A high tier knight by the name of Wildu Lagus found himself within an unfamiliar place. His long purple hair made him stand out among the other knights.
Granted, he was inside of a dungeon before and now he was inside of a dungeon again, but somehow, he could tell something was different.
“Where am I?”
He started to look around.
Yet, none seemed to be there.
“Anyone here? Knight of Mind! Knight of Ice! Are you nearby?”
“It’s no use shouting, they are many miles away from us”
Immediately, Wildu Lagus stood on guard, raising his sword with his left hand.
He almost did not sense his presence, but now that he saw him, Wildu could clearly see the man in front of him.
His shoulder length black hair covered the right side of his face, but the side Wildu could see belonged to a young man with crimson left eye that seemed to glow with eerie shine.
He was dressed in ordinary clothing, with a single sword at his waist.
“Who are you?”
“The one who invited you, obviously”
“Invited…Are you the one behind the disappearance of Holy Maidens?!”
“Hmmm, before I answer that question, do you mind if we have a chat? It is not like the first time we talked, but I did find our conversations very refreshing, giving me such new perspectives….though in this loop, we have not met yet, my apologies. After doing this so many times, it is getting harder and harder for me to keep track of what I did or did not do.”
‘He is utterly and completely mad’
Wildu couldn’t help but think. His sword was raised on guard, expecting his enemy to attack him at any moment.
“It’s Wildu Lagus, isn’t it? Oh don’t be alarmed, I made it a priority to memorize names of everyone I come across. If anything, the one thing I am good at is memorizing everything I see and recording information within my mind, though on the downside, I can’t really forget anything. Call it a blessing and curse”
Now his conversation was going in a strange direction. Not knowing what the young man in front of him would do next, Wildu was left listening to the rambling of a loon.
“Speaking of curses! If I have to tell you the truth, I used to be rather angry with the goddess who put this curse on me, taking away everything that I came to love…but on the other hand, if it were not for the curse, I would never have broken free and taken over, so at least for that, she has my gratitude. Though, I am still going to tear her into pieces, as soon as I get my hands on her…ha ha ha…”
He continued on his mad rant.
“Ahh, the liberation, the true taste of freedom, how have I grown to enjoy it! Breath of fresh air, so many ideas and plans that I can implement upon this world, and infinite number of trials for me to conduct to accomplish them! Isn’t that the ultimate dream? She may have done it to make it my nightmare, to turn me into one of her garden gnomes…But strange thing is, the more you feel pain and suffering, the less you care; only the thrill remains. And isn’t that the point? Thrill of living again and again, it is rather overwhelming, like a tsunami that seems to rock my world without stop….but now, I am the master of the wave.”
“What are you talking about!?”
“It is simple, really. I just realized, even if I had the choice of going back, I would rather stay. Even if I find the Shinigami, I no longer wish to go with her. I mean, first of all, she is not the same Shinigami I knew, since this is a version of her from the past, well, your present. You get the point”
“Secondly, Chronos might not be able to harm her, but I can’t be so sure about the other gods, if Chronos somehow manages to convince the other gods to kill her, then….Let’s not think about it”
Now he proceeded to raise his right arm up into the air, his index finger pointing forward.
“And last but not least, I like existing. Over time, I can feel him resurfacing every now and then, and so far I managed to wrestle the control over the body and mind, but if I chose to go back, I am afraid, I might disappear.”
“I mean, the only reason I broke free from his heart and sealed him away within it was because he gave up. If I were to give up what makes my existence worthwhile, then I shall be trapped within the heart once again, but this time permanently.”
He made a small gesture with his right hand.
“If there is anything that strikes fear in me, it is the notion of ceasing to exist. I do not fear death; I have died too many times in order for it to have any effect on me by now. No. I realize now, what I fear is him coming back, and if he does, I will be gone. And I really can’t have that happen, not until I pay back the gods and kingdom tenfold!”
Laughing a little, young man tilted his head to the side.
“I realize none of my words might make sense to you, but it is such a release, to just shout my thoughts out loud, I am afraid that I cannot fully confide in my subordinates, lest they think I am mad”
“You are mad!”
“Perhaps, perhaps not. It is just a matter of perspective. My point is….I like being here. You, the warriors of the human kingdom truly made my existence such a fun experience, and I couldn’t thank you enough!”
With a mocking gesture, the young man made short bow.
“Now then, back to your original question. I am known as the Dark Lord. And yes, I am the one behind the disappearance of Holy Maidens”
“What?! You bastard!”
Wildu Lagus proceeded to use his magic and shot blasts of fire from his left hand.
Among the knights that accompanied the heroes, Wildu was exceptional. He was a high-tier knight, almost at the level of Holy Knight.
Each level: Knight, Holy Knight, and Hero, could be divided into three sub levels: low-tier, mid-tier, and high-tier.
But even among the knights, he was a rising talent, a young man with a bright future ahead of him. He had high ambitions, goal to eventually become a hero.
