Episode 139
“What on earth is that…!”
The Shadow Lord’s avatar began to exude an aura that was incomparable to anything seen before.
It radiated an overwhelming magical power beyond imagination… a true demon god stood there.
Four circles, wrapped in crimson energy, were spiraling out of control. Yet, this was no desperate last stand.
In fact, Dale’s circles were operating with the precision of a ‘state-of-the-art clockwork mechanism,’ based on otherworldly knowledge.
He was using the crimson energy to enhance the circles, generating unimaginable power from it.
This power was then poured into the armor of darkness, amplifying all its abilities.
The avatar of the Shadow Lord, acquired through Shub’s power, was not driven by aura, but by magic.
Thus, an absurd amount of magic was being channeled to fortify the armor of darkness.
As a mage wielding the tricolor of black, red, and blue.
The ebony beast, Sir Helmut Blackbear, charged forward once more. The Shadow Lord met his strike with a swing of his sword.
Clang!
The massive sword ‘Madness’ clashed with the obsidian blade ‘Hunger,’ neither giving an inch.
“He’s not being overpowered…!”
Sir Helmut was taken aback, swallowing hard.
The Shadow Lord’s sword met the blade of the North’s strongest knight, who had dedicated his life to the sword. It was not a one-sided domination. It was different, vastly different.
They were equals, clashing sword against sword as knights.
“Haha, hahaha!”
In the midst of the struggle, Sir Helmut burst into laughter, unable to contain his joy.
“Yes, this is it! Only someone of this caliber could dare to bear the weight of Saxon!”
As the closest sword to the Duke of Saxon, the ebony berserker roared with laughter, his aura flaring up once more.
“The greatest genius of the Empire, Prince Dale’s achievements bring me such joy that I can hardly contain myself!”
The energy of battle, transcending aura, began to envelop Sir Helmut’s avatar.
Battle spirit.
As the holy swordsmen of old, the avatars of the pinnacle knights were not bound to a single form.
‘Could he possibly… unleash even more power?’
The Shadow Lord adjusted his grip on the obsidian sword, and the distance closed. Nothing had changed. Dale, with his body accelerated by the crimson energy forming a heat engine, wondered how far he could stand against the ‘North’s strongest knight.’
Dale, too, smiled with the competitive spirit of a berserker, not to be outdone by Helmut.
Clang!
The swords clashed again. A strike of overwhelming force, incomparable to before. It was difficult to withstand, and an eerie chill clung to the blade.
After the clash, Dale looked up.
Amidst the swirling battle spirit, Sir Helmut Blackbear’s avatar revealed its second form.
’…!’
A death knight stood there.
His body had become a skeleton, clad in the black armor of Saxon.
That very death knight was now gripping the massive sword ‘Madness.’
“What do you think, Prince Dale?”
Sir Helmut Blackbear’s skeletal form spoke, a voice that could hardly be called human.
“This is the testament of my will, dedicated to the Saxon family.”
The armor of conviction, pledging loyalty to Saxon even in death, stood there.
“Sir Helmut…”
And then, the death knight that was Sir Helmut knelt before Dale, not to continue the fight.
Thud!
“I will never forget the prowess you have shown me today, Prince Dale!”
He drove his massive sword vertically into the frozen ground of the demon lord’s domain, as if Dale commanded his death knight like an extension of himself.
But what stood before him was no mere death knight. It was the North’s strongest knight, thinking and acting of his own will, swearing lifelong loyalty to the Saxon family.
“Rise, Sir Helmut.”
Seeing this, Dale finally dispelled the Shadow Lord’s avatar. The crimson energy accelerating his heart’s circle dissipated.
It was then.
“Ugh!”
Suddenly, a searing pain engulfed Dale’s heart, and he collapsed to his knees. Helmut rushed to him, but Dale raised a hand to stop him.
“There’s no need to worry.”
“Are you not yet accustomed to using your abilities?”
Sir Helmut replied as if he had expected this. He was right. Helmut had not continued the fight because he understood that newly awakened abilities could be a double-edged sword.
“As expected of you, Sir Helmut.”
Dale forced a smile, feigning calm. The heat engine accelerating his heart’s circle had stopped, but the residual heat was burning his heart.
Quickly generating blue energy to balance the internal heat, Dale began to coolly assess the risks of his new abilities.
“I, Helmut, swear to wield my sword for your training, Prince, from now on.”
By then, Helmut had dispelled his avatar, standing as the Sir Helmut Dale knew.
“Thank you, Sir Helmut.”
Dale smiled softly at the sight. As he said, this was just the beginning. As a mage who had awakened the Shadow Lord’s avatar and wielded the tricolor attributes.
