"What?!" Elder Dean exclaimed in panic.
Hilna shot him a glance, her face a mix of annoyance and unwavering confidence. "It's a minor issue. I've already discerned a solution. Her will is this resilient because of a Hero named Ethan. Thus, our next course of action... Kill the Hero called Ethan!"
"As you command!" The crowd responded in unison.
Stone Rock Harbor.
Inside a room, Ethan sat broodingly, his emotions boiling over as he slammed his fist on the table. "If I find out who took Veronica, they'll pay dearly for it!" he roared.
Victor, standing nearby, remarked, "We've searched extensively, but there's no trace. It's possible Miss Veronica is no longer in Stone Rock Harbor."
Little Fairy Baal stepped forward, trying to console him, "Ethan, as upset as you are about Veronica's disappearance, anger won't help. We should stay calm and think things through."
"I concur," Victor interjected, reasoning, "The only people we've had any conflict with in Stone Rock Harbor are from the Elder Council. And the fact they secretly abducted Veronica suggests she might still be alive. If they wanted her dead, they could have acted when she visited Sean's villa."
"That makes sense," Ethan conceded, acknowledging he might have been overly impatient.
Furthermore, he added, "Just the few of us might not be enough to locate Veronica. We need more manpower. I'll reach out to the Heroes of Blackstone Hero Kingdom for help in the search."
Though this plan would have to wait until he returned to the kingdom.
As Ethan pondered the immediate steps forward, he realized there wasn't much at hand.
His visit to Stone Rock Harbor was primarily to investigate Sean's betrayal.
Discovering Sean's connection with the Elder Council of Blackstone was a shock.
Now, with both Sean and the council members missing, and Veronica vanished, Ethan's initial intent to uncover information about the divine realm seemed fruitless.
Suddenly a thought struck him. Known for his vast knowledge, would Victor have some insights?
"Victor," he inquired directly, "Do you have any information about the divine realm?"
At the mention of "divine realm", Victor's brow furrowed in contemplation.
"My lord," he began, "you've asked the right person. I do have some knowledge regarding the divine realm."
He continued, "The divine realm is essentially the domain of deities."
"However, that's a broad term. The world of deities is filled with wonders, and to ascend to godhood is no trivial feat."
Ethan, intrigued, pressed on, "So, you know the way?"
Victor shook his head slowly, "My lord, I don't possess the knowledge of becoming a deity. In truth, no one can elucidate the path to godhood, as deities remain a forbidden topic. But I am aware of some rumors, whispers about certain prerequisites to achieving that state."
"What are they?" Ethan pressed eagerly.
"Soul of Justice and Malevolent Blood."
Upon seeing the puzzled look on Ethan's face after he spoke, Victor hurriedly explained, "Legend has it that the original deity was emotionless. But one day, it split into two personas: one representing goodness, the other representing evil. Both wished to annihilate the other to become the complete deity."
"And then..."
"In the end, they annihilated each other. The initial deity fell, and its two personalities were fragmented into countless Souls of Justice and Malevolent Blood," Little Fairy Baal interjected.
Seeing Ethan's gaze shift towards her, Baal explained, "This tale of the primordial deity is known among our kind. But it's so ancient that there's no certainty if it's true. Some even doubt if the original deity ever existed."
"Indeed," Victor echoed, also skeptical of its authenticity.
Yet upon hearing the names Soul of Justice and Malevolent Blood, Ethan's expression turned peculiar.
"Soul of Justice, Malevolent Blood?"
"In tales and novels, the Hero stands as the beacon of justice, while the Dark Lord they vanquish embodies evil. Crucially, upon defeating the Hero, one obtains the Soul of the Hero, and vanquishing the Dark Lord yields the Dark Lord's blood. There has to be a connection between these items!"
Ethan felt as if he were on the verge of uncovering something monumental.
"Pack up; we're heading back immediately!" Ethan said, barely containing his excitement.
"Back to where?"
Little Fairy Baal fluttered into the air, her curious eyes gleaming.
Victor, too, looked to Ethan. As a scholar, although bound to Ethan due to the Enslavement Contract, his wisdom remained intact.
He had long surmised that there was more to Ethan than meets the eye.
"To my true domain," Ethan replied with a grin.
He had been away for so long; it was time to return to his territory.
Moreover, the Soul of Justice that Victor and Baal spoke of might indeed be the Soul of the Hero.
Consequently, Malevolent Blood could be the Dark Lord's blood.
These hypotheses could only be confirmed back in his realm.
