The Contract of Darkness (3)

"Ahh so you used to be a Demigod in the Heavenly Order before they threw you aside for being connected to Phusis and being able to summon Nature Monsters? See this is why I hate them.." Aponshe said and held her arms. 

"Yeah...and ever since then I've been hiding away...until my own Mother came to my domain and invaded me. She destroyed everything I had and loved...my Secretary, my Monsters, my Facilities. Everything." Meliae said and closed her eyes. 

I looked at Meliae then stood up. "We will help you get the revenge you deserve. We will destroy every precious world they love, we will destroy every civilization, every being, every PARTICLE of life they so wish to protect. Nothing...will stand in our way." 

Aponshe looked at me and smiled. She stood up as well and nodded. "You're a part of the Astarfall Army now, there's no way you can fight them all alone anymore even with your super cool Fusion Dragon Monster. Join us...We will bring you to certain victory." 

Meliae looked at us and she smiled then nodded. She stood up as well then her Terradrake rose his head. "I will join you. I've heard how you destroyed that stupid idiot Karius's Church and I've loved it ever since~ I knew you were the Overlord to bring certain doom to the Heavenly Order." 

I held my hand out to her. "Then let's make this alliance official. Join me..." 

Meliae nodded and took my hand.

[Meliae has joined your Harem.]

[New Monsters Available at the Monster Shop] 

After we made our alliance, we decided to continue on our journey in the Dark Temple. I opened the treasure chest and acquired another small key for another locked door. We walked toward the door and opened it. Inside was a merchant area and the Shadow Merchant who Kuragari mentioned. 

"Welcome to my very not shady shop, meow!~" The woman said and her cat ears flicked. 

"Ah hell nah! You're related to Faye, you freak!" Aponshe said and pointed at the woman.

The woman had white hair, golden eyes, sharp teeth, and a slender body with medium breasts. She wore a blue bra under her black jacket that had fur on her hood, black shorts, thigh high stockings, black boots and a gold pendant around her neck. Her tail swayed as she smiled at us.

"Who is this?" Meliae asked. 

"My nyame is Genshi, meow!~ I am here on a very secret secret mission for the Ancient Monster...uhm...what was his nyame again, neko?" Genshi asked and tilted her head, as she was clueless. 

"I swear these bitches have brain damage." Aponshe said and facepalmed. 

"Oh nyaa!!~ I remember nyow! His name is Meownster Kuragari, neko~ Ha! Take that Meowstress Aponshe and your nyobvious hater mentality, neko~" Genshi said and pointed at Aponshe. 

Aponshe grabbed her orb and hurled it at Genshi and had a devilish glare on her face. "Shut...UP!" 

Genshi ducked under the orb and stood up then stuck her tongue out at Aponshe then groaned as the orb circled back and smacked her on the back of her head.

I chuckled softly and walked toward Genshi. "I was told you have three monsters I need for Viropheir. I'm gonna need two sets." 

"Two? Why?" Genshi asked and rubbed the back of her head. 

A slight vision appeared in my head. "Viropheir is a powerful Monster. I need one set so I can use her for the next step which I'm sure requires fusion with 10% Kuragari, and another set so I can summon her again for personal uses." 

"Nyaaa~ I understand nyaow!~ Okie dokie, I can sell you two sets for 3000 Nyastral Dollars!~" Genshi said and her tail wagged. 

"What the fuck?" Aponshe asked and crossed her arms. "That's nearly triple the amount Faye sells them for! If we would've known your prices were this shady, we wouldn't even have bothered coming here!" 

"I agree, those prices smell very fishy. No deal!" Meliae said. 

"3000 or you are stuck here, Nya!~" Genshi said. 

"Master! Negotiate!" Aponshe said. 

"How about this, I give you 30 Grand Tokens and take you on a Fishing Date later." I said. 

"Wh-What? A Fishing Date, neko?!~ Are you serious, Meowster Raiyu?!~" Genshi asked with excitement. 

I nodded. "I'm serious, I will take you on a date." 

"Ooo~ A date with Meowster Raiyu..~ Mmmm! But I can't! This is a very serious job! I can nyot accept!" Genshi said. 

Aponshe whispered something in my ear. I nodded and crossed my arms. 

"I'll breed with you." I said. 

"WHAT?! YOU SAY THAT SO CASUALLY, NEKO!!" Genshi said with a completely red face. 

"You drop the prices and I'll make sure you get alone time with me no questions asked." I said. 

Genshi grunted and imagined the scenario in her head. She became jittery and nodded her head quickly. "Okay! 500 Astral Dollars!" 

"Deal." I said and summoned the money on the counter. 

Genshi grabbed the first set of cards that included a Draco Girl, A Reaper, and a Lich Girl. "Okay!~ The nyaltar is to your left! Once you summon the first Viropheir, come back to me for your second set!" 

I nodded and grabbed the cards then walked over to the Altar. I summoned the three monsters and began the fusion process. A magic circle formed on the ground and the monsters turned into magic particles then entered the magic circle. Dark aura surged from the magic circle and a woman rose from the magic circle. 

