Chapter 110

Chapter 110

Chapter 110

Chapter 110

Drake, the “Monster Hunter.“

Also celebrated under the nickname “Drake, the Beast Hunter,” he figured among the select group of S-rank adventurers within the labyrinth city, possessing the ability to hunt creatures from the deepest abysses, similar to Dale.

Long before the fever for ancient objects dragged him toward the northern demon region, his reputation had already spread across the entire continent as a highly respectable powerhouse.

What truly caused strangeness in Dale regarding Drake was a highly peculiar detail.

It was impossible for him to perceive the slightest presence of mana in his being.

Drake did not manifest the circles of power typical of a mage, nor did he possess the aura energy reserves that characterize knights.

Did the possibility exist that someone could subdue such terrifying beasts without requiring the use of magical energy?

Dale longed to behold him in full combat; however, in the densest confines of the underground ruins, their paths almost never crossed.

On the other hand, the very nature of the “monster hunter” profession captured his attention powerfully.

Individuals who subsisted based on killing monstrosities.

Usually, this labor fell to soldiers with elementary knowledge in handling aura or to common mercenaries, something ordinary in a reality plagued by beastly threats.

Despite this, “Drake, the Beast Slayer” enjoyed a legendary fame throughout the world, and it was unusual for a warrior of such dimensions to dispense with mana.

The barriers of mortal physical strength were unquestionable.

Thus, an assumption gained strength in Dale’s thoughts.

A force foreign and superior to mana.

“Could it possibly be…?“

Just at that instant, a worker from the association approached Dale, or rather, “Faceless,” gripped by a visible tremor.

“Here you go, the trade authorization has been approved!“

The receptionist handed him an official document that guaranteed the buying and selling of a highly concentrated mana stone fragment weighing about a kilogram inside the labyrinth city.

Dale took the paper while Drake turned his face slightly to observe him.

The gloom projected by Dale’s hood coincided with Drake’s pupils, with eye contact breaking almost immediately.

“I request that you verify the properties of this object and grant me the corresponding sales credential.“

Dale placed the belongings he had extracted from the labyrinth on the counter.

A mystical object, the living representation of instant fortune that explorers of the underground city craved so much.

A sword imprisoned by darkness.

A blade of dark metal that evoked the weapons imbued with energy usually carried by members of the Night Crow Knights.

The items rescued from the demon zone came charged with oppressive dark energy, and those fools who attempted to handle them without proper preparation usually ended in disgrace.

For this reason, certain magical devices from the Black Tower were provided to warriors in order to contain the artifact’s influence; a rule that affected even Drake.

However, while Drake held the threatening dark weapon, there was no trace of any magical mechanism intended to appease its vibration.

He acted as if carrying such a cursed relic were a completely trivial task for him.

“It’s fascinating.“

Various murmurs of astonishment resonated among the spectators, and Dale himself was unable to hide his amazement.

However, his intervention under the identity of the explorer “Faceless” concluded at that point.

The day was beginning to dawn, and it was time to resume his official duties as “Dale of Saxon.“

The Saxon barony did not only have to deal with the latent danger of a single large underground structure.

All in all, it was undoubted that the latent risk it represented for the progress in the colonization of the demon territory was of immense proportions.

A rupture.

That event where creatures of the depths emerge massively to the outside.

Fortunately, even before the appearance of a rupture, the most destructive entities from the lower levels hardly reached the surface.

Despite this, the consequences of a complex of such dimensions releasing its spawn would be devastating.

Which is why adventurers were constantly incentivized to enter the great labyrinth, functioning as a measure of containment and observation in the face of these calamities.

In parallel, the dangers that stalked the demon domains were not limited only to what the great labyrinth harbored.

Deep down, the true concerns of the Saxon barony pointed toward the risks external to the ruins.

Containing the onslaughts of the demon hosts that sprouted in various points of the province and safeguarding travelers who traversed the roads.

Offering protection to agricultural settlers who tilled the demon soil under the designation “Imperial Land,” gradually expanding their territorial control.

Protecting the so-called “winter crops” obtained in the icy expanses of Saxon and remaining alert to any variation in the “Dark Land” that stretched beyond the borders.

Dale’s first responsibility upon assuming command consisted of listening to the reports presented by the military factions under his tutelage.

The Night Crow Knights, the Black Armor Company, the Winter Watchers, and, finally, the Court of Shadows.

“The congregation of the Pioneer Monastery of North Sito demands the sending of military reinforcements.“

“We have notifications regarding small groups of orcs riding wolves, which are sabotaging the Kalimala Guild’s convoys as they cross the mountain ranges.“

“Has the location of that orc faction’s camp been discovered?“

“They possess nomadic customs, and the totality of their group is composed of wolf riders who cause havoc throughout the demon territory.“

The Winter Watchers, in charge of espionage duties for the Saxon baron, detailed the maneuvers and dubious operations of the creatures in the surroundings of the demon territory.

“We will evaluate the request coming from the Monastery of Sito and weigh the intervention of the Black Armor Company.“

“Regarding the orc group, we will mobilize mounted units as soon as we find their provisional settlement. Increase tracking patrols.“

Establishing an order of urgency regarding these dangers, Dale structured eradication brigades composed of the Night Crow Knights and the heavy assault troops of the Black Armor Company.

On the other hand, the Court of Shadows assumed the task of watching over the frictions and internal disputes among the residents of the underground city.

