Chapter 417: That (2)

Chapter 417: That (2)

The creature was eerie and ominous, malevolent in nature.

Alphiero unknowingly clenched his fist and glared downwards.

The corridor was reminiscent of a coiled serpent as it stretched out. Shadows writhed in its heart deep within.

..

Alphiero knew what 'it' was.

Three centuries ago, it had been Hamel of Extermination. He was once a human, but no longer. He was once a hero, but no longer. This was an existence that had once dedicated its very being to the great cause of defeating the Demon Kings and saving the world, but now, only vengeance driven by hatred and rage remained in its shell. It was a forsaken undead stripped of its purpose, honor, and beliefs.

But even that was long gone. Alphiero felt no remnants of an 'undead' in it anymore. It was... evolving into something beyond simple undead.

Alphiero Lasat, the age-old vampire, knew the cause of this transformation. After initially being resurrected as a Death Knight, it had lost its physical form in a prior battle. However, it did not vanish. Instead, it returned to Amelia Merwin as a soul.

Amelia Merwin provided the lingering soul with a temporary body. In addition, she imbued the soul with various enhancements for further fortification.

If Amelia had sufficient time and resources without immediate threats, she would have meticulously crafted a new body and explored diverse ways to empower the soul.

But things did not go as planned. Amelia Merwin secluded herself in Ravesta to escape the menacing foes, and the barren, desolate realm of Destruction offered her nothing of what she desired.

Thus, she was left with no choice but to experiment with what was available here.

"Incredible..." Alphiero murmured while shaking his head.

Now, it was left with no physical form. The dense, immense coagulation of dark power had merged with its soul and obliterated the temporary body. By now, even the impurities within the soul had been wholly integrated.

'It' was a confluence of soul and dark power.

That was how it existed.

Alphiero felt his clenched fists trembling. His fingers dug into his palm and sent a sharp pain shooting through his hand. Alphiero pondered over the emotion he was feeling. He then considered whether this emotion was indeed justified.Updated from novelb(i)n.c(o)m

This was... jealousy.

A bitter smile crept onto Alphiero's face at the realization.

For centuries, he had served the Demon King of Destruction.

In Ravesta, while Alphiero wasn't the most ancient among the Demon King's subjects, he was confident that among those in existence, he was the most devoted. He revered the Demon King of Destruction as humans worshiped their gods. He offered any clansmen who defied this faith as a sacrifice to the Demon King.

But the Demon King of Destruction was indifferent and heartless to his subjects. No matter how they pleaded or worshiped, he never responded. He would grant them the dark power they desired but nothing more. Every subject of Destruction, once initiated, could attain the dark power they wished for.

In other words, the Demon King of Destruction did not regard any of his subjects differently. No one was special. It was no different from obtaining the dark power of the Demon King of Destruction. Every one of his subjects could draw from his ominous and potent power, but none were exempt from the burdens. Numerous subjects had perished after failing to endure the dark power of Destruction. It was the same for Alphiero. If he drew upon this power too much, he, too, would begin to crumble into nothingness.

He's not even a true servant... Alphiero thought bitterly.

Neither that entity nor its master, Amelia Merwin, were servants of Destruction. Amelia Merwin was a subject of the Demon King of Incarceration, and the entity had been resurrected as a Death Knight by her and the Demon King of Incarcerations dark power.

The power of Destruction did not tolerate the power of other Demon Kings. Hence, Amelia Merwin was withering away.

The same fate should have befallen that entity. Mere months ago, it had been dying.

But at some point, the entity had begun to change, becoming something that was both undead and yet not. A transformation had taken place as its physical form disintegrated and its soul mixed with the dark power.

Was it adaptation? Or evolution? One thing was certain: this entity was closer to the Demon King of Destruction than Alphiero or any other subject of Destruction. And this change was unique, something Amelia Merwin did not possess.

This realization made Alphiero seethe with jealousy. An entity that was once human, once undead, had now ascended to a status that neither he nor the other subjects could achieve.

Alphiero shook his head while giving a sigh. He couldnt rid himself of envy but could not harbor anger against that entity. It was the will of the Demon King of Destruction for it to transform into such an existence.

Alphiero jumped down the middle of the spiraling stairs.

The descent wasn't far, but the moments it took to reach the ground felt long and viscous. If one wasnt a subject of Destruction, they would have disintegrated halfway down.

Landing on the dark floor, he felt a rush of potent dark power as he approached the entity.

