~December 31st, midnight~
The dungeon was unusually dimmed tonight. Gone was the yellow light that'll usually lit the area. Replaced by a creepy purple glow.
Even the inhabitants are rare. This is a dungeon beneath the Third Prince's castle. And since he hold no position of power in the Royal Court, the jail cells should remained unused. Yet tonight, the cells are packed.
And not just with the residents of Ottilia. No. The cells are packed with humans from different kingdoms, demi humans, even Magic Beasts. And they are all prostrating themselves to the centre of the dungeon, chanting the same mantra. Stuck in a trance.
“Boy. Alba Stellae’s drugs are sure powerful. They do anything you tell them to!” Prince Doleon exclaimed in joyous wonderment.
The lady next to her scoffed and grinned. “Pfft, don't act surprised, Doleon. I'm sure you have already ‘tested’ them out.”
Doleon licked his lips. Adjusting his pants that have slightly bulged at the front. “Hahahaha. I should thank you for the lovely meal then, Yurena.”
“Hihi, I wish I could do that. But that's all thanks to our merchant friend here.” Princess Yurena said, gesturing to the man behind them.
The man was delighted as his smile displayed his lovely teeth. “You are too kind, Your Highnesses.” He bowed. The humility in the gesture masked the swelling pride in his tone.
The three of them laughed. And then their eyes back to focus on the centre of the dungeon. Where a pulsating rock the height of two adults stood erect. Almost reaching the ceiling. The cracks on the rock was the source of the weird purple glow illuminating the entire dungeon.
The rock was place in the middle of a magic circle. A six star diagram inside a circle of magic spells. And they are all drawn in blood!
On each point of the star, six sorcerers sat cross legged. Both of their palms extended to the rock. Channeling their magic towards it.
“Can this really work, Avi?” Doleon asked, glancing towards the man behind him.
A slight frown formed on Avi's forehead, but he quickly assumed a confident smile again. “According to our research, I am fairly confident we can free the Chaos Lord from her bindings. We follow everything down to the last tiny detail, Your Highness.”
“Hmph! I've spend a lot of money on this. You better make sure it works. Otherwise…” Doleon did not finish his sentence.
The anxious Avi hurriedly bowed up and down. “Y-yes Your Highness. This will work. I'm sure of it.”
Yurena chuckled seeing the two's interaction. She placed her left hand on Doleon's right shoulder. “It'll work, dear brother. I can feel it!”
“Hehehe. Since my smart little sister says so, then I'm sure it is.” Doleon chuckled and continued looking at the rock.
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Turns out, Avi's not the only one that's anxious. Doleon was as well. For if the ritual tonight works, Doleon would finally have his own power. His own army. Which will make it easier for him to take the throne. Otherwise, there's no chance for a Third Prince like him to be king of Ottilia. Not when the First and Second Prince are still alive and well.
Suddenly, a tiny rumbling shook Doleon back to reality. He looked at Yurena, who was also looking at him. With a huge smile on both their faces, they turned their attention back to the rock.
The rock was thumping like crazy. Like a horse’s heart after a race. More cracks began to appear on its surface, exposing even more of the creepy purple glow.
The six sorcerers, upon seeing that, began to change their stance. Their right palms were still facing the rock, but their left palms were now facing upwards.
As if rehearsed, those in the cells stopped prostrating. In fact, they are now floating. With they chests thrust forward. Soon, orbs of white light flew from their chests, and converged on the left palms of the sorcerers.
That’s why the dungeon is unusually packed today. These people, and the beasts, are sacrifices. The sorcerers are harvesting their life forces, which is the white orb lights flying from their chests.
The sorcerers now turned into conduits. The white light is absorbed, and channeled into the rock. Turning them purple in the process.
BANG!
Suddenly, the huge rock exploded. Huge chunk of debris flew everywhere. Killing the inhabitants of the cells. Even the sorcerers are riddled with holes.