“An S-rank warrior, known as ‘Edward of Dulles,‘ seems to be gaining dominance over the sector of explorers linked to the aristocracy in the city.“

“A behavior is perceived that is increasingly frequent, oriented toward belittling and directly marginalizing combatants who lack noble lineage.“

Not all inhabitants of the locality complied willingly with the authority exercised by Dale.

The problems ranged from the smuggling of labyrinth relics to altercations between adventurer factions.

“Managing a territory is not a simple task.“

Directing a single “demon territory” entailed such a level of demand.

It was inevitable to start thinking about the enormous weight that his progenitor, the Duke of Saxony, carried, who commanded the entirety of the northern lands, including the demon region.

Assimilating once again the titanic effort of his father, a smirk of irony was drawn on Dale’s lips.

Just at that precise moment.

“Lord Saxon!“

An aide entered in a rush toward the space where Dale rested in his command seat, showing evident agitation.

“I bring an extremely urgent notification!“

“Proceed.“

“A disaster has occurred in the guild zone of the labyrinth city… during the process of analyzing a mystical object!“

The messenger, exhausted and at the limit of his strength, continued his story.

“The ‘Dark Sword’ that the monster hunter Drake delivered has entered a state of absolute loss of control during its examination and is sowing destruction everywhere!“

An ancient relic plunged into a frenzy.

The air seemed to fail Dale for a fraction of a second.

The certification of objects extracted from the demon territory corresponded exclusively to the practitioners of shadow magic of the Black Tower, specialists in the mastery of “dark forces.“

If even they, possessing the status of fifth-circle mages, had been unable to subdue said energy, the implications of this disturbance were major.

It was not a minor mishap.

“I will go to corroborate the state of things for myself. Prepare my mount immediately.“

“Understood, my lord!“

Dale stood up with promptness, escorted by two servants who waited at his sides.

Lady Black and Lady Shadow.

Clad in the dark protections of the Night Crow Knights, they advanced behind him while he recalled the events that occurred during the early hours of the morning.

The dark-bladed weapon that was now causing havoc was, with total certainty, the same one Drake had presented hours ago.

That dark blade, capable of releasing an emanation that surpassed the control of the very scholars of the Black Tower, had lost its mind.

Given this panorama, by what method had Drake managed to hold and dominate it with such naturalness?

The guild sector of the labyrinth city was plunged into chaos.

Cassius, a dark mystic belonging to the fifth circle, remained standing in the place.

His five rings of power rotated violently, generating a spiral of evil energy that took him as a central axis.

Between his hands, he held the relic recovered by the monster hunter Drake… the dark magic blade.

Any vestige of lucidity had disappeared from his features.

Showing a crazed grimace, his pupils had hidden upward while saliva escaped his lips.

Simultaneously.

The enchanted blade that the mystic wielded traced an arc in the air.

Black-colored blades were sent flying in multiple directions.

Such petals came into contact with the surface and, upon touching it, corrupted the ground with deep blackness.

A manifestation very similar to the dark pool that Dale usually invoked.

Following that.

The periphery was completely flooded by a tide of shadows and, sprouting from the bottom of that pool, “they” made their appearance.

The Shadow Walkers.

Specters born from the gloom, which bore a huge resemblance to what once constituted Dale’s shadow garment.

“Hold the line, do not yield ground!“

“If we fall here, it will be our end!“

The heavy troops of the Black Armor Company tried to resist firmly in their posts while the Shadow Walkers lunged fiercely against their shields.

“That threat exceeds by far what a conventional soldier can contain.“

Faced with this situation, Dale acted immediately.

“General retreat, get out of here right now!“

bellowed Dale, launching himself into the center of the conflict without hesitating.

He extended his own “shadow cloak” to cover the corrupted pool that emanated from the dark magic blade.

“Kieeeek!“

The “Shadow Stalkers” threw their extensions filled with thorns in a joint manner.

Those thorny and fast branches began to tear mercilessly at the ethereal forms of the Shadow Walkers.

The conclusion presented itself irrefutable.

The dark garment that Dale wore and that cursed blade shared exactly the same source of power.

Artifacts are usually defined as “tools imbued with mystical energy.“

Within this category, objects linked to the lands of the Demon King receive the name “dark artifacts,” because their origin is not found in the manufacture of men.

By way of illustration, the Sacred Sword was forged in its time by the founding patriarch of the White Tower, and the vast majority of the relics used by high-ranking mages received their energy charge from famous high-level sorcerers.

However, the so-called “dark artifacts” operated under a different logic.

They constituted the most valuable belongings of high-ranking demonic beings, including the Demon King Balor: treasures of the gloom molded directly by the limbs of the demons.

Therefore, there was no room for doubts.

Zap!

Having the position of Dale as the epicenter, the immediate environment was completely segmented from the rest of the world, structuring a closed zone.

The environment of thought.

Two annual periods had already passed since he managed to access the domain of the fourth circle.

The internal reality of Dale, who now wielded the cursed sword, confined the corrupted mystic, finally showing his authentic physiognomy.

A wintry, ruthless atmosphere filled with darkness.

In the middle of that icy and dark environment, a new “postcard” had been incorporated into the structure of Dale’s spiritual dimension.

The Black Castle.

In the same way that Dale had claimed for himself the lordship of the demonic entity by transforming into its regent, that fortified edification also came to life in the gloomy and desolate landscape of that winter night.

Chapter 110