#97. The Ancient Wraith

The forgotten ancient fortress had come back to life once more.

The ferocious creatures who had survived the disaster fled into the darkness in fear, and the masters of the Deep Floor labyrinths locked themselves in, refusing to take a single step outside.

Both the creatures outside the labyrinths and the mighty Dukes inside the labyrinths were terrified of the same thing.

It was only natural for them to act that way. From the Dukes’ perspective, it was as if the very enemy they had torn to pieces and scattered all across the Underworld had reappeared as a wraith, and there was no way they could feel at ease.

Moreover, the resurrected ancient fortress was filled with hatred and wrath. The fortress continued to wail incessantly with a terrible cry, and the new Einherjar, the new residents of Valh?ll, cried along with the fortress.

“Mhmm.”

Angela appeared at the center of the fortress, frowning at the cries that seemed to suck away at her soul. Despite having ascended to the rank of Highlord and having a steadfast spirit, the roar of the mad fortress and its residents continued to ring unpleasantly in her ears.

But she had no time to waste. She was well aware of the origin of the hatred the fortress radiated.

“Master!”

Seeing her master seated on a throne carved from a golden ash tree, she hurried her pace, but quickly came to a stop.

“Ah..”

What she could clearly see was golden brilliance, each ray gorgeous and beautiful, but for some reason, only darkness surrounded her master. The thick darkness made it impossible for her to approach her master hastily.

“Master?”

Feeling as if an invisible hand were clenching her heart, she struggled, barely able to call out.

“A.. Angela.”

Angela had been worried that she might be corrupted by one simple look from her master, who seemed to exist in another realm by himself. Fortunately, however, her master answered her directly, despite his dry, deathly voice. With a sense of relief, she was about to approach her master again, but she saw her master’s eyes as he barely raised his chin.

His eyes were filled with nothing but despair, hatred, and a creepy brilliance.

“Aah.. Fortunately, I’ve succeeded in claiming Valh?ll. It wasn’t as difficult as I thought, because the test ended simply by sitting here.”

Contrary to his dry voice, Master’s eyes were still shaking with madness.

“Aah..”

Angela found herself subconsciously taking a step backward, her face turning pale.

“This fortress.. It’s truly an absurd one. I thought there could be nothing more magical than your Red Castle, but I guess I was wrong.”

Master seemed to be talking to himself like a madman, disregarding whether Angela was present or not.

“These walls made of gold are indestructible, and Mj?llnir of the spire is so mighty that it can rip a Count to shreds with a single blow. Besides, do you see this throne? This seemingly insignificant throne is an absolutely absurd bastard.”

Despite what Master was saying, he looked about to collapse from exhaustion at any moment.

“This guy you see here.. It’s a treasure that allows me to see anywhere in the Underworld from the throne. And while I sat on this throne, I saw many things.”

“What.. What kind of..” Angela asked. It wasn’t out of curiosity. There was a looming presence that made her feel as if she had to say something, and she was barely able to squeeze out a few words.

“Ah. What did I see? I saw my past.”

But it seemed she had asked the wrong question. Master’s eyes, which had already been shaking with madness, had now plunged completely into the realm of insanity.

“You know something? I’m a dungeon baby born and raised in the Underworld. My father was a Terran who stole the treasures of the Underworld and disappeared after running away. In return, I spent most of my life as a slave, scooping up dirt in the filthy tunnels. So, above all else, I was desperate to survive. Being strong and taking someone else’s property was just a means to an end.”

Grief. Sorrow. Loss. Hatred. Those negative emotions came crashing in like a tsunami.

“But..”

The more those emotions raged on, the lower Master’s voice sank.

“If it were all pointless, what would you do?”

It was an incomprehensible question, so Angela couldn’t answer. Master didn’t seem to expect an answer, as he didn’t force her to reply either.

“Truth is, everything was decided from the beginning. What I went through and what I felt throughout my entire life must have been good.”

His deep, subdued voice was so void of life that it sent a chill down Angela’s spine.

“Because I was merely a wraith in the first place.”

Master, who had been muttering to himself, suddenly stretched out his hand.

“Come closer. Weren’t you worried about what might have happened to me? Come and take a look. I’m fine.”

But Angela found herself unable to approach her master.

“Why? Why are you making such a face? It’s almost as if you’re afraid of me.”

Angela was a Vampire who had no choice but to live by extorting the power and lives of others. Her master also lived by stealing the power and lives of others, just like her. His radiating sense of greed was grand, turbid, and hungry.

And when that sense of greed turned completely toward her, she felt a supreme sense of fear. She knew that if she approached him, she would be caught up in his greed.

Angela instinctively knew what would happen then.

“I am your master. The master that you adore and cherish so dearly.”

The face?of Master, who was pretending to be calm, was anything but. A ferocious hatred distorted his face, and his gaze was impenetrable.

“Aargh!”

Although she had experienced a bit of loss in order to keep her Blood Pact intact, Angela was still the master of the Red Castle and ruler of the Back Floor. But even such a being couldn’t dare to look directly in her master’s eyes.