...
"When will the Dark Lord return?" Beside the Abandoned Temple, a Divine Dragon Warrior from the patrol couldn't help but voice his question.
This wasn't just his query; many monsters in the Dark Lord's domain shared this concern, as they hadn't seen their revered leader for a long time.
"Silence! The Dark Lord surely has important matters to attend to," the leader scolded the inquisitive Divine Dragon Warrior.
Meanwhile, Ethan was on his way back.
He hadn't immediately returned to his territory.
Instead, he first made a detour to the Blackstone Hero Kingdom to assess its current state.
"Lord Ethan, the Mana Crystal mining operations are proceeding smoothly," reported Jonathan.
The other Heroes stood on either side, welcoming Ethan's return.
"Well done!" Ethan commended, glancing around the assembly.
Not spotting Hero Henry, he turned to Jonathan, "Has Henry not returned?"
"Lord Ethan, it seems there's been an issue with Henry. You instructed him to organize the Heroes and coordinate with the neighboring Dark Lords. However, some Dark Lords have chosen to decline, refusing to assist us," Jonathan relayed truthfully.
"Foolish lot!" Ethan couldn't help but curse.
It became clear to him that those Dark Lords, relishing the opportunity to witness his downfall at the hands of allied kingdoms, had opted out.
The competition amongst the Dark Lords was indeed fierce.
"Hmph! Do they truly believe that without the Blackstone Kingdom, they'd remain unscathed?" Ethan scoffed.
Yet, despite this, he had no intention of staying in the Blackstone Kingdom.
Turning to Jonathan, he instructed, "I'll have to rely on you for a while longer. Keep a close watch on the Mana Crystal mines and ensure the Blackstone Kingdom's affairs are in order. I'll be away for some time. Should anything arise, I'll reach out to you."
"Yes, Lord Ethan!" Jonathan responded, placing a clenched fist over his heart in a gesture of loyalty and assurance.
Subsequently, Ethan gave a few more instructions, including ordering the Heroes of the Blackstone Kingdom to investigate Veronica's whereabouts. Once everything was set, he embarked on his journey again.
Five days later, Ethan returned to his domain, The Abandoned Temple.
His arrival instantly sparked cheers from the numerous monsters.
"It's the Dark Lord! The Dark Lord has returned!"
"Dark Lord, our domain now has an abundance of resources. Can we finally wage war and annihilate those Heroes?"
"Dark Lord, we've recently gathered a substantial amount of supplies!"
Monsters flocked to him, vying to report their achievements, a significant change from when he had left.
Ethan promptly accessed the attributes of one of the monsters.
[Name: Divine Dragon Knight]
[Wisdom: Battle-hardened elite warrior]
[Strength: D+ grade]
[Special Ability: Bloodline Suppression (Can be used in battle to incapacitate dragons with a weaker bloodline for 5 seconds)]
[Potential Upgrades: Divine Dragon Knight Commander, Divine Dragon Elite Archer, Divine Dragon Elite Mage]
[Holy Light Power: Temporarily increases attack (usable once per battle)]
[Mount: Divine Wing Dragon (Exclusive mount for Divine Dragon Knight, significantly enhances speed and has aerial combat capabilities)]
While the attributes were more or less consistent, there was a noticeable change in the wisdom category.
Previously, it read 'Over fifty years of age', but now it was 'Battle-hardened'.
"It seems the wisdom of these monsters isn't fixed. Perhaps if I let them handle affairs, their intellect would gradually evolve," Ethan mused, nodding in satisfaction.
This was indeed good news for him.
After dispersing the crowd of monsters, Ethan, accompanied by Victor and Little Fairy Baal, made his way to the deepest level of The Abandoned Temple's Dungeon, the core of the Dark Lord's power.
"Esteemed Master, to think that you are the formidable Dark Lord!" Victor exclaimed in awe.
Ethan chuckled and playfully retorted, "Why, has that intimidated you?"
"Not at all. To serve a magnificent master like you is an honor for Victor!" Victor hurriedly asserted his loyalty.
Little Fairy Baal, not wanting to be outdone, chimed in, "Me too, me too!"
Ethan burst into hearty laughter.
In a short while, Ethan, along with Victor and Baal, reached the bottommost layer of the Dungeon.
It remained unchanged from when he had left.
However, just as he settled down to relax for a moment, the system's notification pane began flashing incessantly, revealing a flood of messages.
[Ding…]
This content is taken from (f)reewe(b)novel.𝗰𝗼𝐦