A certain kingdom close to the battlefield of the alien invasion was now in full evacuation.
Carriages and flying magical transports were moving out and were headed towards the Lowlands.
But in the middle of the evacuation, a powerful explosion of water occurred again.
BOOM!
Just like before, the water exploded in the middle of the kingdom. And the full, undefended force of a Crown that could clear a terrain appeared, and the waters surged.
But apart from that, darkness crept and devoured the water.
The carriages from the outside received massive attacks as well.
A giant Wyrm appeared and wreaked havoc and easily slew the Commander's forces.
The Cardinals tried to defend against them, but powerful fighters moved to assassinate them.
A power that the Midlands once feared drew its blades as the Sword Saint Family had crept into the ranks of the carriages and were instantly killed.
It was too easy for the group.
Nightwing's power to hide them had reached tremendous levels as he caused the team to disappear and only have their shadow remain. But in such chaos, where many nobles were fleeing with their lives after seeing meteors fall, the team easily did so.
The ocean of water swept out and began to return.
Lea's powers and control were also reaching new levels.
The queen of the Netherlands had revealed her might, and it was as expected of one of the supreme cultivators within the Planesworld to easily kill such a massive amount quickly.
But unlike before, the team stayed only a short time. Lea quickly gathered the ocean she sent out and called it back. Nightwing was now able to help as he used his dark powers to draw in the Abbys.
And after procuring certain important proofs of their treachery, Nightwing left.
Numerous orbs that recorded plans, deals, and trades were acquired. They have found various recording stones in the last kingdom, and Nightwing also took a few in this one.
"Why are you even getting those things?" Lea asked.
"Proof, of course. No matter what, we are still killing crowds of great numbers. I don't want to make the King of the Planesworld think I'm just being greedy."
"Ah... Of course."
"Have you read them, Killian?" Nightwing asked.
Although Nightwing had already shown horrifying proof on the last kingdom, he still showed Killian another set.
"I trust you now. You don't have to show me this."
"It's not that. I just want to make sure that it's enough proof. If you think it's enough, then maybe the king will think it's enough."
The Midland kingdoms were kingdoms of purity and without shame. Those in the central Midlands did not practice any dark arts or magics of the Dark Dependent. And yet the first kingdom they attacked and slew with dangerous magics proved that they were a terrifying, wicked kingdom. Now, proof of the second was shown.
The second one, the kingdom, was revealed to also be in bed with the Eldrich as secret shrines and communication towers were created within the light.
Altars and tall buildings were within numerous parts of the kingdom. Dark magic was being made. It was a pillar of light that would shoot out toward the heavens and shoot down.
But even with the alien invasion, they didn't use it. The truth was that this was all part of a scheme. It was to create a powerful attack that would damage the barriers from the inside when the time would come.
"This thing was used several times in Kyros's life. When the invasion of the Netherlands began, this weapon attacked at a very crucial time and weakened the good guys, and killed numerous armies."
Krysta couldn't help but feel that the kingdom that they slew deserved it.
The more they talked about it, the more clear that the great majority of the people took part in the rituals and gained benefits of power, wealth, and food from the Dark Dependents.
The group was headed to another kingdom, and as they approached, Krysta couldn't believe the horror stories that Nightwing spoke along the way. His memory and Kyros's memory were now one, and he could relay the story to Krysta.
"In short, these kingdoms had to betray the Midlands and the Highlands because by then, they were so dependent on the Eldrich's team that they couldn't ally with the Midlands. So despite not having any cultivations for Dark Dependents, Dark Dependent, or specifically, the Eldrich ways of Dark Dependent were their way of life." Nightwing explained.
"But impossible! The crimes they did...!"
"Are no less than the crimes of the Netherlands!" Angelian exclaimed.
"Hey. That's an unfair statement." Lea frowned.
It was then that Angelian and Krysta recalled that the Princess of the Netherlands was with them.
"Yeah. We've been there. Calling them evil is too much. I mean, brushing aside those that wanted to kill us because of our alignment in Fate, the Dark Sea0 was surprisingly... orderly." Aron added.
"Indeed. I thought a Dark, Dependent society would be all about eating and killing." Martha confessed.
"That's wrong. We can't eat and kill everyone. The rules state that we can only eat and kill those of equal standing to us. The laws my father set in place ensure the safety and protection of the weaker ones. If you even look at our society, it has been a strategy of many of the Dark Dependents to feign weakness to be protected."
