[The Chamber of Dread]
In a dark, abandoned castle with broken walls, crushed gargoyles and broken ramparts, this was the abandoned castle of Calib'Urma, the home of the Dread Lord and his knights.
The dark, musky air hung heavily in the royal meeting room, a space frozen in time as if it had been abandoned for two centuries.
A once opulent Gothic decor that adorned the walls and ceiling now bore the weight of neglect, its ornate details fading into obscurity.
Dim, flickering candlelight struggled to pierce the pervasive gloom, casting elongated shadows that danced upon the tapestries and gilded frames.
"So, you are saying that the 12th seat Knight was defeated but didn't die; instead chose to become that bastard's concubine?" The 3rd Knight." A red-haired male shouted.
Full of irritation from his defeat at the hands of the orc bastard. His right arm no severed and full of scars.
"Oh my~ that's no way to talk about your superior, Gale?" A gentle lady with the number 1 etched onto her gauntlet with purple hair and an eyepatch over her right eye.
At the heart of the room stood a massive black round table, its surface polished to a sombre sheen like an obsidian mirror reflecting the passage of time.
"The lord didn't call us to fight or have a pissing contest..." A girl sitting on the 5th seat with s short stature and curly twin tails said, kicking her legs and whistling the tune Raven hummed when spanking her after he beat her. "Fufu... the pianists lament... such a fine tune~ hehe. Will he come to this meeting... I want to meet my prince again."
This central fixture seemed to beckon for attention amidst the decay, a solemn testament to gatherings that had long since dissolved into history. The table's grandeur was matched only by the high-backed chairs surrounding it, each with a regal throne in its own right.
"Fuck... Little White is in love with that horse cock bastard!" A brown-haired male sitting on the seat labelled 6. "Damn, he better not come or let that rank one slut kill him."
Around the table sat several figures, their forms shrouded in shadows, an assembly of forgotten nobility bound by an ancient pact.
The intricate details of a few of their garments, once vibrant and majestic, were now muted and faded with the years. Cobwebs draped across the backs of chairs and tables, spun by arachnids that had claimed dominion over this forsaken realm.
The room's opulence was unmistakable, even in its current state of disrepair. Most walls were adorned with faded murals depicting scenes of power and conquest; their vibrant hues now dulled to a gloomy grey.
"I wonder why you guys always wear dull clothes... does it not feel disgusting wearing nasty outfits you died wearing?" Little White asked, her mouth blowing a large bubblegum bubble. This was another treat she got from Raven after she lost and apologised.
"Hehe~ Raven, will he come and spank my ass again if I am naughty?" Despite her small physique, the girl was, in fact, over 6000 years old and happened to be a descendant of a short race of monsters that were hunted due to their obscene beauty and charm.
A race that gave birth to the modern succubus but was now left to rot as a dead woman, her soul and body kept alive as a Dread Knight.
Frozen in stone along the cornices, Gargoyles watched the solemn proceedings as silent sentinels, their stony expressions evoking a sense of timelessness.
The figures seated at the table seemed almost like spectres, the echoes of an era long past. The candlelight cast a warm, wavering glow upon their faces, revealing intricate masks of emotion that had remained unchanged for centuries.
Their eyes, glistening like jewels in the dim light, held stories untold and secrets unspoken, capturing the weight of time in their gaze.
"Enough!" The purple-haired Knight knelt on a single knee as the room's aura became heavier.
A palpable stillness hung in the air as though the very essence of the room had absorbed the echoes of countless conversations and clandestine negotiations.
The quiet rustle of moth-eaten curtains and the distant drip of water from a forgotten leak were the only sounds that dared to break the silence, lending an eerie undertone to the chamber's desolate elegance.
In this dark, musky royal meeting room, the ghosts of power and prestige lingered, forever suspended in a tableau of forgotten aspirations and unfulfilled ambitions.
The figures around the table remained guardians of a bygone era, their presence a testament to the unyielding passage of time, the stories woven into the fabric of the room's gothic splendour continuing to echo through the ages.
And then "he" came.
Their Dread Lord.
A former king in life who lost everything when his sword scabbard was stolen and then killed by his son.
Such was a tragic tale but now long forgotten, along with the many heroes and monsters around this table that were given a second chance...
Forced to serve the dungeon like slaves... Or that was how it used to be.
The newest Knight was ranked 2nd from nowhere, steadily growing and beating them all within 3 months.
A mere Orc, free of the dungeon's rules and their rules seeming not to work either.
"Praise the Dread Lord! Our master and guide through the darkness!"
However, the moment the male found black armour and a dark red sword and began to walk into the room, the heavy stone doors crashed.
A handsome male with almond skin, wearing his normal bodysuit and a simple jacket, no clear effort was given to look the part as he walked inside.
