Excalibur, the sword that engraved its name in the collective memory of Earth's humanity. The legendary sword of the equally legendary King Arthur Pendragon, the sword of light, capable of fantastic feats and enhanced by the world of Nilmerthis, was pulsating in my hand. Well... Sort of. My initial assumption was incorrect. To unlock a replica, I just had to deal enough damage or spill the blood of a valid target. Whatever the reason, Excalibur was crackling in my hand with power eclipsing everything else at my disposal. It shone with soft blue light, dispersing the darkness surrounding the Void Born. While Korkas might be ignorant of the name of my weapon, he was fully aware of the power that stemmed from it. He eyed it warily for a moment and then, without his usual gloating, he started casting his flames that changed colour to a vibrant, glowing green.

"Anchor!" He yelled desperately and engulfed the entire area around me in his evil green flames. "Die already!"

'The same cheap trick won't work on you twice.'

You were blessed by Verka, the Goddess of Vengeance, this blessing reduces the time of debuffs recast on you by 50%.

I saw the System message and almost cracked a smile, but fortunately, my Poker Face hid my delight. So this was what you had hidden in your kiss, Verka. The runic barriers of my armour were holding the flames at bay while I had a moment to drink some potions. I never intended to drag this fight out for so long, but I guess he wanted to win as much as I did. I shot a single arcane bolt at him that crashed into his face, blinding Korkas for a moment so I could rush at him. I managed to cut off one of his hands with a single swoop of Excalibur and leave a long, deep wound with Galatine. He tried to hit me with his other sword, but I effortlessly blocked it. Without losing momentum, I sliced again, splitting open his bloated abdomen, burying Excalibur near the creature's heart. I once again attempted to activate my skill by twisting the sword.

"Bane Blade: Judgement of Light!" I yelled while Excalibur changed into a beam of light, burning Korkas from the inside.

"You won't win, Hero." Korkas gasped for air as his body slowly started turning to ash. I had to make a wobbly step forward to not fall from exhaustion. "I am but one of many. You may have killed this body of mine, but my soul will be reborn to serve my gods again! One day you will die, Hero, and then we will win."

"You see, I won't die and your gods will never be able to reclaim your soul, Korkas... Ugh..." I looked at his sword that he had run through my belly. "Ha... Well played..."

I raised my fist toward him and opened it, showing him my open palm. The ground around Korkas cracked open, and he bellowed a surprised roar as he fell. His screams were cut short when I clenched my fist once more, closing the ground above him, burying him and enthralling his soul into eternal servitude. Now even his vile gods couldn't reclaim his soul. I released all of my magic and poured everything I had into healing my wound. With a trembling hand, I gripped the hilt of his dark sword and screamed in pain as I tore it from me. I was so weak, but I felt that the cursed sword was trying to destroy me. With great effort, I once again summoned Excalibur, and I stabbed myself with it. I felt as if I was burning from the inside out as the legendary sword purged whatever the Void Apostle had poisoned his sword with. I coughed blood as the dark barrier around me dissipated, feeling the blaze of gentle wind upon my face.

"You made it, child of Earth. You enacted the vengeance we craved." Vali's voice was full of affection.

Tisiphone's voice was like a gentle whisper. "Thank you for saving our daughter."

"I promised to kill him..." I used one of the elixirs and poured it straight onto the blade of Excalibur.

"Accept our..." Vali's shadow waved and flickered.

"No. Save your powers." I interjected, and once the fire in my veins disappeared, I took out Excalibur and unsummoned it.

"We used everything to save our daughter so we don't have much time left..."

"Theon!" Irene called me with a trembling voice. "Remove Curse! Grand Purification! Grand Restoration!"

The purifying, golden light washed my body, clearing anything that was not purged by my far less subtle Excalibur method. My wounds closed in an instant as I laid on my back, breathing slowly.

"Thank you, my Darling..."

"Grand Heal! Damn it, Theon!" She knelt near me and hit me in my chest with her soft fists. "You almost died!"

I looked at the worried faces of Amber, Luna, Hestia and Aoi and smiled softly while, at the same time, Zeus, Hera, Zephyr and Verka appeared. I looked towards Vali and Tisiphone, who were standing nearby just to witness as Zephyr threw the dead body of the Void Touched right through them. It was then I realised that they were nothing but ghosts. They went towards Verka, who couldn't see or even hear them as they called her name. Their minds were still intact, clinging to this world as they tried to convey their last message. I wondered if I could do anything to give them more time to spend with their daughter. I pitied them...

The body of the Dark Apostle Korkas was analysed.

As his mortal body gave up on him, Korkas had devoted himself to the Dark Gods, who granted him a fake body. He learned the forbidden magic and dark rituals to bring the Era of Darkness upon the Nilmerthis.

You can now create Homunculi.

New research available at the Magic Tower: Dark Magic.

New research available at the Magic Tower: Dark Magic Protection.

