Chapter 176: Where the King Is (3)
Ruel gripped the cane that Cassion offered, steadying himself.
The First Setiria, in a sense, was a variant. The Devotee of Darkness had only ever been a sacrifice to the black water, not directly corrupted and manipulated like this.
‘This is the worst.’
“Ruel-nim, earlier you mentioned that the Great Man could control death. I initially thought it was impossible, but your hypothesis seems correct. There are no corrupted warlocks near us right now.”
Ruel recalled Hikars’ words before he took control of the monster. It was commonly believed that when manipulating a corpse, a mad warlock must be nearby. However, Hikars had explicitly stated there was no one around. This suggested that some aspect of the Great Man’s power was involved.
‘It’s unbelievable,’ Ruel thought, finding himself chuckling at the sheer absurdity of the situation. The idea of a devotee of darkness, a wielder of darkness, turning into a corrupted corpse was terrifying. Yet, Ruel also recognized a clear limitation. If the Great Man could manipulate numerous corrupted devotees of darkness, there would have been no need to create the black water in the first place.
‘…hah.’
Putting his thoughts aside, Ruel understood the simple task at hand: he had to defeat the enemy. This was all part of the Great Man’s plan. With a smile on his face, Ruel declared, “I am here.”
As the First Setiria’s gaze briefly met Ruel’s, the shadows beneath Ruel’s feet stirred.