"Those demonic bastards!" My master cursed as we surveyed the area of destruction. The stench of blood hung like a heavy reminder of what had took place.
Three hours. It had took one person just three hours to bring this entire city down. I had chills down my spine,"How could this even be possible? Nearly 12,000 people killed in such a short span of time, so many remnants of spells, what kind of unending mana capacity is this? Even I would be unable to pull something like this." The rank 9 magister of the Wedygnos Monarchy, Idris Wedygnos spoke softly.
Beside us, the leader of the righteous faction, Sir Xavier Alexander stood, face stoic as ever,"A rank 9 might be unable to do something like this but I suppose I have two possible explanations."
I perked up my ears, listening attentively. To hear the words of such a famed individual, I wouldn't miss the opportunity.
"Assuming that it is a person of the demonic faction, I suppose Lorentio Knave has ascended to the tenth rank. I have no doubt in my mind that such mana capacity would be normally attributed to a rank 10. But...There is something which bugs me."
"Sir Alexander, please speak your mind." My master spoke with respect.
He sighed,"Three days prior, I sighted the aura of Tarkyol."
An expression of absolute terror befell the rank 8s and 9s while the rank 7 and below magisters like me and master were clueless,"T-Tarkyol? I-Impossible! He has disappeared for millenniums now!" Jean Yates, a rank 9 of the Erudite Valley spoke with furrowed brows.
Sir Alexander turned to the confused ones,"You might be unaware of Tarkyol for he has disappeared for eras now but when he was around, I, even at rank 9, was a mere ant in his eyes, at his mercy. The ancient dragon who conquered and ruled the Sanguis East. His son, a titan whose name has been lost to time nearly caused Quarvantcoatl. Had it not been for Tarkyol stepping in personally to stop him, this world would have been doomed." He paused, eyes flashing with reminiscence, clouded over.
"Tarkyol had three names. When he was younger, he was praised for his grace and thus, named Lord of the Skies. When he oppressed the Toal Continent, contemporary Sanguis East, he was named Demon of Wrath. When he ruled the Toal continent, he was names Monarch Rivalling Heaven and Hell. Do you know why?"
"Why?" I asked instinctively.
Sir Alexander turned to me and smiled,"Because, he could go toe to toe with the gods and devils. Tarkyol is famous for one thing: His felling of Turael, God of Wrath and preventing Quarvantcoatl. I think we've all heard that bedtime story of a powerful hero defeating a god. It's based on him."
"T-Then w-what rank was he, Sir Alexander?"
At my question, he shrugged helplessly,"Who knows? I could barely withstand a side glance from him at rank 9. I doubt I could do much against him even now. Anyway, back to the topic at hand, I felt his presence recently. Though weak, it was definitely him choosing a successor."
A collective series of gasps and gulps sounded. To be the successor of a God-slaying being, who wouldn't be jealous?
Then came the realisation that this being, who could potentially be the one who had destroyed this city—Facing such an individual, who had courage?
"However! The possibility of Lorentio ascending is higher so let's not lose hope. So long as I have concrete proof, the Round Table will step in and force him into the contract. Rest assured, the situation will be under control soon enough." Yet, despite his words, everyone was on edge.
It was no lie that the righteous faction had been oppressing the demonic faction in recent times and there had been thousands of skirmishes, with recent ones growing bigger and bigger.
Though no one was certain of the date, tensions between the two sides was rapidly climbing. And one day, it would be like a dam that had burst, sending both sides into what would probably be a death match to decide the final victor. Now, with both de facto leaders of the two factions being rank 10, it would be escalated without a doubt.
Of course, if the latter was true then a third unseen enemy laid just beneath the thin veil of shadows. Such a dangerous third party, if found out, would definitely be found and killed if they could not be recruited to a side.
———
I had kept the soul count a secret but now I could barely wait,"How many souls?"
[You have collected 33,000 souls so far! Master has told me to round it up by 6 souls!]
"A good harvest," I spoke in a languid drawl,"2,000 each into speed and strength. 9,000 into defence leaving 20,000."
[Host, after 100 blue marks are collected, each subsequent life is 100 souls.]
"Fair enough. I have 20 marks now so 80 more would be 8,000." Then, the hundred blue marks changed to a purple one.
"That leaves me with 12,000. As for the dragon bloodline?" Tarkyol had awakened the bloodline in me. But to unlock the powers, souls were needed.
[The first level costs 10,000 souls. The second, 100,000, the third 1,000,000 and so on.
"Fucking christ. Never enough souls." I invested into the first level and saved the last bit for a rainy day.
[The first level has been unlocked! You will now gain the following benefits: Dragon tongue, Draconic Aura, Draconic Might, Tarkyol's Grace]
I nodded in satisfaction, reclining back into the long chair. The wind billowed as I sipped on a glass of apple mojito aboard a quietly rocking ship. I found that it was always best to calm my mind and heart after every slaughter. This reduced the stress put on the mind and stopped me from growing too cocky.
The Fay Cradle, a renowned ship that sailed from mainland Illiad Continent to the Island of Cretia other wise known as Sinphony, a resort island reserved for the stinking rich. I would consider myself stinking rich, having raided a city dry. I had some money to spare and time to kill.
The owner of the Island of Cretia and by proxy, the Fay Cradle, was one rank 8 magister named Charlie Rhode, nicknamed Big Rich for her obscene wealth. The abundance of magical items and live-saving treasures on her, as heard from rumours, made killing him an uphill task for even rank 11s. Furthermore, she had her own private army if you would. The Diamond Coalition. Her own corps protected the island. They consisted of nearly a thousand rank 4 magisters, 9 rank 5 magisters, a rank 6 magisters and a rank 7 magister. Of course, I wasn't here to start trouble. I was here to relax.
Staring at the sunset, mojito in hand, piano softly playing—Was there a better way to relax than this?
YOU ARE READING
Evil
FantasyI go by Artemis Blythe. I'm an ex-soldier turned murderer. I was charged with thirty murders and was subsequently sentenced to death. Preceding my execution, in a twist of fate, I was reborn in a child's body in a dog eat dog world ruled by two fac...