"Yo, sorry I was late!" Raven's voice was harmonic as it danced through the room, many of the female knights were already like the Arachne and wanted to jump into his bed, but it seemed since a certain event, he became more guarded against women.
His steps were slow, ignoring the heavy pressure from the Lord as he swaggered forward, gently patting Little White's head, "I hope you're being a good girl; here's so more gum and a new book."
Despite being 6,000 years, her eyes scrunched happily, and she took the gifts before jumping at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing his cheek with a light peck.
*Pah*
With a small slap on her buttocks, she pouted and climbed down.
At the same time, the Lord stood motionless, watching Raven's carefree attitude, even resisting his chains of obedience as he walked forward, greeting all the slightly bitter knights who were scared of the Lord and 1st Knight.
Raven, however, just walked past the Lord, not even looking at him and then turned to the 1st Knight, his face smiling as he met his target. "Yo, Nu'bella! Have you considered my offer?" His face showed a stupid smile as his rear parked on the table where the Lord would sit
Her face looked shocked, her cheeks red as her mouth opened. "Raven!? T-That's the Lord's seat... your ass... don't..."
"Hey? Is it me, or does she look like a woman for the first time in more than 5,000 years..." The red-headed male whispered to the brown-haired guy.
"Ah... look, she's blushing, fidgeting with her hair, and do you remember when he started to rise, suddenly she began wearing makeup..."
Little White jumped into the conversation, "Is it because she's a half-orc? He always seems to come when she confirms her participation... Are they banging? I thought the Lord was trying to woo her for millennia?"
The poor Lord's face under his helmet showed a bitter look, his teeth gritting together as he was about to draw his sword, their words like daggers to his heart.
As the Dread Lord, he could make them obey him when it came to battle or common things, but love and affection he had zero control over and more than 4,000 years he spent trying to woo this woman, this orc!
Yet in less than a month, he already knew... He was a cuckold, as they were already sleeping together.
In this very room, he saw her begging him for sex...
"SIT DOWN!" Rage bubbling in the Lord's head, he ordered all the other Knights to sit and shut up only the two orcs still stood flirting in his eyes, causing him to regret his confidence two months ago.
He wished he had made them break the rules when he easily killed the 13th and 12th Seats.
Raven patted the muscular ass of Nu'bella and sat in his seat, leaning back and leaving his feet on the table.
Since beating Zeon, his entire person changed, a dragon slayer and life was extremely good. Now the girls seemed to be entering the dungeons together and were levelling rapidly, which helped when they dual cultivated.
But most of all, he saw his daughter's picture... which caused him to become more mature and to seek more power to protect that little girl inside his beloved woman's womb.
Sasha would be the first to give birth as she asked to give birth sooner rather than later with blood rituals.
'That cute woman, "I want to hold our child soon.... to love and spoil her." I must take care of those silly girls that Evelyn saved too.
"This meeting was called because somebody has issued a challenge for my Lordship."
"Eh!?" Nu'bella was the first to gasp, looking at Raven from the corner of her eyes as he shrugged.
"Woah! New master soon! I hope he's handsome!" Little White shouted before Raven flicked a rock at her forehead.
"Mmmm, a sexy woman with huge tits would be great." The redhead was hit with the elbow of the blonde woman beside him, who blushed. Raven didn't touch her due to her deep love for the redhead.
'These two, let's make sure they get together! Haha.' Raven thought to himself.
"When is the battle?" Asked the smart brown-haired Adam.
Adam was like Raven and loved battle—their fight was quite boring as they didn't use skills but pure muscle. Because of that, Adam and Raven became friends or the worst type of friends that would insult each other but care deep down.
The Dread Lord was about to speak; his feelings on this matter were rather strange as he didn't know any other Lords that would seek to challenge him as the weakest Lord of all 8 that served the Dread King.
"Today."
Raven's voice echoed, causing all the knights to look at him with a strange looks as he stood up suddenly, his entire body wearing a dragon-scale armoured suit and carrying an axe almost the same size as his body.
"So, let's fight, big guy. I am going to drag you down from that seat."
The Dread Lord looked at Raven with shock under the mask while Raven's blue eyes shone with delight.
"What?!"
"Raven!!!"
"Oh god... this is so fucking good!"
"Brother... So you seek the pinnacle after all..." Adam whispered, smiling and hiding his joyful clenched fist under the table.
"Are you serious?"
A sudden thick aura covered the room, causing them to be rooted down, all but Raven and Nu'bella now almost placing their faces on the stone table.
*bang*
Raven's hand tapped the table as the thick aura was dispersed with a gently burning aura of passion, desire and the will to fight.
"Ah, I am going to crush you, then crush the other 8 lords, then the 4 kings and finally the 2 emperors."
"I will become the first Dread Sovereign to exist."
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m