Chapter 161 - Inherited Resolution (3)

The Plain of Darkness was in an uproar.

After Azel Karzark’s identity was confirmed, the Dragon Demon general Almarick had revealed himself.

This event caused a bigger wave than the time when Reygus woke up as an Undead. Even the core power of the Plain of Darkness could sense a storm coming.

The shock that rippled through the Almarick tribe was quite significant.

Almarick hadn’t notified anyone in his tribe that he had been revived. Even after his revival, he kept his identity hidden. He had posed as a recluse.

This really was a baffling turn of event.

He was a Dragon Demon general, yet no one had been by his side when he was revived.

So how was he able to acquire a safe-haven near the Dragon Demon palace, and how had he managed to stay hidden?

There was a reason why he had been able to do all of this.

“It has been a while, sir Almarick.”

Queen Aincera sought out Almarick to have a conversation with him.

After she lost all human emotions, she rarely left her room. Also, if one thought about her position, Almarick should have gone to see her.

Still, she couldn’t force Almarick to come to her even if it was a matter of importance. He had suffered a serious injury. This was why she used the Great Darkness to send a clone to talk to him.

Almarick smiled as he lay on top of the bed.

“My body is in distress, so I’ll have to take audience from my bed. Please excuse my rudeness.”

“I don’t mind it. I’m not here with my real body.”

“Thank you. Do you remember what happened?”

“I vaguely remember it. At the time, I thought it was necessary to erase it, so I did it. However, it seems my memories won’t fully return.”

Aincera had facilitated the business of providing Almarick with a place to stay. However, she had forgotten everything until Almarick revealed himself. He had done so to draft the forces of his tribe to his cause.

She had erased her own memories. A person with a strong ego usually has a strong attachment to one’s memories. The act of erasing one’s memories usually caused incredible amount of fear and resistance. The resistance was so strong that it usually threatened one’s life if one attempted it. However, after Aicera had listened to Almarick’s story, she willingly erased her memories.

“…….”

Almarick looked at her for a brief moment.

It was hard to call her as being Aincera anymore. She had lost herself when she became the nervous system of the Great Darkness.

Aincera had lost her heart, so she couldn’t read the emotions contained within Almarick’s gaze. If it was anyone else, she could have read the information through the Great Darkness. However, Almarick was free from the control of her power.

‘I never expected a day to come where I would pity her…...’

In the past, Almarick had been on bad terms with Aincera.

He didn’t hate her per se. He had been different in the past. Unlike his current self, he had been the embodiment of wildness. He had been feral. On the other hand, Aincera had been noble and calm. This was why she had avoided being near him. In turn, this soured Almarick’s disposition towards her.

Currently, she wasn’t showing a single hint of revulsion towards Almarick.

It wasn’t, because Almarick had changed. It was true that his disposition had changed. He had to pose as a retired elder, and he had gone through a surprising amount of change. He was much calmer than his previous self, and there was an air of intelligence around him. Even Reygus was having a hard time believing he was Almarick.

However, Aincera was acting differently from her past, because her sense of self had faded away. It was a situation where it was unknown as to whether she had a sense of self anymore. Despite knowing the risk from the beginning, she had accepted this role, and Almarick could only look at her with pity.

Aincera spoke.

“Since you stepped forward, I didn’t expect you to fail in catching them.”

“You are poking me at a sore spot. I was too careless.”

Almarick let out a bitter laugh.

Was it the side effect of being raised from the dead? Or was it deep emotions he felt when he met an old foe after such a long time?

Anyways, he lost any rights to call Reygus an idiot any more. He had also been a prisoner to his emotions. While he enjoyed the moment, it came back to bite him…..

The will shown by the Guardian Shadows in their efforts to safely evacuate Azell had been terrifying.

After giving up the Dragon weapons stored within their bodies, the Keepers of Prophecy knew this was their final battlefield. Since they knew this was their final fight, they had displayed their might. They were able to drive Reygus and Almarick into a corner.

“This confirms it. Carlos Rizester was the one that had created the Guardian Shadows.”

Almarick became certain of this fact when he fought the Keepers of the Prophecy.

Of course, he didn’t know the connection they had with Azell. However…….

“The magic they embodied…. I’m sure it was Carlos’ magic.”

The Guardian Shadows were created using a great magic that changed the face of the world, and it was connected to Carlos.

The Keepers of Prophecy weren’t all skilled in battle. There were those like Balseru and Iota, who were powerful. Then there were those like Jares, who fell behind in terms of battle capability. Some were in charge of maintaining the Sleepless Guardians, and others were there to control the Guardian Shadows.

However, as their bodies slowly broke down into energy, they were able to create a menacing magic spell. The disintegration of their bodies fueled the spell.

This spell was connected to the movements of the Guardian Shadows, and it had an earth shattering effect. When the Keepers of the Prophecy were all dead, Almarick had received a life-threatening injury. Even the Undead Reygus suffered partial destruction. Moreover, 70% of the Demon King worshippers were killed. It was a massive loss.

After taking such heavy losses, they hadn’t been able to exterminate Azell’s party, and most of the Guardian Shadows present were able escape intact.

Aincera still spoke in a disinterested manner.