Doleon casually threw a fist. The airwave from the punch turned into bright golden light. That force not only shielded him from the debris, it even shattered any that came into contact with the golden fist.
Yurena also activated her power. With a slight wave of her right hand, a semi-transparent screen of golden light appeared. Protecting her from the blast.
That golden aura and magic was the special trait of the Zander family royal bloodline. The bloodline of the angels!
“W-we failed?” Doleon asked, clenching his fist. A thought appeared to smash it in Avi’s face.
Yurena shook her head. “I…don’t think so. Look! The purple glow’s still there!”
They had no choice but to wait for the debris to subside. And even though what they are doing goes against everything that is holy in the world, Avi was praying hard that the ritual succeeded.
Suddenly, boisterous laughter echoed throughout the dungeon. One that causes even the prideful Doleon to tremble in fright.
“Hahaha! I’m free! The Great Devourer is free!”
The voice was full of energy, so much so that those three people immediately kneeled.
As the debris settled, the full form of the voice was displayed. Shockingly, it was not human. It was not even a creature. It was merely a purple orb the size of a cauldron. Yet the immense energy contained within was too powerful for even the strongest of the mortals to contend.
Yurena, with her honeyed tongue, was the first to speak. “Greetings, O Chaos Lord. We, humble servants, greet you!”
“Oh? The blood of Heaven? Bowed before me?! Hahaha, you mortals sure are amusing. No wonder the other three Gods took a liking to you.” The voice said. A note of mockery visible in her words.
Doleon chimed in. Trying to get onto the good grace of the Chaos God. “The blood of the angel inside us was useless, O Chaos Lord. Especially compared to true power.”
“Hahahaha, indeed. You made the right choice.”
Yurena and Doleon looked at each other. Their smiles contained greed. Yet, the Chaos God next sentences stopped their wild fantasies.
“Sadly, I am unable to utilize my power. Not in this state that I am in.”
Yurena frowned. “Wh-what do you mean, My Lord?”
“Right now, I am just a core. Powerful as it is, there's no way for me to use my power without a vessel. A body of my own.”
Yurena was enlightened. Chaos God's words settled her worry a bit. “We will do our best to find the best physique to house your strong core, My Lord.” To which both Avi and Doleon nodded.
“Heh? Do I need you for that?! You just have to go and bring the vessel I chose to me.”
As she said that, a wave of power rippled. Centred from the orb, it travelled across the world. When it passed through the trio, they could not help but feel violated. As if they have been stripped naked.
Soon, Chaos Lord's boisterous laughter rang again.
“Hahahaha. I got it! The perfect one for me!”
Doleon was quick to interject. “That's great news, My Lord. Command me, and I'll go fetch them right away.”
“No!! Not yet. The vessel is unripe. But the rage and the darkness within was well suited for me. And he's the bloodline of my enemy as well.”
Yurena tried to think about Chaos God's enemies. The ones that fought her thousand of years ago. “Which bloodline has piqued your fancy, My Lord?”
“The bloodline of fire. A young one. Born of no mana or arma core. I can taste the desperation in him. The desire to be strong!”
Doleon was also interested. “Then…what should we do, My Lord?”
“Heh! Simple. You should be the invisible hands that pushed him to us. Let him understand how weak and pitiful he is. Then, I will be the savior that saves him from the pit you dug.”
Yurena nodded. The strategy is indeed sound. However, Doleon was a bit impatient.
“Forgive me for being rude, My Lord. But…”
Chaos God interrupted Doleon. “Hahaha! I can see your desire, boy! You wanted to be king of this continent. You wanted to show your father of your worth. Right?”
“Y-yes, My Lord.”
“Very well then. I will use this time of waiting to make you strong as well. With power, and time to gather influence, even Heaven God would be tempted to make you king.”
Doleon's eyes beamed with joy. “Thank you, My Lord. I am forever yours to command!”
“Hahahaha! Good!”