Chapter 166: Episode 51. The Spirit King of Fire (1)
The Power of Domination was a skill that enabled me to dominate an opponent, and a dominated opponent would submit to and follow me. It was amazing. It really was a skill for me.
‘It will be very useful,’ I thought.
Domination itself was a great skill, but, in the hidden option, there was another great effect: I could invalidate a territory proclamation. That would only work for me, but it was not a simple effect.
It meant the domains of angels or dungeons of other demons would not be able to affect me. Those who had accumulated their power automatically had their domains. Also, some skills could make domains. But, at present, I could invalidate those domains no matter what. The effective value of this skill was a priceless advantage.
Tap.
I gently tapped my chest area and let the Lightning God move to my heart. Soon, I could feel Ifrit trapped in my heart.
“I guess the heart of the Hell Lord is stronger than the Great Quintessence of Fire.”
The Hell Lord dared to be a god and almost became one. Ifrit was not even close to becoming a half-god. Thus, it was obvious who was stronger.
“Lyhee.”
“Yes, Master. Lyhee is here.”
As soon as I summoned her, Lyhee flapped her wings and flew over to me. She had been waiting nearby for my call.
Joy was overflowing from her round eyes. Lyhee would not leave my side ever since I had returned to the dungeon.
“Call Maxium and Oswen,” I ordered.
“Lyhee-hee. Yes, Sir!” Lyhee left with a big smile.
I looked at the ice statue near the steel-barred window. A female Dark Elf was trapped in the ice. She was the Dark Elf Higher, Sheila. Her body was cursed. I wanted to ask Oswen and Maxium about this matter.
***
Lyhee brought Maxium and Oswen five minutes later. She was delighted at the thought that she had fulfilled my command. The men just tilted their heads with curiosity.
“I called you here to ask about this statue,” I said.
“She’s a very beautiful Dark Elf,” Oswen stated. “The mark on her forehead… Is she the Higher?”
“Yes. She is Krithli’s mother.”
“…!”
Oswen and Maxium had been living in the dungeon, so they knew who Krithli was.
“She was cursed, and she died. I want to ask you about this curse… Doesn’t it feel familiar?”
“I don’t know if I should say this, but…”
“Go ahead, Maxium.”
“It’s a bit similar to Your Majesty’s aura before you lost your memory, but it felt eviler. That’s why I can’t give a definite answer.”
I nodded. “That’s right. It’s not the Shadow Emperor’s aura. It’s something similar to it. However, he was the only one, and no one who can imitate him.”
I could confirm that he was unique, and nobody could emulate or mimic him.
“Nothingness!” Oswen clapped his hands.
He knew that I was not the real Hell Lord.
The Hell Lord was the one who dared to be a god but failed. And those who failed to be a god went to Nothingness. I had seen Contegnome who had been summoned by Oculus. Thus, the Hell Lord could be summoned in Devildom as well.
If the Hell Lord had actually returned from Nothingness, it would be possible that he was strong enough to fight against Jinma Dragon Ahojin.
Maxium, who still didn’t know the truth, frowned. “Your Majesty… But Your Majesty is here, right now. I know that those who have been taken to Nothingness can’t exist in this world.”
“If you can define Nothingness, then it will no longer be called Nothingness. So I wanted to ask you who knew me well: How do we get rid of this curse?”
I was half-convinced. The Hell Lord must have been summoned from Nothingness. I was glad that he was not summoned to Earth, but he might come here; or he could make a mess in Devildom, and that would affect the Archdukes. Some might try to ensnare him to their sides. It was very possible.
I had to prepare to cope with the worst situation.
After contemplating about it for some time, Maxium began, “If Your Majesty did it, there will be no way to lift a curse. However, one possible method is to create a ‘magical weapon’ that can deflect the curse…”
“You mean the magical weapon that specializes in curses?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
I shifted my gaze and looked at Oswen. “Can you make it?”
Oswen shook his head. “Materials are a huge concern. There’s a limit in making a magical weapon that can deflect this strong curse no matter how good my blacksmith skills are. I mean, I have one idea, but it would be hard to make unless orichalcum falls from the sky somehow…”
Oswen had suffered by the Hell Lord. He was well aware of his power, so I assumed he probably had been strategizing to protect himself from the Hell Lord. And as I expected, it seemed like he already had a plan.
“I have it.”
The only problem he had was the materials.
“What? You have orichalcum?” Oswen replied in disbelief.
“Yes. I have enough to make a few weapons. So… Can you make it then?”
As I looked at Lyhee, she quickly flew away. She understood what I was thinking. She soon returned with a pile of orichalcum. Oswen’s jaw dropped as he saw it. His eyes couldn’t believe what they were seeing.
“Did you gather all the orichalcum in the world? All I’ve ever seen in my life was the size of my fingernail—”
“Oswen.”
“Yes, I can make it. These are more than enough. It’s been a while, but it’s time for me to show you what I’ve got,” Oswen answered confidently.
“Do you need anything else?” I asked.
“I need time to look at the curse before determining more materials. I will ask the fairy of the dungeon if I need anything else. Is that right, Lady Lyhee?” Oswen looked at Lyhee and winked.
Lyhee looked at him with a haughty expression. “Lyhee wants a new teacup.”
“Of course, I will make one for you.”
“The honey jar you made last time was not that good.”
“It will be better this time. I promise.”
It looked like they were involved in some kind of a deal. They didn’t hide it from me, though. It wasn’t a big deal, so I didn’t mind.
