Episode 260: Reclamation (2)
The screams that had been echoing for what felt like an eternity suddenly ceased. Cherrybell had finally drawn her last breath.
Damian collected Cherrybell’s soul, destroyed it, and absorbed her memories.
“As expected, there’s a restriction in place.”
Just like the disciple he had killed before, Cherrybell also had a restriction on her.
This only confirmed how much effort the Weapon Master was putting into crafting the cursed sword.
“That sword must be worth it.”
Even Damian couldn’t help but be wary. His urgency to capture the dwarven fortress was to prevent the completion of that sword.
Suddenly, he sensed movement behind him. Kilo and the dwarves were staring at Damian in disbelief.
It was no wonder they were shocked—a dark sorcerer had just taken down a master-class knight in an instant.
“What are you standing around for? Go fetch the materials.”
Damian spoke curtly, snapping the dwarves out of their daze.
“Oh, right. Leave it to us from here.”
The dwarves hurriedly made their way to the storage.
Damian sat down on a nearby rock and ordered a skeleton to retrieve the cursed sword Cherrybell had wielded.
“Let’s see here…”
He examined the two daggers closely.
“A demon of count rank crafted these. They seem to have the power to devour and absorb anything.”
Though they lacked intelligence, the demonic power within them was potent.
Interesting as they were, they didn’t pique Damian’s interest.
“Dominico.”
Damian called out, and a black knight emerged from the shadows.
“Master, you called?”
“Destroy this.”
Dominico swung his greatsword, and the aura blade shattered the cursed sword into pieces.
-Screeech!
-Aaaargh!
As the sword was destroyed, the demonic energy within it spilled out. Damian absorbed it all.
The fourth sigil began to glow. Damian examined it.
“The power of lust, is it?”
With the power of lust, he could make any creature follow him blindly.
Insects, beasts, monsters, even humans.
In simple terms, it was a power that could brainwash anything.
“A tricky power to awaken.”
The power of lust was indeed a formidable ability.
In his past life, Damian had used it under Dorgo’s orders to brainwash captured high-ranking nobles, causing discord among humans and disbanding armies.
While Damian was awakening his power, the dwarves finished their task.
“Victor! We’ve gathered everything!”
“I don’t see anything.”
Damian looked at the dwarves with a puzzled expression.
They had emptied such a large storage, yet the dwarves seemed to be carrying nothing.
“It’s all in there.”
Kilo pointed to a few dwarves carrying large leather bundles on their shoulders.
“It’s a bag crafted with the wisdom of our ancestors. It looks small, but it’s incredibly spacious inside.”
“A magical artifact with space expansion?”
“Hmph, don’t compare it to such trivial things! This is a creation of our ancestors’ mysteries!”
Kilo replied, sounding offended.
“Well, since we’ve got everything, we should move. Next, we need to reclaim the emergency forge, right?”
Damian stood up, prompting Kilo to grab his arm.
“Wait! There’s something I need to say first!”
Damian frowned, his displeasure manifesting as a menacing aura.
As his killing intent spread, Kilo and the dwarves recoiled in fear.
“Why are you getting angry again?”
“Don’t tell me you’re planning to back out of our cooperation now that you’ve got the materials?”
“What do you take us for?”
Kilo snapped, and Damian immediately withdrew his killing intent.
“Is that so? My apologies.”
“Do you think an apology is enough?”
“And if it’s not, what will you do?”
Damian’s killing intent flared again, and Kilo quickly fell silent.
“Then why did you call me?”
”…I wanted to thank you.”
“I don’t think I’ve done anything worth thanking for.”
“You saved our kin.”
Kilo averted his gaze to where the dwarves, who had almost become sacrifices to the cursed sword, were gathered.
”…Truly, thank you.”
Dwarves were known for their stubbornness, and those from Kilo’s city, Hammerstrike, were even more so.
For a dwarf from Hammerstrike to express gratitude to Damian was no small feat.
Damian felt a strange emotion stir within him.
“You’re saying unnecessary things.”
“What? A dwarf bows his head, and you…”
“More importantly, tell me the location. Where’s the next facility?”
“Guiding you to the forge isn’t difficult, but…”
Kilo trailed off.
“Still don’t trust my abilities?”
“Of course not! I know you’re disgustingly strong! But the emergency forge is filled with our security devices!”
Damian asked with a curious expression.
“Security devices, you say?”
“Yes, the forge is packed with the equipment of our Hammerstrike dwarves! If an outsider were to enter, our technology might be leaked.”
“Tell me more.”
Kilo explained the emergency forge in detail.
The more he listened, the more Damian pondered. It was practically a small fortress.
“Indeed, it won’t be easy to breach.”
While Damian was contemplating how to capture the forge, a groan came from one of Cherrybell’s subordinates lying on the ground.
Despite the spikes protruding from his body, he was still alive. It was a testament to the resilience of a knight.
