Rise of the Lustful Evil Monarch (Re)

Third Person's POV

"This continent… has a wound. The Nihility festers here. Its cults grow bold.

There was a reason... why I led the carriage from this path."

Ethan's eyes widened slightly but he kept his voice calm, though many unspoken meanings lay beneath his words.

"What do you mean?"

A heavy silence settled over the valley and felt thick and weighty. The Blood Slave stood motionless as his crimson eyes flickered dimly beneath his hood.

"Training..."

Ethan frowned.

"What?"

"All of this was part of your training… for what you and the little mistress are about to face in the Abyssal Sanctum."

Ethan didn't respond immediately. His gaze turned distant as he mulled over those words. He was not so immature as to resent the little Duchess over something so trivial.

If this ordeal had been orchestrated as training, then it had undoubtedly served its purpose.

Not only had he and the girls expanded their experience in real combat but they had also grown stronger, both in coordination and individual power.

Their bond, too, had been tested and tempered in battle.

But the most significant gain… was the awakening of his devil bloodline.

If not for this unexpected encounter, he had no idea when or even if his dormant lineage would have surfaced.

Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire

Even his Master Nyx had remained cryptic about it and offered only vague explanations when he had inquired.

Now that he thought about it, she must have known that this was not something that could be awakened by force and definitely not by some godly potion or arcane ritual.

It was something far more primal. And now, that truth had begun to unfurl.

That dreamy memory was still burned in his mind.

That towering and ethereal godly silver city. Those immense black spires that reached into the heavens.

The colossal throne looming atop the tallest one. And the phantom seated upon it who was shrouded in his mystery and power.

Heir of Shadows… What does that mean? And the Eternal Throne that waits for me?

A chill ran through him, but he pushed the thoughts aside. There were no answers now, only questions.

And he was not the kind of person to dwell on the unknown when there was work to be done.

His sharp gaze swept across the village once more. The eerie dark soul energy that had once seeped from the cave entrances had vanished, leaving behind an empty void.

The oppressive presence that had smothered the valley that had seemed once suffocating and overwhelming, was no more.

Suddenly, Ethan turned his head towards the sky, and as he had expected the three-horned skull projection in the sky had dissipated along with the dark clouds that had covered the valley in their ominous cover.

The perpetual dark clouds that covered this continent had begun to shift and had thinned slightly.

He had noticed this strange phenomenon before.

During the day, the land remained shrouded in darkness, but at night, the clouds sometimes cleared just enough to let the Blood Moon shine through and drench everything in a sinister crimson glow.

His thoughts were interrupted as the Blood Slave led him into the center of the village.

Ethan was about to step into one of the small, cave-like dwellings when the sharp sound of frantic footsteps echoed through the valley.

He turned toward the noise.

"Oh, yes," the Blood Slave muttered.

"The little mistress must have finally discovered the barrier around the valley... melting after the young master destroyed the demon's avatar."

Ethan blinked, then let out a wry chuckle. He had completely forgotten about Virelle and Velcy.

Earlier, he had sent them away as he had instructed them to explain the ominous events to the carriage driver, who, ironically, had turned out to be a dangerous yet capable ally.

Now, watching the old man's stooped figure ahead of him, Ethan gave a small nod of approval.

Well, they did bring help.

Ethan turned his head just in time to see two women sprinting toward him and their current expressions were filled with urgency.

Virelle's flawless elegance was gone.

Her once-pristine makeup had been ruined as black smudges stained the corners of her face where tears had mixed with soot and sweat. But she didn't seem to care even one bit.

Her crimson eyes locked onto Ethan who was standing there in the middle of the valley, alive and whole. He was beside the hooded crooked figure of the old Blood Slave.

A mixture of relief and anguish twisted together in her expression, and instead of slowing down, her feet only moved faster.

Velcy followed closely behind though her feline grace was slightly dampened by exhaustion. Though she lacked Virelle's near-breaking, desperate expression, her eyes betrayed her.

They were still wide and wild with fear and were only now beginning to settle. The careful control she usually carried was fractured and her panic was still raw beneath the surface.

But Virelle wasn't thinking about control. She wasn't thinking at all.

Ethan's gaze which had been trained on the silent eerie caves, barely had a moment to shift before she crashed into him.

Her arms locked around his neck and trembled continuously as her body pressed against his with desperate strength.

His weary body staggered and his broken saber slipped from his fingers and clattered to the ground but he managed to hold her steady.

Her breathing was ragged as her entire frame shook against him. The once aloof and proud Deluge Princess had shattered and left only raw and unfiltered emotions in her wake.

"You idiot," she choked into his torn robes as her voice became muffled against his chest.

"You reckless, suicidal idiot."

However, guilt immediately settled inside her at her words and a bit of regret gnawed at her.

She knew Ethan never acted recklessly and he never took a step forward unless he was confident in his ability to see it through.

He had charged into the valley not out of recklessness but to eliminate the threat at its source.