Chapter 61

Chapter 61

Chapter 61

Chapter 61

Before his eyes opened a scene riddled with monstrosities, the exact reflection of the multiple barbarities he had perpetrated in his role as leader of the Black Red Order.

“Argh! My leg! It is rotting away completely!“

“I beg you, have mercy! My child, the baby I carry in my womb…!“

That aberration was the mental domain manifested by Velok, the dark sorcerer of the sixth circle. It was the very torture and human experimentation laboratory of the Black Red Order.

One subject howled in despair as his fingers began to decompose. Nearby, a mother, horrified to see how the putrefaction advanced relentlessly from her foot upward, took a saw and began to sever her own limb in a desperate attempt to protect the life of her future child.

“…It was a trial designed to unravel the mysteries of maternal affection,” the creature explained with total detachment.

“The subject from the control group, the male, was incapable of conceiving the idea of mutilating himself while his flesh was falling apart.“

Velok recalled with pride every detail of his aberrant achievements.

“In contrast, the pregnant woman did not hesitate for a single instant!“

She amputated her leg immediately with the sole purpose of keeping her offspring safe.

“…“

“Is the devotion of a mother not truly sublime?” inquired Velok, extending his upper limbs in a gesture of feigned emotion.

“That was the reason I dedicated days and nights to discovering how to channel that mental strength, that mother’s love, to transform it into a tool of war…“

Dale clenched his jaw, containing his rage in a deathly silence.

Faced with Velok’s pompous rhetoric, Dale opted for a cold inexpressiveness.

He was standing before the commander of the Black Red Order, a being responsible for unforgivable acts, trapped in an environment that stripped bare the psyche of a true madman.

Even someone with Dale’s fortitude experienced a profound repulsion at such a display.

In his condition as a savior coming from another reality, he knew the perversity inherent in the Black Red Order. However, it was one thing to be aware of it and quite another to contemplate it directly. In his past, there never existed a direct bond between the savior and said organization; in fact, he himself had been part of its collateral victims in the experiments.

The faces of his mother, Elena, and his little sister, Lize, suddenly came to his memory.

His stomach churned violently, causing an irrepressible urge to vomit.

“Do not harbor the hope of receiving a peaceful death,” Dale finally stated, pressing his lips with such intensity that a thread of blood began to flow.

“I will make you experience true eternal torment.“

“Wow, what a fascinating warning,” Velok mocked ironically.

“…“

“Apparently, the tales about the relentless brutality of the Black Prince were not mere exaggerations by the people.“

Dale completely ignored Velok’s provocations. Instead, he allowed his dark attire to expand, propagating a dense darkness that devoured the surroundings. Those waves of gloom advanced uncontrollably, emulating a flood of shadows.

“The celebrated relic of the Black Prince, the Cloak of Shadows!“

Despite the dark tide covering the surface under his feet, Velok kept his composure.

“It is impressive that you have managed to develop the mastery of this mystical object to the point of summoning the Shadow Stalker with such magnitude.“

In his position as a high-ranking member of the sixth circle within the Black Tower, Velok understood perfectly the nature of the mystical artifact that Dale carried.

“The evaluations of our sanctuary already pointed out that you possessed exceptional capabilities.“

“…“

“But to exceed the limits in this way is unheard of. You are certainly up to the renown that precedes the Black Prince.“

Velok spoke feigning deep sorrow.

“It is a true waste to have to extinguish the life of such a gifted and promising mystic…! You can blame this on the weakness of the ruler of the Black Tower.“

The allusion to his progenitor’s weaknesses caused a grimace of disdain in Dale, who merely snapped his fingers without articulating a word.

Snap!

Instantly, appendages full of stingers belonging to the Shadow Stalker emerged violently from Velok’s silhouette. However, the filaments that lunged from multiple directions missed their target. Velok’s figure vanished into an incorporeal mist of darkness, projecting rapidly in the direction of Dale.

Spectral form.

Possessing the rank of sixth-circle dark mystic was not an empty distinction.

That combat in the sanctuary of forbidden knowledge, where Dale defeated the sixth-circle light mystic Nikolai using the Book of the Black Goat, was solidified thanks to a strategy of perverse thoughts and the territorial benefit offered by the netherworld. This scenario posed a totally different challenge.

“The greatest promise of the nation, whose power increases by leaps and bounds with each passing day.“

Those were the claims that circulated among the population when referring to the Black Prince of the Saxon lineage.

These were not myths spread without real foundations.

And how much time had been counted since his victory over Nikolai? How much had Dale strengthened during that interval? Not even he could dimension the scope of his own evolution.

Therefore, a common sixth-circle dark mystic was far from grasping it.

Activating three levels of internal energy, a desolate wasteland manifested beneath his position.

An environment that evoked a cold winter night, tinged with snowy and dark hues.

A devastating cold along with a refined dark mystical energy concentrated in an indigo-toned whirlwind, while a difficult-to-erase echo resonated.

It was the vocal and innocent tone of an infant, free of any hint of evil.

“Have you finally returned to keep me company?“

In the blink of an eye, a small figure materialized beside Dale. A young girl dressed in absolute black clothing.

Emerging from her raven hair, two curved protrusions similar to those of a black goat could be seen.

“I waited for your arrival for a long time.“

Beneath the folds of her attire, an infinity of ramifications stirred constantly.

Spectral form.

Velok had managed to close the distance that separated him from Dale, successfully evading every assault dealt by the Shadow Stalker.

“…!“

Upon realizing the presence of the entity that accompanied Dale, the air failed in Velok’s lungs due to shock.

The most terrifying force of creation manifested before him.

An aberrant amalgam of intertwined filaments, so creepy that it would instill dread in the most ruthless creatures.