"Being weaker is better?" Killian chuckled. Since the revelation of the sins of the first kingdom, he had become more open-minded.
"Think! You guys are so judgmental about our ways. We are cruel to our enemies, and yes, we see others as food, but if we ate all, how can we survive? There had to be a way to create a balance in society. If the people in our kingdom know they are food, why stay?"
Krysta didn't have an answer.
"Think about it this way... Who would serve a powerful Dark Dependent if this dark dependent would eat them anytime? You think we could build kingdoms and attract people to live in that kind of society?"
"...Errr. No." Krysta answered.
"Finally." Sherah sighed.
"I've been trying to explain that to her, but she still looks at me like some beast driven by hunger." Sherah laughed.
"Well, to be fair, the strongest Dark Dependent she met is Lord Nightwing. And he did massacre thousands and thousands for himself. And we belonged to the Uninvolved Lands. I heard from many of my dark-dependent peers that it was more lawless to be a dark dependent in the Midland than it was to be in the Netherlands or any kingdoms of the Dark Sea." Monica added.
"A Dark Dependent is not alone in the Dark. That is the saying that we repeat in the Netherlands. We are strong because of this unity. We have found ways to live without killing mindlessly killing. Is our society more brutish? Yes. We kill and fight more openly. But skotosynthesis gives us food."
"What about crimes? Killian asked.
"Obviously, crime happens as people murder and devour each other. But such things are easy to determine, and murder is very easy for the Dark Dependents to figure out."
"How so?" Angelian asked.
"Dark Dependents can easily use their souls to leave curses or blessings. It's the same reason why Menks used to sacrifice to increase your power, Angelian. But the act of murdering another, whether by assassination or in secret, gives the Dark Dependent soul to mark the killer. In the soul realm, it's easy to find out who killed you based on intent. My father isn't named Necros for nothing. His magic makes it extremely difficult to hide your crimes. And that spellbinds the whole Netherlands. Although now, he's breaking it since he knows who the traitors are and is massacring them." Lea explained.
"Then… there are few crimes of murder and killing?"
"We do have avenues for that. Formal challenges, writs, contracts, and a lot to settle those. You are free to kill as long as it is within the laws. Deaths happen by the hundred, but it is usually at the level of those who are Champions and Commander. But even then, everything is done in order. The Olethros need a kingdom to survive. And my father made sure that the fears of being eaten or absorbed would not be shown. We must serve its people. Believe it or not, when I talked with Listrel about our princess duties, she told me that my kingdom had done a better job keeping the peace. She calls it the Inverse Rule. Those in the Light hide in their darkness for their crimes. But we, in the Dark, have nothing to hide and will gladly show our desires in the light."
"...That makes a lot of sense." Aron nodded. He had lived a life in the Lowlands where the Steele family was persecuted by those who allegedly belonged to the light.
"That… that…!" Krysta was amazed.
"It's true. Of course, in the Light, being righteous means a level of righteousness that the wicked can't compare to. The King of the Highlands is a righteous person. He has my respect for that." Nightwing added.
He had grown more powerful and regained his Crown-level form.
"As do I. Strangely enough, ever since Listrel and I told our fathers about the war, Father and King Elistre Protos Endoxus have become… best friends." Lea had a strange expression.
At once, the team suddenly stopped as they could not understand what power they instantly felt.
A beam of darkness had shot out of the sky close to the third kingdom.
A gigantic crown appeared over the sky.
A hand suddenly appeared over the skies. It was a hand of bluish skin and was larger than the kingdom that Kyros set out to destroy.
The moment they saw it, Kyros couldn't help but feel envious. The massive blue hand seemed... perfect.
"Envy... That is the power of a Fallen!"
"Water... I sense it! It must be that goddess!"
"Hahahaha! Xermolipi! I finally have the power that can challenge yours! My envy has now become my strength!" A laugh was heard all over the Planesworld.
Like Sheolrah, Destiny led Thessalah to a certain area where she unraveled a heritage only the Eldirch knew. The power of the Half-Fallen Princess has awakened.
The 𝘮ost uptodat𝑒 novels are pub𝙡ished on fre(e)webno(v)el.𝒸𝑜𝘮