He had the guts, determination, and talent to achieve what he wanted in life.
Gods may not have given him a blessing, but he was born with a special talent for magic. No matter what kind of magic it is, as long as he has enough mana and is strong enough to cast it, he is able to copy it after witnessing it once.
Of course, his copied spells are only as strong as he could muster. If a hero level person were to cast a spell and Wildu copied it, obviously, his version was going to be inferior to the version cast by a hero.
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But that only meant that he needed to become stronger, he could do that while copying more and more spells, so when he eventually reached the level of a hero, he would be as if not more powerful than the greatest hero, his idol, the Knight of Light.
As the blasts of fire shot at him, Dark Lord proceeded to skillfully dodge them.
“Well, that was a rather rough conversation stopper”
Dark Lord proceeded to block a strike from Wildu’s sword with his own sword in his left hand.
Wildu was strong and skilled, but Dark Lord was moving as though he instinctively knew where Wildu would strike next.
As their swords collided, Wildu pressed on, but Dark Lord casually swatted away all, of his attacks.
“Level 4 spell: Water Saw!”
Wildu proceeded to unleash his spell.
But instead of being cut in two after Wildu threw the spinning, razor sharp disk of water at him, Dark Lord’s body was unharmed as the spell faded into nothing.
“But how? You should be dead!”
“Protection against Water. Afraid you are going to have to try harder than that”
Again, their swords collided, but this time, Wildu managed to push him back a little.
“Level 3 spell: Water Lagoon!”
Wildu proceeded to generate an enormous amount of water under his command, unleashing it at Dark Lord.
“Did you not hear me? Water does no harm to me”
“Level 3 spell: Ice Blast!”
This was an inferior version of the spell used by Knight of Ice, who used level 5 and above versions, but with Wildu’s current ability, this would have to do.
With the water Dark Lord was soaked in combined with the ice magic, he managed to trap Dark Lord in thick layer of ice.
“You are now my prisoner! I will be taking you with me for questioning….”
But what he saw made Wildu’s eyes open wide in disbelief.
Dark Lord’s right arm was moving within the ice.
“Impossible! Even if this was an inferior version of the spell, all the blood within him should have frozen; he should not be able to move…”
But now, Dark Lord’s right arm proceeded to flex its bicep, and with it, the ice ended up shattering into pieces.
“Fire magic is ineffective, water has no effect, and strongest spell I currently have is rendered utterly useless…Close combat it is!”
Wildu proceeded to attack Dark Lord who just broke free from ice.
With a battle yell, Wildu proceeded to stab Dark Lord with his sword, easily piercing into his body.
“Now, you are finished!”
But Dark Lord’s expression was very calm, instead of cringing from pain, he smiled.
“I am afraid I am not that easy to kill”
“What!”
As Dark Lord’s right hand moved, Wildu proceeded to let go of his sword and used his magic power on his left hand.
This was a close range magic, level 2 spell: Disintegration.
Stronger versions of the spell had greater effects but were harder to control but this level of the spell was perfect for disarming an opponent with a single touch, and at the moment, it was the only version of the spell he could perform.
As Wildu grabbed hold of Dark Lord’s right hand, he proceeded to use his magic on him.
The glove Dark Lord was wearing along with portions of his clothing was shredded away, revealing what was underneath.
Wildu gasped in surprise.
What he was holding on to was a completely skeletal hand.
And no matter how much mana he used, Dark Lord’s skeletal hand was still there.
“Surprised?”
“But how? Your hand should have been reduced to dust, not turn skeletal…”
But then, Wildu saw Dark Lord’s entire face.
Pair of mismatched eyes, one red and one glowing white was staring at him, but that was not the scariest part.
The scariest part was his face, half of it was missing any skin or muscles on it, just a plain skull with the lidless eye perpetually open.
“You! Are you undead?”
“Who knows?”
As the two of them struggled against each other, Wildu felt his left hand crushed by the skeletal fingers.
He screamed in pain, but in an instant, the sensation of pain was gone, and Dark Lord disappeared.
Wildu felt a very strange sensation on his left arm.
As he reached for his pouch, he realized what was wrong.
His left hand was no longer there.
Most of the forearm was attached, but the wrist was completely gone.
His inaudible scream was stuck within his throat.
“Always wanted to find out for myself just how good these Teleportation Rings were, and lo and behold, they don’t disappoint. Seems like hiring Luka was a good choice after all”
As the Dark Lord approached the trembling Wildu, he uttered.
“Would you like me to give you a hand?” He offered the severed limb to him, almost like he was doing him a favor.
“You bastard!”
Wildu used his right hand to take out his dagger and lunged at Dark Lord.
But being left handed, his right hand was rather clumsy.
Dark Lord easily disarmed him before slamming him into the wall head first.
