Chapter 39: Chapter 42 – Suzerain Lord Darkin

Lord Darkin emerged from his dark throne room.

“It’s time.” He spoke.

Ever since that day in his youth, he had been preparing to take the Oceanic Realm for his own purposes. In his dreams, a beautiful woman emerged.

“I am Atropos, your guardian Goddess. Darkin, your father, Lord Antaeus, will soon perish from his injuries. I’ve come to show you your fate.”

Darkin, awestruck by the tall, slender woman with blonde hair and jet-black eyes, was speechless. She looked just like his fiancé, yet different. She was alluring. She was holy, like a Deity.

“Here, I will show you the Horror of the Desolate, which took your father’s life.” Atropos waved her hand, and they appeared in the depths of the Desolate.

Shade beasts, monsters, and over the top horrors surrounded Darkin. All of them were in the high Sage Realm, and some of them were even at the Royalty Realm. The young Darkin had grown up in his father’s shadow, but his father’s health was deteriorating by the month. All his life, he trained to surpass his father and conquer the Desolate selfishly, but now, he fell in despair.

A ferocious existence towered over Darkin. This monstrosity was the God of the Desolate, a D Rank God. It laughed in a low and disturbing tone. Its gigantic tentacles were black, and its face was larger than Lord Antaeus’s whole royal palace.

“Darkin, to overcome the Desolate’s Shade Beast, known as The Horror, you must become the strongest Suzerain Lord. If you fail, The Horror will continue to expand its territory, until the Oceanic Realm is no more.” Atropos said from behind Darkin.

“Please, help me.” Darkin begged Atropos. The scene shifted to inside the Moirai Dungeon.

Hordes of monsters swarmed the cavern-like maze and engulfed Darkin.

“Help! Help!” Darkin sniveled as small spider creatures covered his body.

“Can you stand up to the Deities? All you do is beg and rely on your pathetic father, but in the end, you’re just like the rest of them, aren’t you?” Atropos mocked.

“No, no, I won’t be like my father.” Darkin pled with Atropos but held a heart of hatred. The Goddess was right. All his life, he sought to escape his father, but his selfish motives were no better than Lord Antaeus. The Suzerain Alliance was a failure, and the Oceanic Realm had lost against The Horror of the Desolate previously.

“The Moirai Dungeon is ten times worse than the pathetic Desolate.” Atropos sneered as two old women emerged from the shadows alongside the beautiful young woman, who began to age.

“The Deities can live forever. What are you to us but an ant?” Atropos unleashed her aura, and her sisters followed suit.

Darkin had never felt such power before. Even The Horror was nothing compared to these three old ladies.

“We are the Moirai sisters, and you are nothing to us but entertainment. Your futile dreams of being a strong Suzerain Lord are useless. Can you stand up to The Horror? Can you face the Moirai? No, you are nothing but an ant clinging onto a futile, meaningless afterlife in Hell. Soon, you too will die forever. Unless… you sign this.” Atropos conjured a Soul Contract, the same one Lachesis tempted Theseus with.

Instantly, Darkin signed the contract.

***

Waking up from his nightmare, Darkin’s eyes had drastically changed. He was a desperate man tasked with defeating the Desolate. Leaving at once, he went to Lord Napoleon without a single word to his father. Bursting into Lord Napoleon’s palace, Darkin stormed in demanding an audience with the mysterious Sloth Suzerain Lord.

“So, you’ve come.” Lord Napoleon looked at the young Darkin with disdain.

“You knew about the Horror but let the Suzerain Alliance enter the Desolate anyways?” Darkin’s voice boomed loudly.

“Unless I maintain the runic barrier between the Oceanic Realm and the Desolate, all the civilians will die. They were necessary sacrifices. How do you know about The Horror? Did your father tell you?” Lord Napoleon admitted and asked.

“It doesn’t matter. I’ve come to purpose a new plan. Let’s form an alliance. Together, we can create a new Suzerain Alliance to defeat the abyss monsters if we train hard enough.” Darkin faced Lord Napoleon desperately.

“You’re a fool. Challenging the Deities is meaningless. I’ll show you what will happen if you tempt fate. Captain, bring her in.” Lord Napoleon sneered. A moment later, Lord Napoleon’s Captain brought in a young woman.

“Anna?” Darkin whispered. It was his bride to be. She looked just like the woman Atropos masqueraded as. Even now, her beauty left Darkin speechless.

“Today, you will learn the true horror of the Oceanic Realm. Since you can’t face me, you could never face the Deities.” Lord Napoleon declared.

“Darkin, help me!” Anna yelled out.

“No, please, you don’t have to do this-“ Before Darkin could finish, the Captain beheaded Anna.

“Why? Why?” Darkin yelled in despair.

