Chapter 83: The Moniker

Chapter 83: The Moniker

A silence ensued as Kahn's body was thrown on the ground, there was a big hole in the middle of his chest that was of the size of a palm.

The dark blade had broken past his Somir scales, his most effective and powerful defensive ability. Rendering them useless without facing any resistance. It was still stabbed inside his chest.

Kahn's lifeless body lied on the floor and his last remaining consciousness drifted into nothingness.

At this moment, inside a realm separated from Vantrea and the World Boundary.. A place full of Darkness and Hellfire, a place without any visible end.. If Kahn would get to see this place.. From the description & surroundings alone; he would be able to infer that this place was none other than the Eternal Abyss.

A gigantic figure clad in black and majestic clothes was sitting on a throne made of a metal unknown.

The ginormous hooded figure was so big that even just its foot was big enough to destroy 10 Flavot cities than spanned for more than 60 Kilometers to dust if this being stepped on them.

The body span of this worldly being alone was thousands of kilometers.

This being was someone Kahn knew.. It was the main cause of his reincarnation in the first place.

THE GOD OF DARKNESS

The majestic and eternal God who appeared like it was in a vegetative state till now suddenly opened his eyes. This was the true size of this God of Death & Darkness. The one Kahn previously saw wasn't even 5% of his original size. Even the size when God of Darkness entered the World Boundary seemed barely 20% of its original body size.

The immensely vast being finally opened its deep and burning red eyes, the amount of heat that came out of them would burn cities to nothing but ashes in a matter of seconds.

"So he has met the conditions too.. To think that the 5th, the 8th & now him would invoke the title.. Now I'm even more certain that he won't fail like others." spoke the godly being and just the sound coming out of its mouth sent tremors and caused landslides in the grounds of this realm for more than 800 Kilometers. Absolutely destroying anything that was intact till this point.

Back inside the cave where Kahn's lifeless body lied, his subordinates who still hadn't disappeared attacked the undead Lich in a frenzied state, no longer holding back or following any formation.

They were enraged to the core and only wanted to kill this dark summoner no matter what cost.. But sadly, they couldn't get past the dark barrier that appeared in their way.

The void space spell had ended after the Lich had killed Kahn.

"Huh.. How are his summoned creatures still alive? They should've disintegrated after the death of the caster." spoke the floor boss in puzzlement.

BOOM!!!

A ginormous and ground-shattering burst of dense and chaotic black aura exploded in this cave and suddenly, the pressure that could even destroy steel filled the surrounding.

This time, it was the Lich who found itself unable to move. The insurmountable dark & purple energy that was exuded by the undead Lich was completely subdued under this black aura that filled the entire cave.

Hundreds of cracks formed in the surrounding walls and the ceiling.. Almost enough for this entire place to crumble in the ground.

And the source of this horrifying and domineering aura appeared in front of the undead Lich as it flied towards it.

The Undead Lich for the first time decades of its life shuddered and trembled in fear as it saw the being that appeared in front of it.

A 5 meters tall and completely black Demonic figure with vertical red eyes as if they were from the pits of hell gazed at the Lich. A tangible black and neverending aura of death & destruction surrounded this being in the form of black fire that was raised from its body. The creature floated in the air and approached towards the dark summoner and just with a wave of its hand.. The Demonic figure broke past the impenetrable dark barrier that was unbreakable till this point.

Swoosh!

The dark barrier faded into nothingness as the demonic figure appeared in front of the Lich.

A majestic & ancient voice filled this entire cave and echoed in every single corner of this dungeon floor itself.

"GIVE ME MORE! FEED ME MORE! I WANT ALL OF IT!!" commanded this ancient and domineering figure.

"Impossible!!" shouted the undead after mustering all of its strength.

GRAB!

The Demonic being grabbed the Lich by its skull and suddenly.. The dark aura this undead previously emitted started flowing towards the hand that was grabbing its skull.

"No! Release me!!" roared the undead as it was no longer able to move under this aura from the demonic figure.

