Becoming the Dark Lord

Chapter 543: The King Who Watches

Luke returned to the temple with Franky at his side. The hatchling could already shift back into his larger wyvern form.

"Master Luke!" Charlie's voice rang out before she even saw him. She came running.

"I'm back."

"I knew it, Master Luke. I smelled you from far away!" she said, practically vibrating with excitement.

A moment later, she rushed down the temple steps and launched herself at him, wrapping him in a tight hug that caught him completely off guard. Angie approached right after.

"My lord," she said softly, waiting patiently until Charlie finished clinging to him. "You were gone for many days."

Even though he'd warned them the core process would take time, they had still worried.

"When I left the temple, you weren't here. I ended up having… another adventure," Luke replied.

"And what is this?" Artemis asked. "What happened to Mr. Shitpants?"

Her loud, obnoxious laugh followed immediately.

"Don't laugh, you annoying woman!" Franky snapped.

"Oh gods, he turned back into a newborn snake," Artemis cackled.

"I look like this, but I'm happy. I'm a snake again!" Franky declared.

"Happy to be a newborn?" Artemis teased.

Franky clicked his tongue in irritation. Not that it stopped Artemis from laughing even harder.

"What's this, you scoundrel?" Layla said, crossing her arms. "You disappear for days and then show up like nothing happened. And what happened to your hair? It's long now."

"Hello to you too, Layla…" Luke muttered. "The reunion was going great until you showed up."

"I could say the same," Layla shot back. "Things were peaceful here, and then you came back. But at least you're alive. Not that I was worried or anything. I couldn't care less what you were doing inside that temple."

"That's a lie. I saw you looking at the temple door dozens of times while the human was in there."

"Shut up, mascot!" Layla snapped. "I was only checking to make sure nothing crazy happened! I didn't want to get stuck here forever! And you were staring at the door every day too!"

"What? Lies, human! Don't believe her. I did not spend all day waiting for you to come out of that temple or asking them how you were doing! Don't trust these rats," Franky insisted.

Luke ignored the escalating argument.

"Master Luke… why do you have a blue eye?" Charlie asked.

"I was wondering that as well," Angie added.

***

Luke opened the temple so they could enter. He kept Vaelor's hammer tucked inside his haori before storing it away. Now that he had claimed the legacy, the temple allowed others to step inside. He guided them through the structure. It looked almost identical to the other temples, just with a few extra chambers.

During his absence, Charlie and Angie had made real progress leveling up. As a Blood Death Knight, Charlie had reached level 76; as a Black Asher Fighter, level 72; and as a Vampire, level 67. At Vampire level 65, two new skills had appeared for her, and she once again chose one tied to the Path of the Vampiric Beast.

[Vampiric Beast Senses (Ancient)]: All five senses are drastically enhanced, not only through conscious perception but through the Vampiric Beast that dwells within the blood. Sight and smell reach absolute precision within a five-kilometer radius, detecting subtle movements, old trails, faint scent variations, and hostile intent even without deliberate focus. The beast notices before the mind does.

Angie, as a Valkyrie, had already reached level 61, and her Cleric class had climbed to 28. She was getting dangerously close to Rank E, sitting at level 48 in Stone Angel. Luke wasn't sure whether she would evolve immediately upon hitting level 50, or if her second class also needed to pass that threshold.

After reviewing the abilities the girls had gained, he concluded something important. He wasn't the only one who had grown stronger. In his absence, they had acquired powers that would be extremely useful.

"Do you think going up is going to be easier now?" Layla asked.

Luke studied the dimensional map carved into the corridor wall of the temple.

"Angie said she can carry people easily now. And she can fly. Didn't she?"

"Yeah, but… what if I fall? I don't have the items or abilities you people use to survive a ten-story drop, let alone this abyss."

"Then pray it doesn't happen, Layla."

"That's not funny!"

"Relax. Angie won't drop you."

"I don't know about that," Layla muttered. "She once told me it wouldn't be a problem if I lost a finger in battle because she wanted to test if her healing magic could put it back."

"That sounds like a great test. You should've tried it."

Layla clicked her tongue. Eventually, Luke convinced her it would be fine. And there was also Franky, who could help if needed.

If I feed my Spectral Beast a flying monster… I'd get a flying mount.

The idea was tempting, but there was no point ditching the Abyss King's form for a weaker creature just for that convenience.