“Master, I’ll finish him off.”
Dominico raised his greatsword. At that moment, something clicked in Damian’s mind.
“Wait, stop.”
Dominico immediately lowered his sword. Damian inspected Cherrybell’s subordinates.
Most were dead, but a few were still alive. Seeing them, Damian’s plan crystallized.
“We can use these guys as keys.”
“I’m bored to death.”
Akio muttered, gazing at the evening sky.
Next to him, Trion clicked his tongue.
“You can be bored all you want, but don’t slack off like last time. You don’t want to get scolded by Lord Salvador again.”
Akio ignored Trion’s nagging.
“Lord Salvador is too much. Who’s going to attack a fortress in such a remote place and make us guard it?”
The place they were guarding was deep within the Hercumak Mountains, a location hard to find.
Despite its remote location, the fortress was impressively large.
Most importantly, it was built with the dwarves’ mysterious craftsmanship, filled with bizarre security devices.
For instance, the walls. If an unauthorized person tried to climb them, they would burst into flames, without any magic involved.
Even within the Weapon Master’s camp, it would have been nearly impossible to capture the fortress without an insider’s betrayal.
“It’s a crucial location. I heard it’s filled with dwarven technology.”
“I know, but who would come all the way here to steal it?”
“Don’t let your guard down. We’ve received intel that the dwarves have formed a resistance.”
“Even if they did, what could they do? Ugh, I’m so bored.”
“If you’re that bored, play with those.”
Trion gestured to the spears lined along the wall. Something was tied to them.
Short stature. Muscular build. A face covered in a thick beard.
Dwarves.
They were in a dire state, their bodies covered in wounds, reduced to rags.
“I’m tired of them. We’ve interrogated them too much.”
Akio shook his head.
Originally, these dwarves had been guarding the fortress.
When it fell, they were captured and served as toys to alleviate boredom under the guise of “interrogation.”
“And they’re too broken now. Look.”
Akio drew his sword and stabbed a dwarf’s thigh. The dwarf didn’t even flinch.
“They’re as good as dead from all the torment. They’ll probably die for real by tomorrow.”
Akio clicked his tongue in disappointment. Just then, something caught his eye.
Three men were approaching the fortress wall.
“Hey, Akio! Keeping watch properly?”
One of them called out to Akio. Recognizing the face, Akio’s expression brightened.
“Valentin! Franco! What brings you here when you should be under Cherrybell?”
“Came to see your face.”
Akio couldn’t stop smiling.
Valentin and Franco were his peers. They had joined the Weapon Master’s ranks and trained in swordsmanship together.
“But who’s the guy behind you?”
Behind Valentin and Franco was a man in a robe, looking suspicious. Akio couldn’t help but be wary.
“This guy? I have no idea.”
“What?”
“On my way here, I caught a strange guy lurking around.”
“Then we should interrogate him right away.”
How long had it been since their last interrogation?
A cruel smile crept across Akio’s lips.
The guy Valentin had brought in looked robust. This was going to be entertaining for a while.
“Alright, now open the gate! How long are you going to keep me standing here?”
“Impatient as always. Just a moment!”
Akio manipulated a device atop the fortress wall, and the gate began to lift.
“Triang, let’s go down.”
Akio descended to the gate with Triang.
He could see Valentin and two others walking in.
“Looks like you two had a rough time under Lady Cheribel, huh? Your already ugly faces look even worse…”
Valentin and Franco drew their longswords and plunged them into Akio and Triang’s stomachs.
The two fell without a chance to scream. Valentin and Franco bowed to the man in the robe.
“Master Victor, it’s done.”
The robed man.
Damian Haxen threw off his robe and spoke to Valentin and Franco.
“Well done. Now, both of you, end your lives.”
“Oh… to receive another command from you…!”
“We’ll obey immediately!”
Valentin and Franco slit their own throats. Even in their dying moments, their faces were filled with ecstasy.
This was the terrifying power of the Lust Dominion.
It wasn’t mere brainwashing. It made them follow any command with joy.
“You, you…!”
Akio, lying on the ground, shouted at Damian.
“What did you do to those two?”
“I just tinkered with their minds a bit.”
Akio’s face twisted in anger.
“You, you beast! Using such monstrous methods!”
Damian approached Akio and kicked him in the stomach.
“Ugh!”
His already pierced abdomen was further damaged. Akio coughed up blood in agony.
“A beast, you say? Of course. I’m here to kill those who are worse than beasts. Why should I pretend to be human?”
Damian turned away. The man was as good as dead. There was no need to waste any more attention on him.
He walked further inside. The forge was still teeming with dark knights.
“Come out, all of you.”
Damian’s shadow began to ripple, and from it emerged the undead.
“Leave no one alive.”
The undead scattered with a chilling cry.
It sounded almost like a cheer.