“This is the nature of Hell. Alliances, love, how meaningless. Stay in your territory next time. If only you weren’t so predictable.” Lord Napoleon sneered, picked up Anna’s head, and tossed it at Darkin’s feet.

Darkin fell to the ground. His life was over.

Besides overcoming his father, Darkin wanted to create a territory safe for Anna.

“All your preparations, your training, your careful schemes are all for nothing, Darkin. Your father can’t challenge me, and the old Suzerain Alliance is in shambles. Bow down to me, your new God, or die.” Lord Napoleon mocked. There was no way Lord Napoleon would’ve pulled off such a heinous stunt if he wasn’t confident in winning a war against Lord Antaeus.

“Skill: Moirai’s Champion.” Darkin’s eyes blackened, and he took in the power of the Moirai. He could only channel Atropos’s power once, and he wanted to save it when fighting the Horror. But, his whole life was ruined.

It didn’t matter anymore.

For Anna, Darkin sought to create a new and safer Oceanic Realm. For himself, he sought to overcome his father, but Anna always brought him out of his rage and jealousy.

For Anna, Darkin wanted to defeat the abysmal Horror and do what his father couldn’t through the Moirai. Not for himself nor his father, Darkin wanted to save the Oceanic Realm, but it was now all for nothing. The tireless years of work, the strong foundations he set up, all the blood, sweat, and tears, were undone by one warlord’s lust for power.

“Answer me. How did you get a hold of Anna?” Darkin boomed.

“It wasn’t too difficult, considering your father didn’t care much for her anyways. The moment you left his territory, we abducted her.” Lord Napoleon mocked, but he could tell something strange was happening with Darkin’s aura.

“Silence.” Darkin boomed. Tears of blood streamed out of his blackened eyes. There was nothing left for him in this world. All the careful politics and bribes, for nothing. All his life, Anna was the only one who brought him out of himself, but she was gone now.

“I will do to you and your Captains what you just did to Anna.” Darkin roared. His aura intensified up to the F Rank Deity Realm.

Within an hour, every soldier, Captain, and even Lord Napoleon, were all dead and decapitated in Lord Napoleon’s capital city. Only allowing those soldiers maintaining the Desolate’s barrier to live, Lord Darkin sat on the bloodstained throne. He wasn’t even at the F Rank Royalty Realm before this, but it didn’t matter now.

“You, send word to the Captains in the other cities. I, Lord Darkin will change this cursed world.” The voice of Lord Darkin changed as his eyes turned red from Shade aura. Using the power of the Shade Ritual, Darkin had consumed the souls of the entire royal city’s main elites. His unbridled power was overwhelming, but he didn’t lose sight of who he was. Entering a state of perpetual Spirit Cultivation, Lord Darkin sought to stabilize his Shade Core slowly and painfully. His body changed drastically, and he was tall like a giant. His voice was dark, rich, and powerful. In shambles, his body and soul were spent from the Moirai’s skill. By sheer rage, Lord Darkin held onto his sanity.

When he fully stabilized his core, he would be at least a C Rank Royalty Realm power, but that was not enough.

When he reached the peak of the Oceanic Realm, he would consume every soul of the entire Oceanic Realm. With that kind of power, he could face The Horror. There was nothing left for Lord Darkin but the empty feeling in his heart. By contract, he had to face The Horror eventually, and this was his solution. Feeling nothing, Lord Darkin detached himself from the world, feeling no pain nor remorse for his future brutalities.

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Any and all insubordination was met with a Shade Ritual, and slowly, Lord Darkin grew in the dark, but finally, after decades, it was time.

“Captain, I will face Theseus myself.” Lord Darkin declared and left the palace. With his absurd foundations, he could change the Oceanic Realm for good, but it was all meaningless. He had no one to share his wealth, power, nor knowledge with.

He sat alone on top of the world, waiting to end it all in nihilistic despair, but he couldn’t kill himself. Because of his contract, he was bound to face the Horror, but he already faced something far more terrifying than the D Rank monstrosity. He was all alone, and because of that, he felt no qualms in his resolution to destroy the Oceanic Realm. There was no point to living anyways.

***

Two vast armies stood head-to-head. Theseus and Lord Darkin met face to face with both armies standing by.

“Ah, so you’re the great Lord Darkin. It is good to finally meet you,” said Theseus diplomatically.

“Enough talk, fool. Will we fight now, or will the war take place over a campaign?” Lord Darkin boomed.

“Right to the point, huh?” Theseus sighed.

“If possible, I think we should drag this out.” Theseus shrugged jokingly.

“Still trying to buy time? I can tell at first glance that you will lose no matter how much you train during the duration of this futile war.” Lord Darkin mocked.

“We don’t have to fight, you know? If we worked together, we could face the Desolate and the Moirai together.” Theseus purposed out of the blue.

“Impossible. We will never win. The Suzerain way is the only way.” Lord Darkin was resolute in his demonic path.

