt the very space around him. Delay would be catastrophic. Only the Dark Lord can deal with such level of Malevolence. We are not equipped for it and we risk contamination ourselves."

Kelzien's voice cracked into a roar that no longer sounded human. His eyes glowed purple. His fingernails darkened and lengthened into claws.

Xinion raised a single hand.

A column of incandescent White and Dark Purification Flames erupted from the Pentagram's center, swallowing the young Noble whole. There was no time to scream. Only the acrid scent of rot remained, and then not even that as another alarm was raised.

— ALERT - - - ABOMINY CONTAMINATION —

— DARK & NIGHTS PURIFICATION EMERGENCY SYSTEM ACTIVATED —

— ALL CLEANSING PROTOCOL ACTIVATED —

— ALL PURIFICATION PROTOCOL ACTIVATED —

— ALL SOUL PROGRESSIVE RESTORATION & PROTECTION PROTOCOL ACTIVATED —

Gasps broke from the group. Diams stood motionless, eyes wide, as though his Soul had just cracked.

However, his family and companions' ordeal had only begun.

"Next," Xinion said.

One by one, the others stepped forward. Jeanie's mother trembled but passed. Others among Diams' extended kin were likewise deemed relatively clean or mildly tainted then treated within the Standard Purification Process. Relief began to bloom in the air. Some considered it had not been so bad.

Then, Diams stepped into the circle.

The glyphs burst into furious light, and a chorus of alarms rang out—shrill, metallic, and surreal. The very stone beneath their feet groaned.

— CORRUPTION LEVEL: 74% —

— BODY: 68% CORRUPTED —

— SOUL: 66.9% CORRUPTED —

— CRITICAL SOUL THRESHOLD BREACHED —

— SYSTEM RECOMMENDATION: TOTAL DISINTEGRATION —

"No…" whispered Kensington. His hands curled into fists, but he did not move. He could not.

His son's condition was far more severe than he had previously believed. In hindsight, it was no wonder that Lady Sukuna had remarked upon it earlier.

Xinion's expression, for the first time, shifted. It was not emotion that stirred there, but something deeper, a Divine awareness that few shared with him.

"We cannot disintegrate him," he said. "He is the father of Lady Sukuna. Protocols must be altered in his case."

He turned to the gathered party.

"The contaminated body can be replaced. The World's System holds archives of physical templates for most existing beings. As someone with Lords' Rights, my Mistress has granted me temporary authority to reconstruct his body pre-corruption through the World's Systems."

Gasps answered him, but none dared interrupt.

"The Soul, however, is another matter. Souls are encoded in layers the World's System cannot access without High Lords' Permission. So we cannot use the same method as for his body. Nevertheless, Mistress has granted me the necessary rights to her own Flock's Soul Dark System. I shall proceed at once."

He lifted his hand again.

"Two-thirds of his Soul shall be disintegrated and rebuilt with Divine reinforcement. The remaining fraction, constituting one-fourth, can still be cleansed without any other measures but the rest shall be partially erased as it was also tainted. I shall initiate an initial Soul Partial Regrowth Spell with embedded Sanctification, then install a Soul Full Regrowth Spell with a long-term Divine Anti-Corruption Protection. His Soul will slowly regenerate over the course of one thousand and eight Civil Months."

"I beg your pardon?" Kensington asked, his voice low. "How can he survive with just one-fourth of his Soul left…?"

Xinion inclined his head.

"My Mistress has authorized the summoning of an Anti-Corruption Soul Replica. It shall mirror his restored Soul, providing stabilization and nullifying future spread."

Silence reigned again.

Kensington stared at the God, his thoughts disordered, his understanding fragmented. The terminology, the logic, the Divine Systems—none of it truly made sense.

Sensing this, the Divine Guardian Bird, still perched near the Pentagram's boundary, stepped forward. His feathers shimmered with Divine, and its voice, when it spoke, was gentle.

"Do not trouble yourself, Kensington. Mortals are not expected to comprehend the deeper mechanics of the Lords' Systems. Permit me to explain in simpler terms…while our friend here proceeds as the Mistress has ordered."

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