King Ciroel looked at the strange Wisp of light that Dyne held in his hand. He could feel the madness, the dark desires that emanated from it. He was already angry at the revelations of what the enemy did. Yet, he was a king who loved his people. And the Serpentari was doing everything to turn his loyal servants into traitors.

Even Lachdagonan was one of the knights that King Ciroel loved. And yet, here he was cursed in his death. The knight hated his king even without him knowing.

And now, who knew just how many more have been wrapped in the great anger and depravity that the Serpentari offered. It was a cruel way of turning the kingdom away.

The king had also given great support to the Serpentari since it started. He had given no reason for the Serpentari to hate him. And just because they wanted power, they used despicable means as if he was the person who killed their family.

Deep within King Ciroel’s heart was a passion for love. But beyond that passion was secret selfishness. He wanted and yearned to be that king. His selfish and prideful desire was to be a person loved by his people. And this was the one thing that the Serpentari was trying to uproot.

Dyne had learned of this in the conversations he had with the people. The more he met and talked to the king's other servants, the more he confirmed the direction and passion of the king. The eyes of destiny helped Dyne pierce through the mystery of the king's life, allowing Dyne to ensure the way for the king to fall into depravity.

The Afarit was a being of Dark Fire. And Fire was passion. Dark Fire was the twisted passion that could turn a man from an average idealistic person to a rebel, a terrorist, or an extremist.

“What say you, King Ciroel? Your kingdom hates you! You only have a pitiful amount of soldiers. The ghost and souls of the warriors who vowed to protect you and to whom you showered no maltreatment hate you, and even Lachdagonan has cursed his oath to end his servitude towards you! The kingdom is the same! Take this power, and you will have that power to restore order to Martsirt!”

“I want that power!” King Ciroel roared and reached out for the Wisp of soul in Dyne’s hand.

The moment he touched it, a strange power surged into King Ciroel’s body.

King Ciroel screamed in great anguish as the fire raged within, and it began to corrupt his mind. Ciroel fell to the ground and began to toss and turn around.

Dyne witnessed it and smirked.

“No one interferes! This is the Kings Tribulation! This is his choice!” Dyne shouted, and the men nearby halted.

“What did you do?!” Lachdagonan asked Dyne.

“What did I do? You did this! You all did! You bore ill malice to him instead of doubting the king and trusting him! It is because of weak knights like you that the king has lost his supporters! The few that supported him all had their doubts! They must have been fed lies but chose not to believe them! And now, the kingdom will slip away. King Ciroel is forced to make this decision because of your unfilial attitude!” Dyne shouted.

The ghosts around them were silenced at Dyne’s rebuttal.

The king shouted all the more as he heard Dyne’s word. The anger in his heart was made stronger. Dyne was right! Had he not given the kingdom a huge reason to doubt the lies? Were his actions insincere?

“What’s going to happen?” Jedo couldn’t help but ask Dyne.

“The Darkening of King Ciroel! The soul of the Afarit is weak. Even that small soul was purged with Brimstone, so its corruption is not strong enough to make this king mad. But it will awaken his true power?”

“True power?” Jedo and Strafe asked together.

“I’ve been working with the mindset that King Ciroel will have the same potential as King Leoric in the Diablo game. Through that, I did inductive reasoning. What specific key element will King Ciroel have that can help him have the power in the game?”

“The Afarit could have bestowed or twisted Ciroel.” Strafe guessed.

“I thought that too. Except for the plan that the Afarit followed wasn’t that at all! The clues are found in the actions of the enemy! The Afarit knows something! It had the power to acquire the kingdom by assassinating the king! But it followed a long-term, slow, and excruciatingly painful plan in slowly wilting down the alliance of King Ciroel and chose to plant sows of discord to make those loyal turn from the king.”

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“But I thought they did that to minimize losses!”

“Partly. The Afarit’s that are here are racing against time and resources! They have to hurry. It’s easier for the Afarit to forcibly take over a kingdom, eliminate the rest, invade other towns, and recruit more men in their invasion. But this was not the path it chose. In short, it valued King Ciroel. And since Basileus Basileon had shown us that the games I love exist here, King Leoric, who could raise an undead army, would be why the Afarit valued him!”

“Then King Ciroel has a secret bloodline or condition.” Strafe realized it.

“That’s right! Of course, I don’t know what specific bloodline it will be.”