It needs to be at least as strong as the Abyss King. Or… does it? Maybe a Rank F beast has better compatibility?

He wanted to run more tests, but doing so would mean sacrificing the Abyss King form.

I'll deal with that later. First I need to finish the last problem before leaving.

***

Henry watched from afar. He had been observing the group for two full days. The man named Luke had finally returned after being missing for quite some time. During those days, Henry had two perfect chances to attack Charlie and the winged woman, but he didn't take them. He had no idea where Luke or the archer were lurking, and that assassin-type class of his made everything unpredictable.

"That Luke entered the temple," Henry whispered to the archers beside him. "We can move."

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

He had prepared several attack plans for different scenarios. This one was ideal. He knew where each of them was. They were separated, comfortable, unworried. Blind.

"The winged woman, kill her or cripple her," Henry reminded them.

He already had the vampire Charlie lined up in his crossbow sights. His card-based attacks couldn't reach from this distance, but that didn't matter. Incapacitating her and dragging her away was more important. Torture could come later.

"All at once," Henry murmured. "On three… two…"

"You really thought I never noticed you?"

The voice came from behind him. Not one of his men. Henry spun instantly and fired a bolt toward the sound. The figure caught it between two fingers, effortlessly.

"How did he get here?"

"I had a teleportation circle nearby," the man said with bored disdain, examining the bolt like it was a cheap trinket. He didn't even acknowledge the soldiers surrounding him.

"That's your guy, right, Henry?" one of the archers asked.

"It doesn't matter. He was waiting for us, but all we need is to restrain the bastard."

But how? How had he known?

"Wait, don't attack without a pla—" Henry tried to shout.

Bolts flew toward him, and he weaved between them with ease, casually closing the distance. Then a grin stretched across his face as he sprinted forward, kukris flashing in his hands.

Within seconds he was on top of one of the soldiers. A spinning motion of his blades disarmed the man in a single stroke, sending him crashing into a tree. Henry twisted again, slashing across the man's face before darting toward the next target. Another soldier tried aiming a crossbow, but the attacker was far too fast.

Damn it.

"Vampire bastard!"

It had to be her. Henry slung the crossbow across his back, dropped a smoke bomb at his feet, and sprinted into the trees while pulling a card from his deck. He tightened his grip and activated a skill, sharpening its edge.

My surprise attack failed… but how?

He layered another ability onto the card.

Doesn't matter. I'll kill the bastard and then the vampire.

Henry spun around to strike.

Waste time on the others… and die.

As he stepped out from behind a tree, Luke was already there, holding a severed head in one hand. "What's wrong? Why'd you stop?"

Henry's entire body locked up. Behind Luke loomed a colossal serpent of shadow and smoke, its presence suffocating. But the eyes, two glowing yellow circles, hit his mind like a hammer. His muscles refused to respond.

What… what's happening? Why can't I move?

He was completely frozen.

"You think I'd come down here without considering someone might follow? Especially after wiping out your entire base?" Luke said, tossing the head aside.

Henry's trap had been flipped on him. He needed to know how, when. Then he saw her emerge from the brush. The vampire. The woman who killed his sister.

"I've smelled you wandering through the forest for a long time," Charlie said.

Henry forced his gaze away from the serpent with tremendous effort. Its presence was some kind of mental pressure.

"I'm curious about something," Luke said. "How did you know she was a vampire?"

At that moment Henry managed to move one hand. He stabbed the sharpened card into his own thigh, crying out. The pain broke the paralysis.

"I'm going to kill you, you miserable monster!" he shouted at Charlie. He hurled cards toward her and Luke, but something struck him from behind, piercing through and stopping his attack cold.

He was lifted off the ground.

"Do not raise your hand against my lord," a woman's voice said behind him.

She threw him against a tree, and before he could recover, throwing knives pinned his hand in place, drawing another gasp of pain.

"For countless nights I flew to the top of this abyss and watched your base," the winged woman said as she approached.

"You're going to tell me exactly how you knew she was a vampire, and whether you told anyone," Luke said, planting his foot on Henry's leg and flooring him.

"D-Dolores…" Henry choked out. "I'll avenge… Dolores…" His voice trembled with rage.

"So you must be Henry. Leader of Eight Fingers, Dolores's brother," Luke replied. "That explains a few things."

Henry tried to rise, but Luke stepped on him again. "Do you know how Dolores died? I imagine she begged before the end."

Henry screamed and swung blindly.