I blinked a few times. Homunculi? Aren't those fake human-like beings created by alchemy or similar magic?

"Theon?"

"Huh? Sorry... I just received strange information from the World's System." I looked at worried Amber, who sighed a breath of relief.

"We were worried because you spaced out," she explained as she smiled warmly at me. "You did it!"

"*sigh* Barely... Hestia?"

"Yes?" She fixed her hair as she bowed towards me.

"You were right about that tomb all along... Without saving Verka first, Korkas could have killed me." I smiled and looked at Vali and Tisiphone, who were looking at me angrily.

"I thought we could find Tisiphone and Vali there as well. Don't get me wrong! I'm glad we saved Verka, but I hoped we could save everyone..." She straightened and wiped a tear. "Sorry... It's hard to think they are gone."

I just slowly nodded, unable to tell her that both people who were mentioned were standing right next to her. Instead, I stood up and after a quick, loud snap with my fingers, I buried the remnants of Knecht so his soul couldn't wander too far or be claimed by his dark gods. I looked at Verka, who took from behind her back a bloodied hand with the heart she had torn out from the chest of Jilai. With mad laughter, she tossed it into the gap in the ground and I closed it with a sigh. We really needed the help of Vali and Tisiphone to temper her a bit. Wait a second... I went towards the ghosts of the former gods of vengeance that stood near Verka. She looked at me as I raised my arms as if I wanted to hug her, and she took a step back, flustered and angry. But before she could say or do anything, I touched the ghosts and, after accepting the pop-up window, I started building bodies for them. The intense mana pressure I used made the air buzz.

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Everyone around me was staring in silence as something started to grow in the air. Rapidly growing bones were covered with blood vessels, muscles and then finally skin. I put long robes on them as the homunculus creation process was quite unsettling to witness, but fortunately, it just took a few moments, maybe a full minute at best. The Homunculi were standing idly with opened but empty eyes that gazed at Verka, who recognized them immediately. She weakly dropped to her knees and started crying, but in the meantime, the ghosts of Vali and Tisiphone probed the artificial bodies before claiming them.

"You are stubborn, child of Earth." Vali chuckled and Verka looked sharply at him.

"Indeed... But, thank you..." Tisiphone dropped to her knees and hugged her daughter. "You are safe, Verka!"

"Ok..." I smiled weakly and covered a huge yawn. "Now I can faint."

My stamina hit zero as the buffs from the energy drink wore out. As my consciousness automatically switched into RTS mode, I saw Zephyr and Zeus catching my body before it hit the ground, steadying it as Luna gently kissed me. After that, I fell asleep, grateful for the quiet bliss of darkness and rest.

•••

"Vali! Tisiphone!" Hestia called their names through the tears. "You are alive!"

"More than we expected..." Vali joined his wife as he hugged Verka, who was still crying.

"Mom... Dad... I am so sorry!" she bawled loudly. "But how?"

"To save you, Verka, we fought through the hordes of Voidlings, and slayed the three Major Gods of Void who tried to devour your body. We slew the scores of lesser Voidlings, but we were unable to destroy the Soul Drinking Dagger. When we realised that we needed the help of Hestia or Zhiva, it was too late. We were trapped. We decided to look for someone to save you and we found him." Vali smiled as he looked at the unconscious Theon. "He is a Hero, isn't he?"

"He uses the term 'Champion' since he rather despises heroes..." Hestia chuckled.

"He is your champion then, Hestia?" Tisiphone smiled as she patted her daughter.

"You could say so..." Hestia blushed. "He is my husband."

"Oh, Hestia..." Tisiphone lowered her head in compassion. "You know that one day he will die..."

"Not really..." Zeus secured a better grip on Theon's body. "He is a Dungeon Core, so he is more immortal than we are. He won't die that easily. What about you two...?"

"Ah..." Vali smiled a bit. "Verka inherited our powers. We should be dead by now. Theon rejected our gift, which we bestowed on him anyway. However, his refusal preserved most of our powers, so after he created these puppets we were able to take control of them."

"Yes. It's a strange feeling, but we are now Mortals." Tisiphone closed and opened her fist a few times as if she were testing her new body. "Given the alternative, the choice was obvious."

Verka hugged her parents, and all of her previous wrath and resentment dissipated. Amber cleared her throat to catch everyone’s attention. "Let's move to the Palace where we can talk freely. The last remnants of enemy force should be routed any moment now and according to Theon's orders, the third, fourth and fifth Legions are to be deployed outside of Avalon."

•••

Legio III Infernus Ignis, the Hell Fire Legion, Legio IV Ventus Aquilo, the North Wind Legion, and Legio V Mors Praecones, the Death Heralds, were in the midst of deployment. It was a lengthy process despite the inhumane discipline of the Immortal Legions, and it became a huge attraction for the people of Avalon. It was especially glamorous for the kids who snuck onto the walls or any advantageous position to have an unobstructed observation point of the marching soldiers. Marie and her band, along with her entire class, had incredible luck because they managed to claim one of the balconies on the gatehouse tower in the Middle Castle wall, normally used by the observers or archers. The kids watched in awe as the marching soldiers passed. The boys especially had sparks in their eyes when they saw the Winged Hussars. It was not just the children who observed the Legions. Adults were present as well, but their gazes carried different messages; their gazes were full of hope. Some people were cheering, but most of the others prayed to whatever god was listening for their families who were suffering greatly under Cridian rule.

