Chapter 118: Blood and Territory
The spectral corruption had attacked. A mass of black-green energy had flown through the chamber, twisting and writhing in its assault against Rhazek. The mass no longer resembled the core that he buried in the forest’s heart. It was becoming something else. It was becoming something far more unstable. Rhazek did not back down. The Varkesh king planted his feet firmly on the ground.
"Crimson Fang."
A red-black aura surrounded his arm as the corrupted mass of spectral energy slammed into him. The impact pushed him back. His claws skittered along the floor. For the first time since arriving at this chamber, the amusement had left his golden eyes. The entity was forcing him back. The monster king roared in anger, and his aura flared outwards.
"Demon Wolf’s Might!"
The power in his body exploded from him.
The mass recoiled at the sudden increase in force. Rhazek was upon it in an instant, and his claw neatly severed the corruption. The mass split in two, but it reformed behind the demon lord. He spun, and his forearm blocked another attack. The force of the strike cracked the stone beneath his feet.
"So you do not have a set physical form."
The entity shrieked in fury, and several limbs formed from its mass to strike at Rhazek. The Varkesh king vanished. One limb slashed at empty space, while another collided with a pillar. A third nearly connected with his backside, but he twisted out of the way.NRhazek appeared behind the corruption and delivered a powerful punch to its core.
"Crimson Rupture!"
The spectral body burst outward in all directions. It seemed that the move had done its job. The darkness that surrounded the room reassembled itself. Rhazek stared at it. His breaths had grown heavy. Malthen was the first to notice this.
"Your Majesty."
"I’m fine."
"You are using too much mana."
Rhazek refused to heed his subordinate’s warning. Something about this entity was different. Every time he hurt it, the corruption reassembled itself by feeding off of the energy within the destroyed core that was planted in the chamber’s heart. Realization dawned upon him.
That meant that he would be able to truly hurt the entity, it would always come back.
Rhazek turned his golden eyes to the corrupted core.
"That’s where you’re getting your power."
The corruption rushed at him, but the monster king stood his ground. This time, he didn’t attempt to destroy the entity’s physical form. Instead, he grabbed a limb and the corruption immediately began to crawl up his arm. His fur had turn black where the mass of energy had made contact with it. Rhazek grit his teeth in pain.
The corruption was latching onto his system. His body was rejecting the mass, and the monster king was shoving it back out. A second wave of the substance latched onto him. His knees buckled, but Malthen was quick to step forward.
"Stop."
Rhazek shook his head.
"No."
The corruption was killing him slowly, but there was something else that the Varkesh king could feel with the substance.
Power.
Thick, dense power that his body had been craving for so long. The realization that he had finally caught a glimpse of what he had been looking for his entire life made his vision blur. Rhazek looked up at the corruption.
He activated his unique skill.
"Ultimate Absorption."
The spectral entity froze. Its body twisted and writhed. The mass of darkness suddenly began to pour into Rhazek. The power that had surged through his veins nearly tore his mana network apart with the first wave. He screamed in agony as blood trickled down his nose. The next wave of energy made the muscle in his body tighten, and cracks began to form on the surface of his horns. Malthen gasped.
"Your Majesty!"
Rhazek fell to one knee. For several seconds, nothing happened. Then he began to laugh. At first, no sound could be heard from him. The energy that surged through him was too great to allow any sound to escape his lips. When he finally looked up, the madness in his golden eyes signified that the change was nearly complete. The energy within the corrupted mass was more than enough to push Rhazek past the barrier that had been holding him back for so long. Rhazek stood, and his body was already shifting.
"Again."
Ultimate Absorption was used once more, and the remaining corruption was sucked out of the chamber with it. The spectral entity let out a wail of rage as its body deflated in on itself. Rhazek inhaled, and the substance was finally gone. The chamber fell silent. Then his body exploded with power. A shockwave of raw energy sent the remaining Varkesh warriors sprawling across the ground. The black mass of his fur had turned an even deeper shade of black while the markings of crimson that ran up and across his chest and arms had grown larger.
His horns were longer, and they curved back along his skull. His claws had lengthened, and with the new power that surged through his veins, the pressure that he exuded had changed. It was no longer the pressure of an A-Rank level Monster King.
It was something else entirely. Rhazek opened his eyes, and the Voice of the World appeared before him.
[The accumulated energy within the individual has reached the required threshold.]
[The individual’s body has surpassed its previous evolutionary limit.]
[Evolution condition fulfilled.]
Rhazek’s breathing stopped.
[Race Evolution: Monster King - Demon Lord.]
[Commencing evolution.]