She had short black hair, red eyes, and ivory white skin. Her purple cloak which covered her black attire made it hard to define her feminine features, but her beauty was on par of the likes of Dahlia and Hikomi. She spread her bony wings that had black webbing and her bony tail swayed from side to side. She carried an oversized scythe in her right hand. 

[Scanning...] 

{Name: Viropheir} 

Strength: D {120} 

Defense: D {50} 

Magic: D {105} 

"Viropheir is essentially a glass cannon. Out of all the Legendary Fusion Monsters, she has the weakest defense of all of them, but her ability Shadow Curse makes her one of the strongest Fusion Monsters. She also can Awaken turning her from a Monster...to a Monster Queen in whom you can romance like the other Legendary Monsters you obtain that can Awaken." Aponshe explained. 

Viropheir looked at me and bowed toward me. "Our time together may be short lived, but I am happy to be at your side, Master Raiyu." 

"It is good to have you, Viropheir." I said and smiled at her then walked over to Genshi to obtain the second set of monsters.

"You better stay true to your words, Meowster!" Genshi said. 

"I will. Come find me once we are out this Temple." I said. 

"Okay!~" Genshi said and waved as we walked off.

[Obtained Viropheir...] 

"You have obtained Viropheir...Nicely done. Your next task...is to obtain an Ancient Mummy. These Mummies can not be bought at Monster Shops or Shadow Merchants. You must find these Ancient Monsters that only spawn in the Dark Temple. Obtain the Ancient Mummy...and find the final Altar. Once you complete that, I shall reveal...the final room." Kuragari said. 

"Ancient Mummies are no slouch of an enemy. They are far stronger than a normal Mummy and can summon other Mummies to their aid." Aponshe said. 

"Yeah. Ancient Mummies are rumored to be Overlords who didn't have the luxury of Resurrecting after death.." Meliae said and looked around as we walked about the Temple. 

We reached a door that we needed to use the stone tablet for. The stone tablet shined and floated toward the door and entered then the door opened. High winds blew and we grunted, guarding ourselves from the wind. I looked ahead and noticed a coffin opening. 

[Event: The Immortal Overlord] 

The top of the coffin fell to the floor and sat up a mummy wrapped purple cloth. She had purple flames flowing around her body. She stepped out of the coffin and her cloth began to unwrap. 

The woman was insanely beautiful, but her presence was chilling. She had pure white hair, pale blue skin, and a graceful and slender body with medium sized breasts. A ripped black dress and a black cloak appeared on her body then she put her hood. She summoned her metal staff that beared a purple Devil Shard as opposed to Meliae's Green Devil Shard. 

[Warning: Boss Unit Ahead] 

[Scanning Target...]

{Target: Desdemona (LV. 30)} 

Strength: D {74}

Endurance: D {100}

Dexterity: D {102}

Agility: D {95}

Magic: D {139}

Intelligence: D+ {200}

Power Level: D {118}

"Desdemona..?" I said to myself and braced myself. 

"She's not...a Monster...She's an Overlord..!" Meliae said and looked at Desdemona. 

Desdemona waited for us to come outside and stared at us. I walked forward and looked up and noticed we were finally outside the Temple in a large battlefield. Aponshe, Viropheir, Kuragari, and Meliae followed behind then the door slammed shut behind us. 

"I'm sure you were hoping to find the Ancient Mummy here right..? Well, fortunately for you...I have the Ancient Mummy right here.." Desdemona said and summoned the real Ancient Mummy monster. 

The Ancient Mummy let out his battle cry and summoned a group of Normal Mummies and a few Zombies. We looked around and noticed we were surrounded by Mummies and Zombies. I summoned my sword and got into my stance. 

"Master, we are fighting against an Overlord...We should try and recruit her to Astarfall. If my memory serves right, Desdemona is the Ruler of a Domain called Keres which is a faction of the Underworld. She can do great things for us...as she is the Maiden of Death, a Necromancer. Sister of the Shadow Goddess." Aponshe said.

I nodded then dashed toward Desdemona. "I'll handle her, you all handle the Monsters and take down that Ancient Mummy!" 

"As you wish!" Aponshe said and twirled her staff then changed it into a naginata, switching her Magic and Strength stats. 

The first wave of monsters rushed toward them and Aponshe dashed straight toward them. She slashed through the Zombies and slashed in circle multiple times, striking down multiple Monsters at once. She stopped spinning and black rose petals formed around her then stormed around her, striking down multiple Mummies. 

Meliae manipulated the black rose petals and caused them to rush toward the Mummies that were targeting her. Terradrake roared and launched a beam of energy from his mouth at the other Mummies and struck them down. Meliae set up a field of floral energy and boosted the power of herself and Terradrake. 

[Warning: The Ancient Mummy is preparing to summon more monsters! Take down the Ancient Mummy immediately!] 