"Are you... alive?" Alphiero couldnt help but ask.

But then, he smirked when he realized the absurdity of his own question. How could it be alive when it was a remnant of the past, to begin with?

.. There was no answer.

But there was movement in the darkness. From the depths of the shadows, the entity began to show itself.

Soul and dark power, both intangible and shapeless, were mixing to form a presence, casting a distinct shade unlike the surrounding darkness. It was a nebulous hue of gray contrasting with the darkness.

"You... again..." a voice, crackling and strained, echoed from the gray mass. It sounded pained, yet there was a hint of mockery. "Have you come to give that foolish wench false hope?"

He was referring to Hemoria. While Alphiero felt a slight pity for the chimera creature, it was superficial at best. Moreover, he couldn't deny that Hemoria was, indeed, a fool.

"False hope, is it? You say that as if Im mocking that poor child," responded Alphiero.

"Heh. Heh.... No, youre even worse. Alphiero... Lasat you pesky mosquito... Let me ask you plainly. What do you intend by making use of that foolish... wench?" asked the entity.

How many times had it been?

There was a place that felt vaguely familiar. If he had been alive, he would have dismissed it as a dream. However, dreams were no longer a concept to the current form of the phantom.

Then, that place he'd glimpsed several times, what could it have been? It was a void where nothing existed, and yet within it, there was a presence... a tingling sensation.

"No."

Souls, too, could feel pain.

The phantom suppressed a scream he yearned to release as he replied.

Could one even begin to describe that place and its existence? The phantom couldn't decipher what it had seen, but he had no intention of consulting Alphiero. Even in this state, he harbored an aversion to demons, and the last thing he wanted was to appease Alphiero, a nemesis from his previous life.

"...Is that so..." Alphiero revealed overt disappointment as he shook his head.

With a short sigh, he lifted his gaze and stared into the abyss beyond.

A corridor stretched out from where they stood. At its end was Amelia Merwin. Alphiero came to this mansion to meet Amelia Merwin, not to converse with the phantom.

"Come to think of it, Alphiero began to speak as he walked past the phantom. "The Demon King of Fury was resurrected."

The phantom couldn't comprehend these words. The Demon King of Fury. It was the very Demon King they had slain three hundred years ago. During the most glorious moments of his human existence, he had vanquished one such Demon King with his comrades.

A fallen Demon King had resurrected? What could this mean?

"No need for alarm. The Demon King of Fury met their demise once more not long after the resurrection, continued Alphiero.

"...What... are you... saying?" said the phantom.

"Eugene Lionheart," came the response.

The phantom loathed that name.

Knowing this, Alphiero continued with a sly smile, "He, with the Holy Sword, personally ended the Demon King. Just like... his ancestor, Vermouth Lionheart."

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Amidst the unfolding tale, the phantom heard a resonating thud. It was the sound of a non-existent heart beating.

He found himself gasping for breath he didn't require.

Various images flickered within in a single moment. He remembered facing Eugene Lionheart, clashing swords with him. He remembered how his blade had been overwhelmed and when he faced the unnerving sensation of an indomitable force as he faded away. He recalled the despair he felt then.

What he felt now was self-loathing.

I....

Those were the words he had uttered in the face of defeat.

I... lost? To you?

The phantom envisioned Eugene Lionheart.

He was a distant descendant of Vermouth, with neither Vermouth's visage nor aura. Yet, he had the same silver hair and golden eyes. He had wielded the Holy Sword, the Annihilation Hammer, and the Demon Spear differently from Vermouth.

His style of fighting had reminded the phantom of himself. Eugene Lionheart had wielded the weapons in a way that the phantom would have wielded them.

This made the phantom despise Vermouth even more. The treacherous Vermouth had passed down his techniques to the next generations. It was truly a cruel jest.

"Grr."

Unquenchable rage flared within, threatening to consume its soul and dark power in its entirety. Alphiero noted the phantoms trembling state as he made his way toward Amelia Merwin's chamber.

Left in solitude, the phantom was acutely aware of its racing heartbeat. Its soul, mingled with dark power, seemed to flutter towards an obscure abyss.

You are.

A distant voice echoed.

The phantom couldn't recognize who the voice belonged to.

Thats.

The phantom saw something as waves of gray colored his consciousness.

Although he couldn't approach it, instinctively, he knew.

That entity was watching him.

And its gaze was far from friendly.