“Do you also see me as just an empty shell?”

Angela bit her blue lips upon hearing the question. She had to answer. She could feel the impatience behind Master’s presence growing by the minute; it seemed ready to tear her to pieces at any moment. Behind his cold facade, she saw the figure of a restless boy crouching.

“Urgh..”

But her voice didn’t escape her, as if her vocal cords were blocked. She trembled like a herbivore before a predator.

Her master was the natural enemy of all living beings. He was a monster that took away all life, extorted power, and finally devoured the very existence of all life, leaving behind not a single trace.

Her natural fear of an unavoidable predator seemed to clench at her neck, holding her tightly and refusing to let her go. If possible, she wanted to escape to her Red Castle right away. She wanted to shake off her fear by hiding in a world where no one could harm her.

But nevertheless, it was precisely because it was her own master that she couldn’t bring herself to escape. Even if everyone in the world feared and rejected him, it was her sense of duty to protect her master that held her back.

“Ma..”

Once again, she forced strength into her voice and tried to call out to her master. The pain of a thousand knives was tearing her throat apart, but she clenched her teeth and opened her mouth again.

“Ma..”

“Master!”

Just when Angela was barely about to finish uttering a word, she heard another voice interfering with hers. It was a clear voice that finished the same word so easily and naturally that she lost her sense of reality for a moment.

“Master!”

The clear voice once again called out?to Master. Only then was Angela finally able to notice Dominique, who had appeared out of nowhere and looked as if she were about to break down.

At that moment, Angela’s legs gave way and she collapsed onto the ground.

***

When Dominique arrived at the heart of Valh?ll, she saw a scene that wasn’t too different from what she had expected.

The only difference was that the damage?to Master’s?soul had been greater than expected. He looked like a precarious glass ornament on the verge of shattering. In his isolation, his deathly malice had spread everywhere across Valh?ll.

Master had been a seed planted by an Ancient Lord, a fragment of the failed idealist. He had been a puppet who had no choice but to walk along the set path decided by the fragments of the Ancient Lords.

The failed idealist. The Dreamer who had caused Twilight in the Underworld. Fragment of regret left by the Wandering Lord of the Underworld. These were the origins of Master.

But that wasn’t all. Dominique, as the Dragon King’s companion, was the only woman allowed to commune with the king. She found the piece of herself hidden deep inside her master, which had sunk deep within.

“Dominique, can you answer me? Who am I? Am I still your Master?”

Master’s soul, which had barely held on to its form, was beginning to shatter. If left as is, he was bound to run rampant due to his terrible sense of loss and hatred, and once again transform into the Evil Dragon. And the second time, he would be unable to return to his original form.

There wasn’t much time. Dominique answered her master’s question without delay.

“My one and only Naga King. The sole Lord of the Labyrinth of Frost.”

Her voice was too low to raise her master’s spirits, however.

“My King!”

But another sound added onto her voice.

“Our one and only Dragon King!”

More voices echoed atop that, and soon, countless echoes reached Master’s soul that was on the verge of collapse.

***

[The Naga Queen has used her unique ability, ‘King’s Herald’.]

[The King’s loyal army has gathered around him, transcending space and time.]

Light seemed to radiate from all around him, before materializing in the form of the Nagas. Each and every Naga that materialized looked him in the eye, their gazes steadfast with unwavering loyalty.

Kim Jin-Woo felt the malice and confusion that had been running wildly within him gradually subside.

“Everything I ever accomplished was a false victory, and despite that, you’re still calling me a king?” he asked.

“Who in the Underworld dares deny the title of ‘Undefeated Commander’ and his achievements of conquest!? Even if they deny it, no matter where the king goes, there will only be glory, and there will be no greater glory that awaits him!” Quantus exclaimed in a grandiose manner.

Kim Jin-Woo asked again, “I’m a hypocrite who threw this glorious Underworld into the gutter. One day, the seeds I sowed in my past may bring yet another terrible disaster to the Underworld. Despite that, you’ll still follow me?”

This time, it was Dominique who answered. “If Master were to make this world a hell, we would gladly become your demons.”

The steady gaze from hundreds of pairs of eyes became a small glimmer of hope for Kim Jin-Too to hold onto, and he decided not to let it go.

“Hell, huh..” he murmured. His anger and despair remained, but now he was able to quietly capture and internalize those feelings.

Now wasn’t the time to externalize that hatred.

He forcibly closed his torn wounds. Even if one day, his unresolved emotions were to corrode his soul and rot him from within, he decided to hold onto those feelings inside himself until the right time came.

He would spit on the sacrifice of the Usurper, who had been stigmatized for immorality and left all alone in the abyss for the sake of the Ancient Promise.

The moment he decisively made up his mind, the real test of Hlieskjálf ended.

[Hlieskjálf honors you for overcoming the harsh and cold truth.]

[Hlieskjálf gives you its real name. The true name of the golden ash wood chair is the ‘Throne of Truth’.]

[The true power of the Throne of Truth is now available to you.]

As soon as the messages were finished, Hlieskjálf, the Throne of Truth, began to emit a brilliant light.