The final surge of evolution energy coursed through his veins, and his body began to change yet again. His muscles tensed, and his mana core compressed. His senses stretched, and his power expanded. The Varkesh king’s body controlled the corruption. The corruption did not control him.
[Race Evolution complete.]
[Individual Rhazek has evolved into a Demon Lord.]
Rhazek remained still as the changes settled within him. His body, his power, and most importantly, his senses had all changed.
For the first time in years, the power, the strength, the evolution that he had been seeking for so long was finally his. The Voice of the World was not finished.
[Unique Skill: Ultimate Absorption has evolved.]
[Unique Skill: Abyssal Assimilation acquired.]
[Unique Skill: Demon King’s Authority acquired.]
[Extra Skill: Corruption Manipulation acquired.]
[Extra Skill: Spectral Movement acquired.]
[Extra Skill: Greater Mana Perception acquired.]
[Extra Skill: Crimson Blood Fang acquired.]
[Extra Skill: Demon Aura acquired.]
[Extra Skill: High Regeneration acquired.]
Rhazek slowly looked down at his claws, and a tendril of the corrupted substance slowly coiled around one of them before disappearing. A smile formed on his lips.
"So this is the power that I was missing." Malthen lowered his head. "Congratulations Your Majesty. You reached the Demon Lord realm." Rhazek turned to look at the horizon to the north.
"I didn’t reach it." His crimson eyes narrowed. "I took it." Rhazek turned to look at Eldoris. "Now I can finally claim what Varkesh deserves."
_______________
Eldoris was now in chaos.
The deaths that occurred in the market had become a heated debate which eventually devolved into an argument. Varkesh was demanding that the humans be surrendered, and Velmoran was refusing.
Tanaka stood in the council hall with Seris at his side. Opposite them stood Rhazek and Karesh. The Varkesh king walked into Eldoris without a guard force, without an opening statement, and without a warning.
He simply appeared, and no one could stop him. Malthen remained at his side. Tanaka studied him closely, and a single realization came to him. The being standing before him was practically the king of Varkesh. Yet there were some noticeable differences, and the pressure that emanated from the man before him was enough to make even the air around them thicken. Seris was the first to speak.
"You entered Eldoris without permission."
Rhazek ignored the woman. His golden eyes locked onto Tanaka’s. "Surrender the humans." Tanaka remained calm. "No." Rhazek’s expression darkened. "Then there will be war." Seris stepped forward. "Varkesh cannot simply threaten a sovereign kingdom over the death of a single soldier." Rhazek finally turned his attention to her. "One soldier?" The Varkesh king’s voice was quiet. "That is what you think this is about?" Seris hesitated, Rhazek turned his attention back to Tanaka. "You guard humans." Tanaka said nothing. "You protect them, and you allow them to live among your people. You trade with them, and you treat them as equals. That is what you think Varkesh wants?"
Tanaka finally responded. "This isn’t about what you think it’s about. It was never about this." Rhazek chuckled. "No." Tanaka narrowed his eyes. "You sent the people of Varkesh here as envoys. You attacked our caravan through the corruption and then sent a search party to find something. You forced everyone in Eldoris to turn their attention to the east, to Varkesh. Varkesh did not need Eldoris to resolve a conflict. They needed Eldoris to keep Eldoris occupied while your people continued searching in the north. That is what Varkesh wanted." Seris looked at Tanaka in shock, but he did not take his eyes off of Rhazek.
"The trade proposition, your argument with Velmoran, the soldiers that came all the way to Eldoris to see you, and even the demand for the humans. You orchestrated everything from the beginning. Everything was a distraction." Karesh remained unreadable. Rhazek smiled. Tanaka narrowed his eyes. "You sent your warriors and mages to search for... the corruption core." The council hall fell silent. Rhazek’s smile only widened. "Took you long enough." Seris looked between the two, and Tanaka’s voice dropped to a near whisper.
"You found what you were looking for." Rhazek’s eyes flared with light. "Yes indeed."
Tanaka studied him for a long moment. The pressure that the Varkesh king was exerting had grown stronger, and it was no longer something that Tanaka could ignore. A change had come over Rhazek, but it was not just any change. It was a change similar to when he evolved. "You evolved." Rhazek offered no response, because he did not have to. Tanaka knew what the silence meant. Then Rhazek spoke. "Surrender the humans, and perhaps Varkesh will leave Eldoris whole." Tanaka’s expression hardened. "No." Rhazek smiled. "Then prepare your kingdom." Tanaka turned his crimson eyes on Rhazek. "Because war is coming?" Rhazek turned to the door. "No."
He paused.
"It has already begun."