From those dark extremities emanated a viscous substance, resembling dense tar.

The mystic could perceive it clearly: the indescribable perversity that inhabited the interior of that dense and dark fluid.

“What kind of aberration is that…?“

Suddenly, the raven extremities attacked. An offensive of such magnitude that not even his incorporeal state allowed him to evade.

Those dark filaments constituted the embodiment of an iniquity so destructive that it left the thorny appendages of the Shadow Stalker in insignificance. Dominated by bewilderment, he retreated to gain space and began to conjure his mysticism of corruption.

A relentless blast erupted from the ground toward Dale.

“Wave of annihilation.“

A torrent of destruction, forged from the absolute cessation of vital functions, advanced with ferocity, but Dale did not remain static. His dark garment, which simulated warrior attire, expanded in the air as he propelled himself forward.

This method of combat did not depend exclusively on the faculties of the Book of the Black Goat.

Although the dark appendages provided tactical support from the rear, the direct confrontation fell on Dale’s shoulders.

Showcasing his reputation as the most advanced warrior and mystic of the nation, the Black Prince launched himself with determination against Velok.

Not for an instant did he contemplate the option of dodging the dark gale that loomed over him.

“Is he seeking his own destruction?” Velok assumed upon witnessing the maneuver. It was the lethal blizzard of a sixth-circle dark mystic. Although Velok was unaware of the scientific bases regarding the degradation of organic elements by biological agents, the reality of the corruption of organic matter applied in any reality.

As a counterattack, Dale molded a mystical barrier of bluish and dark coloration, making use of the knowledge acquired in his previous world. A protective covering of that same tone covered him completely to cushion the blast of death.

Both mystical manifestations impacted with violence, and Velok’s much-lauded gale of destruction was extinguished completely.

“…!“

Before he could react, Dale was on top of him, materializing a sharp blade of shadows from his cloak.

“How did he manage to nullify my corruption spell?“

It didn’t matter. He didn’t have time for hesitation. Velok controlled the initial bewilderment.

While Dale reduced the space between both at great speed, Velok interposed a new barrier of corruption in his opponent’s trajectory.

Just as Dale’s silhouette collided with the corruption field.

“Victory is mine!” Velok celebrated internally, foreseeing that the attacker’s body would disintegrate immediately upon touching the defensive structure.

However, protected by that same bluish-toned armor, Dale emerged from the direct impact toward Velok’s face.

Completely unharmed, without any trace of deterioration.

“…!“

Velok’s features contracted in a gesture of absolute bewilderment. He experienced the panic typical of a sorcerer who allows a melee warrior to get too close.

The blades of shadows that orbited around Dale positioned themselves pointing fixedly toward their target.

“How is it possible that you crossed the corruption barrier without suffering damage?!“

Velok, whose knowledge was limited to the mystical understanding of organic deterioration, lacked the answers.

Biological corruption was nothing more than the degradation of organic structures caused by bacterial microorganisms.

The corruption spell was limited to accelerating that phenomenon through mental force. Therefore, for an individual like Dale, who mastered the science behind the process, neutralizing the technique did not pose a major challenge.

It was enough to eradicate the bacterial agents that supported the magic.

“Disinfection.“

On this plane, no entity enjoys immortality, and microscopic agents like bacteria were no exception.

Snap!

At that precise instant, the dark filaments that monitored Velok’s reactions imprisoned him firmly, restricting his movements completely.

Following that, the blade of gloom executed its cut.

“Aaaah!“

The aggression did not seek to extinguish his life. It consisted of a precise attack to disable the adversary, slicing through the tendinous connections and inflicting extreme suffering without causing his death.

“Aaaah! Damn it, aaaah!“

The howls of agony tore through the silence of the place.

“Wow, tone down so much histrionics,” Dale stated with detachment, contemplating the abrupt outcome without showing the slightest empathy.

In the realm of magic practitioners, triumph favors whoever manages to manifest a more solid and structured logical argument through their arts. Therefore, in a clash of magical concepts, the accuracy of scientific knowledge outweighed any belief.

Even when dealing with a dark mystic belonging to the sixth circle, the outcome did not vary. By sharing the same elemental nature, the gap in the result was accentuated even more.

“There was not even a need to employ the full faculties of the forbidden text.“

The opportunity did not arise to deploy the true magnitude of the magical object. However, Dale possessed another motivation for requiring the presence of the Book of the Black Goat from the beginning.

“I warned you beforehand,” Dale added, observing coldly how Velok collapsed to his knees, immersed in howls of pain.

“I will show you the true face of eternal torment.“

“Ah… g-ah…“

“Do you now experience fear in front of the reputation of the Black Prince?”

Beside Dale remained the infant, covering with her garments the tangle of appendages that stirred beneath her.

“Do you still find my position as successor of the Black Tower laughable?”

For a Velok completely subjugated and devoid of defenses, the presence of those monstrous ramifications must have resembled a plague of thin black threads ready to consume him.

They were extremely small and thin structures, evoking surgical filaments of high technological precision.

“…!”

The subtle filaments of absolute black lunged in unison.

They made their way through Velok’s auditory canals, nostrils, and oral cavity, even piercing his ocular membranes to make their way directly to the brain mass.

His objective was to break the bone barrier and take control of his mind.

“Aaaah!”

Velok began to shake in the midst of uncontrollable spasms, while currents of hematic fluid flowed from his damaged eyeballs.

“It is preferable to accelerate the execution of the punishment,” Dale declared with total coldness, limiting himself to observing the progression of events.

“Since your final destination is the netherworld… I consider it appropriate to offer you a preview before your definitive descent.”

His expressions reflected a cold and unbreakable aversion.

Chapter 61