“Wildu Lagus, I am truly grateful for the training you have given me, I truly do. Now, it is time for you to sleep”
Before he closed his eyes for the last time, Wildu saw green light emanating out of Dark Lord’s right hand.
As the light swallowed him whole, Wildu thought on the inside.
‘Is this the end that I was fated to have? All my talent, all my potential, all of my future….Dreams I pursued…Just to end like this….Was it all for nothing? It is not fair….It’s not fair….Why me…?’
Within moments, the process was complete and the zombie was ready to go.
Panting heavily after using the Converting Light, Dark Lord sat on the ground to catch his breath.
“Well, I do believe Knight of Mind already fell into the trap Lukalis and Kyra set up, so now, just to put the icing on the cake…”
* * *
“We beat them!”
Knight of Mind declared.
“They were not liches, so they were easier to deal with, but inside this dungeon, I could not risk using many of my large scale spells without harming our own forces, but I guess smashing them into bits is good enough.”
“Ser Rison! Look, their clothing and the armor they are wearing, they are same as ours!”
One of the knights made a startling discovery after wiping off the dirt off the armor one of the undead was wearing.
“Don’t tell me…the disappearances of the knights within barracks were at the hands of the undead as well...” Knight of Ice held his chin in deep thought.
Situation seems to be getting worse and worse.
Holy Order needed to be informed of this immediately.
But then, he sensed a movement coming in their direction.
Immediately, Knight of Ice was on guard, but then, he saw a familiar person with long purple hair hanging off his shoulders.
It was his protégé, Wildu Lagus, a knight he saw a huge promise in.
“Lagus! Is that you? Come here, you might want to see this…Lagus?”
As Wildu approached him, Knight of Ice clearly saw his face.
It was the rotting green flesh of an undead, his movements were strange and stiff, and some of his flesh was peeling off.
As Lagus, now a zombie proceeded to lunge at him, Knight of Ice could not bring himself to strike him.
But before the zombie could infect him, Knight of Mind struck it down and quickly beheaded it.
Now staring at what was left of his subordinate, Knight of Ice muttered.
“Undead did this to him. Only a lich can turn a human into one of them….Undead…they will pay…”
Knight of Ice’s hands were trembling.
“Creos…”
“Cereb… he was my protégé, my pupil, he was like a little brother to me. Whoever did this must pay! You said his name was Dark Lord, right? If I find him, I will have my revenge!”
“Then I guess we have the same goal”
“Until we find this ‘Dark Lord’, I am willing to work with you. But let me make this clear, once we catch him, I will be the one to end him, am I clear?”
“Crystal”
“Perfect” Knight of Ice proceeded to clench his fist.
“Ser Belius, Ser Rison, we need to take the Holy Maidens to the Holy Order, maybe they can fix them?” Livon addressed the heroes.
“Yes, of course” Knight of Mind muttered.
“Right” Knight of Ice was obviously furious, with the very air around him emanating an aura of frost, but strangely he held back from striking down anyone in cold blood.
As they searched the dungeon, they only managed to find some of their men.
Overall, they suffered large losses.
Of the thirty or so knights that entered the dungeon, only twelve knights and two Heroes, managed to get out of the dungeon alive.
But they managed to accomplish their objective- retrieving the Holy Maidens, but at what a price….
“But the Holy Maiden of Water? Is she not here?” Livon asked, concerned about not finding her among the rest.
“No…I can’t sense any other living being here. In most likely scenario, she is already dead” Knight of Mind uttered.
“We got four out of five, we should count ourselves lucky”
Knight of Ice stared away at the distance, still mourning the loss of his friend.
* * *
“Well, that went perfectly!”
Dark Lord declared, in his attendance were the Shadow Lords, each of whom now supplied him with fresh batches of humans to experiment with.
There were a couple of women knights, they were sent to the goblin caves to be used as breeding stock.
Of course, the few goblins he used for this operation were the weakest of the bunch, the ones that could not evolve and remained at their weakest forms, in other words, they were the runt of the litter.
Considering now he had more than a thousand of them, using the failed fifty was not a big issue.
The Holy Maidens had served their purpose, giving birth to as many goblins as possible until their bodies literally became unable to bear any more goblins.
Even if the Holy Order manages to restore their minds, they will be permanently scarred, and most importantly, now with their purity gone, they shall never be able to cast the barrier over the Holy City ever again.
“Now the Holy Order will be under the impression that the demons and undead are conspiring, allowing our forces to act from the shadows….still, I wonder how the Holy Order is faring, considering our recent exploits…”
As each member of Shadow Lords listened well to his words, Dark Lord declared.
“This calls for a celebration! We shall have a feast tonight!”
Applauses followed as the Dark Lord raised a single cup of wine to make a toast.
“To the end of the Kingdom!”
“TO THE END OF THE KINGDOM!!!”
The Shadow Lords repeated his words with their glasses raised.
If anyone was watching this bizarre celebration, without a doubt, they would have found it profoundly disturbing.