‘I guess Krithli has to wait,’ I thought.
The curse needed to be removed first before turning Sheila into an undead. Besides, if I prepared things carefully, I would survive even in the worst situation.
“The Hell Lord…”
Sheila had been dead for a long time. If the Hell Lord had indeed returned from Nothingness and had caused her death, I could guess what he would do next. Also, I could anticipate the other Archdukes’ next moves.
I watched Maxium with a firm expression. “Maxium, you have something else to do for me.”
***
The next day…
Maxium exited the dungeon with thousands of Skeleton Soldiers, including the Lich. They took an inconspicuous path and crossed the Pacific Ocean. He emerged again in Chile, South America, and immediately swept everything away.
“For His Majesty!”
They ran over dungeons, monsters, and humans. They killed everything that moves. They turned dead bodies into undead soldiers and increased their numbers.
South America was Archduke Ufa’s military headquarters. However, there was no stopping Maxium from wreaking havoc. It was because most of his troops were preparing for a war against Ariel Diablo who was in North America.
***
North America: Las Vegas, United States
A dungeon was located in a peaceful city. No monster waves had occurred here in the last five years. People’s lives did not change much. Rather, people from devastated cities all over the country migrate here.
The people were complacent, thinking peace would last. It was still considered as the most famous vacation spot in the United States despite having a dungeon.
At least until today…
A lot had emerged from the dungeon: 200 Death Knights, 500 Dark Warriors, numerous Ogres, Cerberus, and many other high monsters. Ariel Diablo, riding on the high-grade monster named Dark Horse, appeared as well.
The noisy Las Vegas turned silent the moment she appeared.
“I, Ariel Diablo, declare the extinction of humans and the doom of Earth!”
She was painfully beautiful, had a horn on her forehead, and had an overwhelming aura. People had lost their minds to her. The sudden appearance of the monsters was a big issue, too. However, it was her presence that was truly remarkable.
However, Ariel was an Archduchess and a demon. She did not care about humans. Rather, she was sick and tired of them.
Ariel Diablo looked around and said coldly, “Kill everyone.”
Neigh!
Dark Horse ran wild, and Ariel Diablo raised her sword.
Rumble!
Dark aura came out of her sword and penetrated the heads of the Death Knights and Dark Warriors.
It was a skill called King’s Blessing (Epic). At the same time, dark magic became stronger, and the Death Knights and Dark Warriors were shrouded in a black fog.
However, humans had been preparing for a situation like this. One thousand elite awakened heroes were waiting nearby. But Ariel jumped into the center of them and planted her sword on the ground.
At that moment… Boom!
A blast stretched out a few hundred meters from Ariel. The ground cracked, and a huge storm occurred.
The elite awakened heroes could not withstand the aftermath. Most of them died without leaving any traces behind.
In the midst of that, Ariel spoke with an icy expression, “Your time has come, humans… Time’s up.”
***
I had a clue about the statue of Sheila and why Maxium caused mischief. Now, it was time for me to prepare.
“Jeeves, Kerpy,” I said.
They were the Spirits of Fire and Water. I had to check if they had escaped from the dark forest and returned to their respective worlds safely.
The contract was implemented as soon as I uttered their names. Small cracks formed, and, shortly after, two spirits greeted me.
“Contractor, you finally summoned me,” Jeeves greeted.
“It’s great to see you again, Contractor,” Kerpy said.
Jeeves and Kerpy showed up at the same time.
They still looked like humans, but they seemed a bit blurry.
“It seems like both of you are injured.”
“It is because of the damn Spirits of Darkness! I hold grudges, and I’ll make sure they pay a hundredfold!”
“Me, too. I will make them realize how scary the Spirits of Water are.”
Thanks to the Spirits of Darkness, the two usual rivals had the same goal this time.
At that time, the Spirit of Fire, Jeeves, stared at me and asked, “Contractor, I can feel something very familiar from you. What on earth happened to you?”
“I formed a contract with the Great Quintessence of Fire.”
“What?” Jeeves replied, surprised. “You made a contract with one of our nine fire quintessence? Hold on…”
Sniff! Sniff!
Jeeves sniffed at me before stepping back.
“Unbelievable! It is definitely a contract! You really made the contract with the Great Quintessence of Fire!”
“What will you do?” I asked, playfully challenging him.
“I know I promised to return it, but the Quintessence of Fire has made a contract with me,” I informed Jeeves.
Jeeves’s brows furrowed and said, “I have to talk about it to His Majesty. I can’t decide on this alone.”
“I will wait then.”
Puff!
Jeeves hurriedly left.
“Contractor, have you touched our sacrifice for god, too?” Kerpy asked.
“No. Don’t worry.”
I handed the Hyacinth’s bow over to Kerpy, and she received it very carefully.
“Thank you. The Spirit King of Water will be very pleased. Oh, and…”
As if it was a reward, Kerpy handed me some kind of small stones.
“These are old stones from the depths of our lake. The spirits with names will soon awaken. So please take care of them well. If you contract with them, they will grow rapidly according to your characteristic. They are the children that our king highly cherished.”
I took the stones and examined them carefully. They certainly felt strange. In short, these stones were the seeds of spirits.
“Well, then… I have to go back. My lord is waiting for me. I’ll see you again with good news, Contractor.”
Kerpy bowed to me and quickly left. As soon as she disappeared, Jeeves returned. He had a determined expression on his face.
“I just finished talking with His Majesty,” Jeeves announced. “The Spirit King of Fire would like to see you, Contractor.”
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