"Now," Luke said, the enormous serpent lowering its head toward Henry, "you're going to tell me exactly what's happening outside the abyss."

***

Charlie had dragged back a handful of captured soldiers, and with Angie's help, she squeezed every answer out of them. They only knew scraps, but it was enough. During the days they spent inside the temple, Angie had repeatedly flown out of the abyss, circled above the base, watched the enemy's movements, and reported everything to Luke whenever she saw him.

He knew he'd have to deal with them eventually. He'd left the task in Angie and Charlie's hands while he went through the core-awakening process, but they chose to wait for him.

In the end, the only reason this man was still alive was because Angie and Charlie had been playing with their food, delaying the inevitable.

Luke glanced at his Spectral Beast. The creature had just used the second skill inherited from the Abyss King.

[Eye of the Abyss King (Legendary)]: The Abyss King understood that to be a true apex predator, venom alone wasn't enough. Its gaze had to be lethal. This ability delivers a paralyzing psychic strike through eye contact. The more terrified the target, the stronger the effect.

He hadn't tested the power extensively yet. It clearly wasn't absolute, Henry had managed to break free after only a few seconds, but it was still useful. It was the same ability Luke had countered during their fight by using [Clear Mind].

Maybe if I use Despair Aura together with it… that could work nicely.

He looked down at Henry. Angie had healed the man's severed limbs, not to restore them, but simply to stop the bleeding long enough to keep him alive.

"I got everything I needed from your soldiers. Last words?"

Henry never revealed how he discovered that Charlie was a vampire, not even after hours of torture.

"Go fuck yourself…" he muttered.

Luke exhaled softly, then placed a hand on Henry's head. "You're almost level seventy, aren't you? That's more than enough to have awakened a Rank Skill."

Time to test the Skill Rank Devourer from Sariel's Eye. It worked only on dying enemies. Now that the eye rested in his face, he finally understood how it operated. Just like Form Devourer, he could steal a Rank Skill and later replace it with another if he wished.

He claimed Henry's Rank Skill. The man went pale instantly, his life slipping away.

"Dolo…res…" Henry rasped.

"Enjoy," Luke said to his Spectral Beast.

The serpent practically smiled before striking, swallowing Henry whole and crunching him apart. Luke turned away and started walking. Angie flew ahead to scout the area, and Charlie had already returned to Layla, who hadn't understood a single thing that was happening.

"Now that was a proper snake attack, human," Franky commented. "It hissed, showed its fangs, and struck. You are terrible at controlling it. You need more lessons."

Luke ignored him and continued reading the newly acquired Rank Skill.

[Echoes of Death (Rank F)]: A power forged from regret, bitterness, hatred, and ambition. While near a corpse, you may activate this ability to create an illusion showing the victim's final moments. Useful for extracting information or uncovering truths only the dead can reveal.

Oh, that's interesting.

***

Luke emerged from the top of the abyss. Angie had carried him up before descending again to retrieve the rest of the group.

The outpost near the abyss still held soldiers loyal to Miles, and now Luke finally understood what had happened during the time he spent inside the temple. The war between factions had begun, and Cassandra had even been betrayed.

"Plot twists everywhere," he murmured, sitting on a stone.

Once the last member of his group climbed out, they tore through the enemy soldiers stationed at the base.

"I promised I'd get you back to Camlann safely, Layla," Luke said as they walked through the area, though his thoughts were elsewhere.

***

After some time, they reached the field where the battle was unfolding. It stretched wide and green, split into two sides: one held the baron's fortified camp, complete with wooden towers and siege engines; the other was Cassandra's line, marked by rows of tents and hastily raised barriers.

From what Luke had learned, ever since Cassandra's defeat her forces had been steadily retreating, losing ground piece by piece. Miles's side, meanwhile, had dug in with siege weapons and superior numbers.

"You can't come any closer," someone said.

"Who is he? How did he get here?"

Luke had slipped all the way to the center of the command tent where Cassandra stayed. Losing his [Wraith Form] had one unfortunate downside: he could no longer slip through cracks or drift as smoke to move unseen.

"That's the guy who used to sell antidotes," one soldier muttered. "How did he get past the perimeter? Which patrol let him through?"

Weapons were drawn. One of the soldiers pressed a blade to Luke's back. He was surrounded on all sides.

"Ask Cassandra," Luke said calmly, "what she'd be willing to pay me… if I ended this war for her."