“Even if Azell Karzark survived, there is a limit to his power. The two of you are Dragon Demon generals revived by the king’s contingency plan. Shouldn’t you be able to handle Azell?”

Hadn’t Reygus already won against Azell in a one on one fight?

Almarick shook his head from side to side.

“I can’t guarantee it. Azell really is a being that is hard to predict. Moreover, his unpredictability rises when one considers the fact that Carlos is supporting him. The organization called the Guardian Shadows…. It was created to be a deterrent force against us. The fact that Carlos was able to do this should make us feel afraid.”

“I agree.”

Aincera nodded her head.

“One of our plan is already in motion. Chaos and death is spreading in the human world…. When the king returns, we will be able to fulfill his wish.”

“I guess so.”

However, Almarick was having a different thought.

‘What is the king’s true intention?’

Almarick’s revival from death had been arranged by Atein, but it didn’t mean he understood Atein’s intentions.

During the Dragon Demon war, he had prophesied his own defeat. This was why he had left behind contingency plans like the Great Darkness within the Dragon Demon palace. What had Atein been thinking?

The only thing he was sure of was….

“When the king returns, new allies will arrive in accordance to our pact. At that time, we’ll be able to learn more of what he intends to do.”

Reygus was in the deepest underground location within the Dragon Demon palace. He was at a location that was named the Abyss.

The Great Darkness was spread across the entire continent by using the Dragon Demon king worshippers as a medium, and this place could be called the nucleus of the Great Darkness.

This was where the essence of Darkness refined by magic was gathered. Reygus was very familiar with this feeling. He had already been revived from death once, and his revival could be traced back to the Great Darkness.

The Abyss was basically an enormous tomb. The staircase leading down was helical in structure, and the steps protruded from the walls. It was wide enough to allow only a single person to traverse down it. Reygus was a giant that was over 3 meters tall, so the stairway was too small for him. He had to stick to the wall as he travelled downward. He was performing an acrobatic feat.

There was a silhouette of a pale girl next to him.

-Is that the king?

Kayalia asked the question as she looked at the center of the Abyss.

There wasn’t a single light within the darkness that was coalesced through magic. However, Reygus and Kayalia could see the form within the darkness.

It was the Dragon Demon King Atein’s body. It was slowly recovering as time passed.

According to the observations recorded by the Plain of Darkness, his bones were the first to form. Organs, muscles and nerves followed next. The last to form was his skin. His skin started to grow from his fingertips and toes. It crawled inwards, and skin was now starting to cover Atein’s body.

If one thought about the process, it felt as if the revival wasn’t too far off. However, Kayalia tilted her head in puzzlement.

-Did sir Almarick go through this process in his revival?

-Then you don’t know how you were revived also?

-Hmm…….

-It’s always the same for me.

<Mmm?>

-Ah. It is a little bit different each time. After I was dispersed, I pulled myself together, and I found myself in this form…..

-You knew what I was before I became engaged to the king, right?

-That standard can’t be used on my current self. Anyways, the ingredients that makes up ‘me’ was scattered, and I was put back together. However, the current ‘me’ that is put back together is a little bit different from my past self. I need two things to realize what change has actually occurred. I need time and a trigger.

<Hmm. It sounds profound.>

-That was the reason why the king proposed to me. It was a mutually beneficial relationship.

<…that was the reason why the two of you got engaged?>

-The rules of my tribe was strict. We can only trade kernels of our techniques with those that marry one of our tribe members. That is the minimum threshold.

-Amongst all of us, the only one blinded by love was Aincera unni. The king was the only man for her. Unexpectedly, she loved with a fiery passion.

-When she inherited the Great Darkness from the king…. She made the choice knowing the consequences. The king wasn’t someone that would hide his problems. He wouldn’t just push off his responsibility onto another.

<…….>

-I didn’t like that part about unni, but at the same time, I was a bit jealous of her.

<…I see.>

Kayalia flew up into the Darkness, and she approached Atein’s body, which was slowly recovering within the Abyss. She carefully looked over him as she spoke.

-However, something does bother me.

-Why did the king insist on using this strange method to revive himself?

<Mmmm?>

-He is someone that is capable of using my technique. His revival could have been much simpler and faster.… So why?

Kayalia mumbled to herself as if she didn’t understand this point.

The Albatan forest was truly large. The sea of trees were endless no matter how far they traveled. Even if there were occasional gaps in the tree, their sight was obstructed by mountains.

This place deserved to be called the Demonic lands. It was that dangerous.

The party had travelled for only a day, yet they had fought numerous foes. At times, they faced wild beasts, wild beasts consolidated under a leader, and….

“Wow. Those are Ettins. I’ve heard about them, but this is the first time I’ve seen one!”

Yuren was taken aback.

A giant possessing two ugly heads was attacking the party. It was over 10 meters tall, and each of its steps shook the ground. It was of the giant race, but it was a higher race than the ogres. They were called the Ettins.

“They are annoying.”

Leticia grumbled.

Orc archers were shooting at them from various locations. However, the arrows were flying through an irregular path. It seems there was a magician controlling the path of the arrows. The arrows weaved through the trees.

The forest held terrifying foes. However, they couldn’t touch the party members.

-Unyielding Fortress!