My Substitute CEO Bride (Nash and Hera) novel Chapter 2084

Zirconia's state shocked the elders. However, he quickly regained his composure.

With fury in his eyes, he glared at Clint and growled, "You little brat! How dare you trick me?!" He then waved his hand, sending a terrifying black energy attack toward Clint's body.

To everyone's astonishment, Clint's 'body' suddenly expanded and exploded. While everyone was still wondering what had happened, Zirconia realized that he had been tricked by Clint.

"How did that boy escape my Netherworld Fear? Damn it!" Zirconia fumed.

Just as he was about to redirect his energy to search for Clint, the elders hurriedly intervened.

"Master Zirconia, calm down, please. Calm down. You shouldn't..." But before they could finish, Zirconia grabbed them all.

"You lot, go capture that boy! I want him alive or dead!"

The elders were terrified, and they scrambled out of the room. They dared not anger Zirconia any further.

"Zaafea! Zaafea!" Zirconia roared.

"You old fool! You've gone too far! Just you wait! Just you wait, Zaafea!"

…

The elders quickly escaped to a desolate ruin.

"What… just happened?" Arlo asked, feeling baffled. "What was wrong with Master Zirconia just now?"

The other elders exchanged puzzled glances.

"Before being cast into hell, the heavens cursed our cult leader's body, decreeing he could never become human. If he attempted to transform into a human, he would rapidly age. This curse is the reason behind Master's purple skeleton. The strange purple hue is a result of the heavenly curse.

"Earlier, that boy, Clint, somehow briefly turned Master into a human. As a result, Master experienced several cycles of death and rebirth. This is his weakness.

"Even deities can die, and the cult leader more so. Each cycle of rebirth accelerates his lifespan's depletion. Had he not neutralized that power, he would've been sent back to hell."

The elders were astounded by Elvino's explanation. However, upon reflection, they realized that, apart from Elvino, they had all experienced numerous changes in leadership over the centuries. This only clarified Elvino's point.

"So that's why Master's resurrection is so slow?" Arlan asked.

Elvino nodded.