305 Alis (3/3)

Damien said in a serious tone, "You needed to know that. When you meet one, it's either kill or be killed. They might look like us but what lies underneath the skin and flesh is a rotten core. So don't you dare show them mercy or fall for their tricks." Some act like humans to blend with the crowd, and some use their beauty to fool men into a trap, a trap where they are ruthlessly killed and chewed limb by limb.

"I won't. Let's talk about the other type of Undying." Roy wanted to move on from this topic. It was evident on his face. He wasn't a fan of listening to twisted stories in the middle of the night, surrounded by thick mist.

"Alright, dark knights have all the advantages that a Crimson mage has, but they are more powerful than them," Damien said.

They could increase the size of their inner world by... well, eating humans.

"Why so?" Roy asked curiously, "Why is their power level greater than crimson mages?"

"Because their curse weapon allows them to siphon life energy from their target. They look the same, and while their weapons might vary in shape and size, they all have the same effect. Once you get stabbed or cut by them, you will be cursed and enter into a deathlock with the Dark Knight and start aging. You can't reverse it, only increase your lifespan. And to stop it, you will need to kill the dark knight and destroy his weapons." Class weapons, as well as cursed weapons, aren't immune to physical or magical damage. They can be destroyed if enough force is used.

"What's worse is that they sacrifice the living, especially humans of flesh and blood, to evil entities such as Chaos to grow stronger and cross stages without facing a bottleneck. They grow stronger far more rapidly than a typical person."

Suddenly, Damien was questioned by Roy.

"As fast as me?" Roy thought that the method the dark knights utilize to grow stronger was really bizarre. It was evil and vile but not as good as his.

Damien shook his head, "Can't be compared. Your growth rate is too terrifying. If Arnard hadn't personally told me that you were just a bum two months ago, I wouldn't have believed it."

After finding out about them, a thought flashed in his mind.

He turned to look at Damien, asking him, "How did the empire come into being when monsters like these exist?"

"I know what you are wondering. It's true that they grow faster than us. But everything comes with a price." Damien replied to him, "The soul is corrupted when someone accepts the kiss of Chaos. You know that, right?"

Roy nodded at his words.

Damien continued, "The same thing happens when someone accepts Death's invitation. And when they use the forbidden method of looting the inner world and magic sea of others to grow stronger, their soul destabilizes even further. There have been records of undying exploding to smithereens and dying because of their soul crumbling apart. There have also been records of friendly fire between them because of the undying going mad. When the three kingdoms were at war, three of the seven strongest undying were by Karma. Two went mad. One exploded. The king of Asil and the other undying had to join hands to stop their rampage. As a result, they lost their four strongest undying that day and suffered massive damage. But this bought us enough time to suppress the other kingdom and establish an empire. It was weakened while we were strengthened to another level. Thus, it didn't dare go against us. That's true history which is kept from the masses."

As they say, know yourself and know your enemy better than yourself. The empire had kept a close eye on the kingdom from day one. Although they currently lacked the resources to wage war against them, it wasn't a problem to use mystic methods to gather information about what was going on there.

'The empire is planning to one day expand its border and destroy the hordes of undead to reach and kill the undying and destroy Asil. The emperor is quite ambitious.' Roy's eyes narrowed, and thoughtful glints flashed in them, making him look like a detective. He was only missing a pair of eyeglasses. 'But that's hard to realize. Chaos needs to be dealt with first, or we will create where we are mantis hunting the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind by attacking it.'

Damien thought that it would be good if it were still being ruled by Voss. He was a cruel man but not smart and liked to play God.

Damien sighed, 'Sadly, it changed hands, and its next ruler happened to have both brains and brawns.'

"Because crimson mages look human-like, they can blend in with the crowds. They capture Demi-Humans in order to extract what makes them special, aka their bloodline, using a forbidden demonic technique. Voss was a greedy man, but he left it behind for them. Once it becomes common knowledge that you have inherited the Count's blood, they will come for you."

A timely warning.

Honestly, Roy thought so.

"I will look out for them." A pure-blooded like him was bound to be targeted by them. He just needed to prepare himself better for such a situation.

They were walking toward the manor when Roy learned towards him and said to him, "It's quite a surprise that you know so much about them. Are you hired to investigate them?" Was the empire paying this dragon's Disciple to keep an eye on them and report their activity, or did he have some kind of personal agenda against them?

Damien didn't say anything. That in itself was an answer.

He didn't want to talk about it.

His expression hardened when Roy asked that question. There was a bit of sadness in his eyes, but it was like a drop of water in an ocean compared to the anger swirling in them. Roy had never seen him so angry. He shut up his trap and distanced himself away from Damien as soon as he entered the manor.

...

Author here:-

Soon, they will become relevant. Look forward to it. One mini arc left before the big plot!