The Legions, in the eyes of the people of Avalon, symbolised the promise of King Theon that they could live safely under his rule. Now the three Legions headed towards the lands where most of the population of Cridia dwelled. Without Korkas, Slavers, and Void Cultists, Cridia was going to be claimed by King Theon. Many people in the new capital of the new Kingdom already cheered and celebrated as if the war had been already won. Undeniably, the forces of Avalon looked impressive, but Josla still had nearly three times more soldiers. Many people realised that winning this war was just the beginning, since the surrounding foreign powers would surely want to claim some lands of the kingdom, taking advantage of the rising chaos of the civil war. However, they not only believed in their king, but if he called them to war, they would go willingly to protect their homes. The war would spread like a flame across Cridia and the Kingdom of Avalon would rise from its ashes. Woe to the nation who would try to touch those ashes, not realising how hot the flames were.

•••

I stood in front of one of the large conference rooms for a bit before I entered with a heavy sigh. My wives were already inside along with Eternals and Ban, who just happened to be passing by, brought with him a dozen Guardsmen Commanders, Knys, Idna, Sigismund, Vali, and Tisiphone. I was especially glad to see these last two sitting near their daughter, who had changed significantly for the better.

"Good morning everyone. We have some work to do and a few problems to address, so I will try to be brief." I took my seat and everyone nodded or bowed towards me, welcoming me back. "Our forces in the south and west reached the borders and secured all points of interest. It's safe to say that this part of the operation was successful. To fully grasp the opportunity we have, I ordered Galahad and Legio Fulminata to begin the offensive towards the north as soon as the Third Legion began its attack. The Fourth and Fifth Legions are going to head east."

Everyone simply nodded, uncertain why I even explained such things to them, so I continued. "As the situation unfolds, we are being forced to take different actions on many fronts all at once. From social policies, to dealing with unsubjugated dungeons, all while we have to keep tabs on the neighbourhood countries. As you might know, I have appointed Blair as the West Province military commander. I plan to divide the country into five provinces; The North, the South, the East and the West, as well as the Central Province." Hushed discussions and surprised gazes filled the room after this revelation.

"My Lord, you do not plan to establish dukedoms and lesser noble territories?" Ban looked at me, startled.

"Not at this moment. Maybe later if we manage to secure a few years of peace with the neighbouring nations," I responded, and Ban quickly nodded.

"This is a wise decision, King Theon." Vali crossed his arms in front of him. "I saw far too many ignorant rulers who focused on such things while still waging war. Most of them lost said wars and those who managed to prevail struggled to stay in power."

"Indeed. It's not that uncommon to see the fall of such kings or queens. Alas... Their heirs, if they survived the fall of their parents, often carried a deep grudge and called our names to help with their vengeance." Tisiphone smiled coldly. "If I may suggest, letting the heirs of Cridian nobles live would be a huge mistake. Imprisoning them or killing them would be wise, as history shows. Even the weak might gain power if their desire for vengeance is strong enough."

"I will not respond to pleas of vengeance from the enemies of Avalon, Mother." Verka smiled at the former goddess.

"Then the dark gods might respond, Verka." Vali shrugged. "There is much you have to learn."

"Hmmm... Thank you." I hesitated for a moment. "As cruel as it may sound, I am going to listen to your advice, Lady Tisiphone. However, I am not going to murder them indiscriminately. Those who would choose to fight against us during the war will most likely die, anyway. The survivors and their families will be put to fair trials. We can always imprison them and we can use gaesa that can be used to prevent them from seeking vengeance. We can even enslave them, even though I despise slavery. But I don't believe that killing should be our preferred solution."

"But it's still the safest option." Vali smiled and bowed his head, signifying that he partly agreed with my opinion.

"Indeed, and it's an option that will always be valid." I nodded back. "Lord Vali and Lady Tisiphone, could you help us during the trials of the Cridian nobles? We have some imprisoned after the recent battles, and your insight would be very valuable."

"With pleasure, King Theon. This is going to be a very valuable lesson for Verka as well." Tisiphone smiled brightly.

"Thank you. I will have to appoint a Southern province Governor, but that could wait for a while since the south is basically a wilderness with just a few settlements." I nodded with gratitude and looked at my notes. "While we are talking, Arani and Thor are subjugating two new dungeons. The Wild Beast Forest and the Kobold Dungeon. Knys, I want to ask for your opinion on the last dungeon in the south; the Necropolis. Should I subjugate it or keep it as an untamed, wild dungeon?"