Viropheir swooped down towards the Ancient Mummy and slashed at him, blowing him away. The Ancient Mummy stood tall and showed no signs of taking any form of damage. She was surprised then noticed the Ancient Mummy let out a soft and menacing laugh. 

Kuragari launched multiple orbs of shadow energy at the Ancient Mummy and the Ancient Mummy didn't even dodge. He just took every attack and showed off the fact he had...invulnerability. 

"Master! We can't defeat the Ancient Mummy!!" Viropheir called out then groaned as she was knocked away by a sneak attack from the Ancient Mummy. 

She recovered and slid backwards then noticed the Ancient Mummy walk forward and summoned more Mummies. Kuragari looked around and noticed the Mummies as well. 

Desdemona and I clashed multiple times before I knocked her away and looked back to see an entirely new wave of Mummies around Aponshe and the others. Desdemona giggled and laughed. I looked at her and glared. 

"Your winning spree has come to an end it seems! Don't worry, you can join my army as an Ancient Mummy~ I would love for an Overlord like you to join my ranks as Monster unit!~" Desdemona laughed and her death aura surged powerfully around her body. 

I stared at Desdemona then walked forward. "Ahh so this is your plan..? To kill me and add me to your collection?" 

"When you say it like that, it sounds like a bad thing~ I'm sure a man like you would love to join me!" Desdemona said and dashed toward me. 

I blocked her first strike and pushed her back then slashed at her, but she parried me and struck me with a spinning kick to knock me back. She struck me with her metal staff and knocked me upwards. Multiple bolts of death energy struck my body then she blew me away with a powerful magic attack. 

I landed on the ground and slid backwards. I coughed a bit of blood and fell onto one knee. Her magic was extremely powerful and it felt like I was weakened. 

"All units! Target Raiyu!" Desdemona commanded. 

Aponshe and Meliae noticed the Mummies and Ancient Mummy shift their attention to me. They dashed toward me and the weakened Aponshe and Meliae could barely keep up. 

I opened my eyes and my aura surged powerfully around my body. I grunted and stood up then bellowed, releasing my Mana and transforming into my Awakened Form. The Mummies and Ancient Mummy stopped in their tracks and stared at me. 

"Master!" Aponshe said and looked at her Orb. "He's using the power of the Devil Crystal, but the energy levels aren't high enough to maintain such power for too much longer!" 

Desdemona watched me and smirked. She dashed toward me and turned her staff into a scythe then slashed at me, but noticed I dodged the attack. I kneed her stomach and she groaned loudly. I knocked her away and summoned my Siren. She sang a loud note and the Mummies were petrified.

The Ancient Mummy dashed toward me and went for an attack, but I countered him at lightspeeds. I began to strike him at lightspeeds then knocked him away with a powerful slash. The Ancient Mummy noticed he took some damage and was surprised. 

"His ability! I forgot he had Deadly Strength..!" Aponshe said. 

"Deadly Strength?" Meliae asked. 

"It's his signature ability...it looks like he's able to ignore the buffs of his opponents and ignore his own debuffs on himself..." Aponshe said. 

Desdemona transformed into her Awakened Form and her aura surged powerfully. She tossed her Scythe upwards and a giant reaper persona caught the scythe. "Ira...let's destroy him!" 

A crown of dark energy formed on her head, her dress changed into a black strapless bodysuit, and her eyes shined a bright gold color. 

"Ira? Hmph! So you awakened as well! Let's end this!" I bellowed and my sword shined brightly. 

We dashed toward each other and clashed repeatedly then I parried her next few attacks before knocking her upwards. Dark energy particles formed around her and fired rays of dark light at her. Ira formed a barrier around her, blocking the rays of energy. 

I prepared to use one last attack, but I was formed back into my normal form and I groaned as my heart thumped. 

[The Devil Crystal is out of power...] 

[Devil Crystal Recharge Time: 24 Hours] 

Desdemona flew toward me and commanded Ira to slash at me, but Aponshe appeared in front of me and blocked the slash and grunted. She pushed them away and grunted softly. 

"Enough." Kuragari said. "They have proved themselves far enough, Desdemona." 

Desdemona looked at Kuragari and noticed he had taken control of the Ancient Mummy. She was surprised and noticed Viropheir pointing her scythe at her and Ira. 

"The test is finished, but the trial is yet to be over.." Kuragari said and caused an Altar to appear. 

The three monsters turned into magic particles then entered the final Altar. The altar shined brightly and a new entity emerged from the altar then. The creature was the same color as Kuragari and had the upper body of a humanoid figure and the lower half of an arachnid. He had two large horns and carried a black staff with an orb within it. 

[Fusion Complete.] 

[Acquired Kuragari: 50%] 

[Scanning...] 

{Name: Kuragari (50%)} 

Strength: D {140} 

Defense: D {135} 

Magic: D {150} 

"The final trial approaches...bring me to my throne...to take the final test.." Kuragari said and looked at us. 

We all stared at Kuragari and were amazed by his presence. The final test of the Dark Temple was near. All we had to do...was bring Kuragari: 50% to his throne.

{To Be Continued}