“Are you sure? We could form an alliance-“ Lord Darkin cut Theseus off.

“My father formed an alliance called the Suzerain Alliance, and six Suzerain Lords of the mid Royalty Realm entered the Desolate to faces its horrors. Two returned. I will not repeat the mistakes of the past.” Lord Darkin remained resolute.

“As long as the Suzerain Treaty remains, there will never be peace in the Oceanic Realm.” Theseus argued again.

“War, peace, it doesn’t matter, Lord Theseus. In the end, we are just pawns of the Deities. The only way to overcome the Deities is to become an even worse monster than them.” Lord Darkin looked at Theseus with great sadness and regret. The Gods and Goddesses were too powerful, and they treated everyone underneath them as pawns or ants. The Horror and the Moirai were just two examples, but as far as Lord Darkin understood, the cost of becoming a Deity was too high. There was a reason the majority of Deities lost their sanity.

“The Deities have lost their humanity because they turned their backs on love, kindness, and morality. They traded their souls for power, and they became monsters. I don’t plan on doing that. Together, we can find a safer and better path, even now.” Theseus pled with the vile Suzerain Lord.

“No, the time for love has long passed. One day, those you love will be taken from you, and you will devolve into a monster, just like the rest of us.” Lord Darkin grimly lectured.

“I did lose everything, Lord Darkin. I lost my party, my life, my dignity, and the woman I loved.” Theseus yelled out suddenly. Both sides of the armies listened to their conversation emotionally. Lord Darkin was slightly moved.

“If you really lost everything, how can you be so positive in your plan?” Lord Darkin asked.

“I found new friends and built a new life from scratch. I worked tirelessly, and now; we are so close to creating something miraculous and wonderful, even in Hell. It’s not too late.” Theseus continued to plea for Darkin to change his ways.

“Yes, you have found something worthwhile, but one day, the Deities will take it all away from you again.

Nothing changes in this cursed existence.

This world is doomed to destruction.

Prepare yourself Theseus.”

Theseus shook his head, but Lord Darkin continued to speak.

“Since the Deities want us to fight, we shall fight, and you and your friends will die by my hand personally. I will see you when the war reaches its climax. Goodbye, Lord Theseus.” Lord Darkin hardened his heart and turned around in sadness. He and his army left the open field, but Theseus stood in the same spot, unable to move.

“Theseus, are you okay?” Leo came up and asked minutes later; he was unaware of the contents of their conversation since Theseus hadn’t translated yet.

“I thought I could… maybe get through to him somehow…” Theseus whispered.

“Whatever broke Lord Darkin is none of our business, Theseus. You can’t fix everyone. Jezebel and Virgo were easy because of their broken Shade Cores, but Lord Darkin has made his choice. Come on, let’s go.” Leo tugged on Theseus’s shirt with his teeth, and Theseus moved back to his army slowly.

Just like against Lord Achilles, Theseus felt regret. Killing another person weighed heavily on his heart, and he tried to give evildoers a way out when he could. He tried that with the Scourge Bandits, Lord Achilles, and now, Lord Darkin.

Aries saw the distraught Theseus and felt a deep regret.

“Listen up!” Screamed Aries at the army.

“Lord Darkin thinks we will repeat the mistakes of the past, but he is wrong!” Aries yelled and paced back and forth.

“Oceanus is different from the Suzerain Alliance. We stand for justice, for freedom!” The crowd started to shift noisily at his words.

“Even if Oceanus has to take on every last God, Goddess, and Administrator in Hell, we will still persevere!” Aries screamed with all his aura until his face went red.

“Even if Lord Darkin kills me, Theseus, and all the other Captains and Elders, Oceanus will still overcome!” Aries yelled at the top of his lungs. Even Theseus was surprised by Aries’s sudden outburst.

“Oceanus represents hope in a hopeless place. Oceanus represents freedom from the Deities and the will to survive. Together, we will build a future worth living!” Aries continued, and the army cheered enthusiastically at the spontaneous speech.

“Even if they knock us down seven times, we will get back up! Until the last man standing falls, Oceanus will live on. Long live Oceanus! Long Live Oceanus! Long Live Oceanus!” Aries chanted until his voice grew hoarse. The massive army chanted along with Aries, and Theseus had tears in his eyes.

The speech was so loud, even the retreating army of Lord Darkin could hear it. Lord Darkin looked back at the horizon towards Theseus with a single tear in his eyes.

“I will not take pleasure in destroying a cause so pure.” He muttered to his flustered Captains.

At the end of the day, the Suzerain Treaty was the way of the world, sinful and selfish. Oceanus would fall, and he would transcend to Godhood with their deaths. It was the logical reality, but Lord Darkin inexplicably felt more tears coming down his face as he heard their faraway chanting.

“Long Live Oceanus!”

“Long Live Oceanus!”

“Long Live Oceanus!”

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