The brazier within the fortress on the white and dark winter night burned hotter than ever.
Some time later, at the Saxon Viscount’s castle in the labyrinth city.
“The noble faction centered around S-rank adventurer Edward of Dulles is expanding its influence to the ‘Guild Street.’ Additionally, there are reports of his martial prowess growing abnormally in recent times.”
“In the past few weeks, there has been a surge in the number of adventurers going missing within the labyrinth. The figures far exceed the expected disappearance and death rates within the labyrinth.”
An assassin from the ‘Shadow Court,’ monitoring adventurers in the dark, reported to the Saxon Viscount.
“Do you have any other suspicions?”
“While the Shadow Court’s assassins are closely observing the movements of adventurers entering the labyrinth, we have yet to find any concrete leads.”
”…”
Upon hearing this, Viscount Saxon, Dale, remained silent.
“By the way, I heard that ‘Lady Scarlet’ of the Red Tower recently registered her information with the adventurer’s guild.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Has there been any suspicious activity from her within the labyrinth?”
“Well…”
The assassin from the Shadow Court hesitated.
“She moves so stealthily, evading our surveillance within the labyrinth, that we can’t track her movements at all.”
For a mere mage to evade the Empire’s top assassins, it was no easy feat for anyone but Lady Scarlet.
“I see.”
Thus, as the ruler of the demon lord’s domain, Dale had only one task.
“Continue to remain vigilant and proceed with your mission.”
With that, Dale rose from his seat.
The red mages of the Red Tower, led by Lady Scarlet, undeniably contributed to the development of the demon lord’s domain. The Rose Cross Knight from the Lancaster family, fulfilling the anti-demon alliance’s promise, was no exception.
However, setting aside the Lancaster family, Dale could never let his guard down regarding the ulterior motives harbored by the Red Tower.
The Tower of Blood and Fire, worshippers of power executing the Empire’s zeitgeist.
Moreover, Dale had more to consider. The various factions and groups, each with their ambitions, moving around the labyrinth city.
Thus, it was not the official duty of the ‘Saxon Viscount’ to handle the situation. It would fall to the S-rank adventurer 《Faceless》, who had made a name for himself in the labyrinth city.
In the realm of insatiable greed, where countless factions and organizations vied for fortune.
Among them, Edward of Dulles and his noble adventurer faction were one of the most powerful groups in the city.
As a member of the renowned Dulles Count family, his skills were impeccable. The influence Edward wielded among adventurers was extraordinary from the start.
Moreover, during the Saxon Viscount’s absence for the Rose War, Edward acquired an artifact from the depths of the labyrinth.
Taking advantage of the Viscount’s absence, he laundered the artifact through a connected guild, making it his own without reporting it to the ‘adventurer’s guild.’
And so, Edward had become an untouchable giant and a formidable force among the city’s adventurers.
As ‘Faceless’ entered the adventurer’s guild, leaving behind the murmurs of the crowd, a striking red-haired beauty caught everyone’s attention.
Lady Scarlet, revered like a queen among adventurers.
“Well, aren’t you quite the gentleman.”
Scarlet smiled seductively, and the shadow beneath Faceless’s hood turned towards her. For a moment, her gaze met his.
“Oh my.”
Scarlet giggled as if she could see right through the faceless figure beneath the hood.
“Faceless, the legendary adventurer the city folks talk about has graced us with his presence!”
”…”
Faceless turned his head away, as if Scarlet’s exaggerated shrug wasn’t worth acknowledging.
“Oh, how cold.”
“Ha, what a load of nonsense.”
At that moment, a voice finally emerged from beneath Faceless’s hood. It was a deep, gruff voice.
“What…?”
“This young lady’s wagging tail is quite the spectacle.”
Even Lady Scarlet was taken aback by the unexpected voice. It didn’t match the ‘Faceless’ identity that the spies from the Red Tower had described.
During the Rose War, the adventurer Faceless had vanished. With that single piece of information, it wasn’t hard to deduce his true identity.
And Dale wasn’t foolish enough not to understand that.
Thus, the role of the adventurer Faceless was no longer the responsibility of the ‘Black Prince.’
“Well then, how about a cozy little tour of the labyrinth with this legendary adventurer?”
Because it was Master Baro, the supreme force of the Shadow Court that watched over the labyrinth city from the darkness.
“Ah, unfortunately, I don’t have a taste for mingling with the likes of a mud-dwelling boar.”
With that, Lady Scarlet turned her head, her expression devoid of any emotion, in response to Master Baro’s words.