When I ordered Mara to bring me to the prisoner, I was brought to the underground dungeon of the Palace. The dungeon is a prison with 5 floors, with the prisoner's criminal offense higher as it goes down.

I was specifically brought to the 3rd floor of the dungeon. In there, I met the Atlantean prisoner that they were talking about. It was surprisingly Colonel Dakkor that survived amongst his soldiers.

"Yo, Colonel. A little out of shape, are we?" I jokingly said as I strolled towards his cell room. He was no longer healthy and full of strength just like when I first saw him. Instead, he was now a scrawny; full of bruises beggar with a few of his tooth missing.

"Y-y-you... How... can you..."

"It's rude to point fingers at people, you know. Long time no see, I guess? Hahahaha"

Colonel Dakkor trembled. I can see fear forming in his eyes as I laughed gleefully.

"I'm the new King of Lemuria now. Surprised? Well, I am too."

"Wh...at...?"

"Oi, oi. Did you guys hit his head too hard? Why can't he speak straight?" As I turned to the soldiers behind me, they furiously shook their heads in denial. I sighed and faced the Colonel once more.

"Anyways. Let me ask you."

Colonel Dakkor's gulped resounded in this cold, underground prison.

"Do you want to go home?" I smilingly said to him.

--------

(Colonel Dakkor's POV)

"Remember to tell your King, alright? Well, even if you forgot, it doesn't matter. You will still deliver the message whether you like it or not." The demon said as he waved at me. "Best regards~"

At that moment, a blinding flash engulfed me. I felt my head split into thousands of pieces. I have the urge to throw up, yet I cannot spit anything as my stomach is empty. Instead, I spat out the gastric juices left in my stomach.

When I thought that I was gonna die, I suddenly found myself in front of a familiar dome. I instantly knew that I was in front of the Atlantis barrier.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

I rubbed my eyes to confirm that I am not seeing things, pinched my arm to make sure that I am not dreaming. When I confirmed that all of this is real and I have not died, I smiled bitterly. In my opinion... dying is a hundred times better than my current situation. Especially in front of that monster...

"Oi! There's someone here!"

I heard a voice from a distance. I wanted to shout. However, no voice came out.

With that, my consciousness was engulfed in darkness.

...

When I came into consciousness, the first thing that I saw was King Namor. He was sitting on the white marble throne chair as he gravely stared at me. Queen Dorma was safely by his side, with the row of Council Elders a little farther away.

"Are you awake now? How about you tell me what happened in full detail?" King Namor slowly said.

When I heard him, my memories came flooding in. That cruel smile which spared nothing. That cold gaze which looked down on everything. With every fiber of my being screaming in fear every time he moves. I remember now.

"We... we shouldn't have… done it..."

"Speak clearly, Colonel. You're in the presence of the King!"

"We shouldn't have done it...! It was a mistake! A big mistake!! From the start... from the start, we were wrong... We... we..."

"What is it that you're trying to say, Colonel?" (Namor)

"We awaken a monster! That guy is not a human, it's a demon!! We should've--"

------

(Namor's POV)

Colonel Dakkor suddenly stopped speaking. He collapsed to the ground and convulsed. The Royal guards rushed to check his condition. However, it's already too late. He died without finishing his sentence.

Just when the Royal Guards were about to take away his corpse away, something changed. An explosion occurred!

The surroundings were suddenly engulfed in a black miasma cloud. So black that I wondered if it is what death looks like.

Anyone who touches or comes in contact with the black miasma died. They just collapsed to the ground, never to wake up again. The Royal guards rushed to protect me. They blocked the miasma so it wouldn't reach me but...

"Aaackk!!"

"W-what is this?!!"

No matter what the guards do, all of them still ended up dying. They didn't even know how they're killed.

Death. Pure death. That is what the black miasma signifies.

When I was about to flee with the others, the black miasma suddenly stopped spreading. It then gathered in one place: Colonel Dakkor's corpse.

Then, the previously dead Colonel Dakkor stood up. His bones cracked as he stretches his whole body, seemingly uncomfortable at the new sensation he was feeling. He was clearly not 'Colonel Dakkor', but someone else.

I tried to compose myself as much as possible in front of my subjects.

"Who are you? Or rather... what are you?" I asked.

Colonel Dakkor--no, the creature who's occupying the body of Colonel Dakkor spoke.

"Ah~ How rude of me. I should've introduced myself much earlier." The creature scratched its head in embarrassment. Its voice was no longer that of Colonel Dakkor's, but it was akin to the sound of a respected gentleman's voice.

The creature bowed as it formally introduced itself.

"Greetings, water fleas. I'm a summon of the Great Lord. You may call me however you want, but I am more commonly known as a Soul Eater. Forgive me, for I am not yet worthy enough for the Great Lord to bestow me a name." The Soul eater adapted a regretful expression as it raised its head.

"Y-you!! How dare you call us fleas! Preposterous! What 'Great Lord' are you talking about? There is only one Lord! Tell your self-proclaimed 'Lord' that he should regret opposing Atlantis!" One of the Elders raged out.

In response, the Soul eater turned to that elder as it smiled. "You're noisy."

With just that, that elder... just died.

He suddenly looked like he aged for tens of decades in just a blink of an eye. His hair fell, his skin dried out, and he slumped to the ground. In the end, he ended up as a shriveled corpse, kind of like a squeezed out lemon.

"What...?"

"D-did anyone saw what it did?"

"Monster..."

Disregarding the Elders' clamoring, the Soul eater spoke with a smile.

"Now then, please refrain to ask any questions until I am finished delivering the Great Lord's message."

Without waiting for my confirmation, the Soul eater continued speaking.

"The Great Lord has declared. Consider yourselves blessed, for the Great Lord has offered you two choices: commit a bitter struggle and die, or submit to his greatness. You only have little time to decide."

After the Soul eater finished speaking, a black mist suddenly came out of Colonel Dakkor's body.

"A few hours from now, the Great Lord will personally grace you his presence. Think about your choices wisely~"

Along with the voice, the black mist dissipated.

The Council of Elders all wore different expressions. Some were terrified, some still can't believe what was happening, and some were even denying reality. But they all have one thing in common:

Absolute Fear.