“A Summoner’s blood. The king’s bloodline is descended from a Sprite and Human. And Ciroel is a particularly talented descendant.”

“A summoner?”

“The best way to explain it is through Final Fantasy 9. Remember Garnet and Eiko’s bloodline? It’s similar to that. King Ciroel has a means of communing with the spirits. Through vows and contracts, they invoke the power of various spirits, sprites, and other beings.”

“But how will that help him be a death knight or a necromancer?”

“Summoners who specialize on the Dark Elements are what necromancers are. Also, King Ciroel’s case is unique. I think the Afarit realized it. They had already prepared this world and halted the journey of souls to rest. Because of that, King Ciroel may become a powerful lieutenant. He has already established a contract and can summon the souls he commands to do his bidding.”

“He has?” Jedo was stunned.

“Of course! The Knight’s Vow! His knights vowed to serve him and Martsirt! They are bound to him!”

“Correct. In the Cultivation world, vows such as these echo throughout eternity. The powers that created this will honor vows. And it’s that vow that links them.”

Dyne was excited.

“I can’t believe it! Finally, I get to control an NPC such as Leoric! This should be fun!” Dyne laughed and approached King Ciroel.

“Arise, King! Let your rage fuel and call forth these knights! Bind them to the oath they vowed and cause them to serve you! They have turned from you and were deceived! They have failed you! Bind them to their honor to serve you with great servitude!”

King Ciroel suddenly stood up and shouted.

“I devoted my life to serve Martsirt! But you all saw me as a friend, a traitor, and a madman! No more shall I be treated with contempt! With the vows that bind you, I call you once more! Arise, my warriors! Arise!” King Ciroel shouted.

The power of the summoner surged.

Lights flickered around the tomb, and suddenly, the apparitions of all ghosts were lost. All but Lachdagonan remained.

“What… what happened?” Chrone was confused.

“What is this… dark sensation?” Ussylys exclaimed. He turned to Emera and noticed that his little sister looked afraid.

“Va-Valkyrion!” She moved towards Dyne.

“Relax, Emera.” Dyne smiled.

Lachdagonan looked in horror at his king.

“You have forsaken your oath at your death. So you escaped my call… No matter. I have no use for forsakers and traitors like you!” Ciroel’s mad voice echoed in the tomb.

Lachdagonan was a soul, but he clenched his fist and gnashed his teeth in great frustration. Dyne and Ciroel were right.

Ciroel looked around and laughed.

“This power… I have it all along? And I never used it? Pathetic!”

“This strange force. I see… So this was the way you planned to make a summoner! So this was the bloodline I’d gain when I entered Brigandine!” Dyne felt the surge of power. As a Soul Cultivator, he was most sensitive to the power that King Ciroel was releasing.

“King Ciroel, banish that name. You are no longer that weakling. Name yourself the inverse of your name. Name your kingdom that inverse title as well! Arise, King Leoric of Tristram! Take your throne!”

“I will gladly do so! Rise! Rise!” King Leoric urged.

Suddenly, tremors and quakes could be felt as hands and bodies burst out of the tombs and on the ground.

Skeleton warriors rose one by one. Each of these skeletons emitted powerful and thick energy.

The concept was similar to the skeleton warriors in Legaia. But the skeletons in this kingdom were not normal humans like in Legaia. They were powerful cultivators. Aside from their bones that were many times stronger, the soul of these skeletons settled on the bones. They were creatures that moved and existed through a power similar to Legaia’s spirit arts.

Leoric’s figure and presence were more powerful now. Even Ardnula could help but feel a strange power that made him cower before his king.

“King Leoric. The Afarit lies in the region where your son stays. So let us move towards that region.”

“And who are you to command this king?” Leoric laughed.

“I gave this power, and I can take it away.” Dyne didn’t back down but stepped closer to Leoric.

Leoric looked eye-to-eye with Dyne and finally laughed.

“Indeed. You are too powerful for me to challenge. That being on your arm can easily kill me.” King Leoric laughed.

“My king…” Jaden stepped forward.

“Do not be dismayed, Jaden, my son.” Leoric laughed.

“I have changed, but the darkness has not consumed me. You’d have to thank Valkyrion Dyne for that. Come. Let us march. The soldiers that live and have betrayed me can be called and brought back to my service!” Leoric laughed as he moved out.