It could feel that the dark energy inside its body or more accurately its bones, was now being absorbed by this creature.

The once vast and immeasurable dark energy that resided in its body was being sucked out by this black figure like a voracious beast was eating meat after starving for decades.

"YOU SHALL BECOME A PART OF ME!" spoke the demonic figure in a grim & ghastly voice.

Just in the matter of minutes, the dark magic and the aura completely disappeared out of the Lich's body and was completely engulfed by this demonic creatures.

Finally the Lich lost the light inside its skull and died without being able to put any resistance.. Having the tables turned on it.

The demonic figure however descended on the ground and threw away the skeleton of this floor boss. It slowly started reducing its height and the dark fire around its body started diminishing little by little.

When the black body of the demonic figure finally disappeared and revealed a body of a 6 feet 3 inches tall young human, a handsome yet mysterious face appeared.

The young man being none other than Kahn who finally regained his consciousness again.

He stared at the surrounding with a bewildered expression on his face. He noticed the body of the undead Lich lying on the ground and the hole in his chest completely gone as if nothing ever happened.

"System, what happened? I'm sure I died." asked Kahn as he couldn't make sense of what was happening.

Death wasn't unfamiliar to Kahn so he knew that he had certainly died at the hands of the Lich after being stabbed by that dark blade.

[Congratulations to the host for meeting a secret condition set by God of Darkness. The host has successfully invoked the title of....] the system finally told Kahn the title he received..

And the title being none other than the...

HERO OF DARKNESS

Chapter 84:

Kahn who was now alive again.. Or more likely didn't actually die stood in complete confusion.

"Uhm.. What?!" asked Kahn.

[The host unlocked the title of 'Hero of Darkness' as per the secret conditions set by God of Darkness.] replied the system.

"You already told me that. What were the secret conditions?" he asked.

[In case the chosen hero of any of the Gods is put in a near-death state by the enemy attacks of the same element their respective gods represent as part of the reality, the chosen hero will be granted the title as 'Hero of' that particular element. It is a form of a trial set by the Gods that is unknown to the chosen Heroes and can not be intentionally achieved. Neither can the chosen hero divulge this information to any other being than themselves.] explained the system about this hidden class special quest.

"I see. But then what's the use of this title? Does it gives me any extra boost?" asked Kahn as he found himself extremely lucky to be skewered by the blade that was made of dark magic. Otherwise, he'd be truly dead now.

[The host has acquired the title of Hero of Darkness.

Hero of Darkness : This title is a testament to the host being acknowledged and qualifying to become the true representative of God of Darkness.

Following are the exclusive powers granted by this title :

1. Monarch of Darkness :

The host now possesses the ultimate affinity & control over anything that is made of Dark magic & Darkness elements in the world.

The host will no longer be affected or can be killed from the dark magic or darkness element spells & skills. Whenever attacked with such skills and spells, the host's body will automatically absorb them or will remain harm-free.

2. Dark Engulfment :

The host can absorb and store dark magic skills & spells from other beings, whether they're alive or dead.

The capacity will rise with the Rank upgrades in host's body.

(Current Progress : Legendary Rank.

The host can use all skills & spells made from Dark Magic & Darkness Elements after learning them. The host can also infuse them with other types of physical and magical skills & spells.

The output of these skills & spells will be amplified by 3 times the original strength. )

3. Ruler of the Night :

The host will also receive an extra 200% buff/increase in both physical strength & mana capacity during nighttime.

There will also be a 100% increase in host's physical attacks & magic spells damage output during this period. The same applies to host's sensing abilities & skills.

This title will be in effect as long as the host is alive.]

Kahn sat on the ground and his hands clutched his head. The information he just received was just too much to swallow.

"Impossible! This is too much!!" shouted Kahn in disbelief as he pulled his hair and slapped himself to check whether he was dreaming or not.

This title just made him powerful beyond he ever imagined. This was basically saying that if he ever reached the rank of a Demigod, his authority over dark magic and darkness element would be second only to God of Darkness.

He could not only use the dark magic & darkness elemental attack & spells, but had the highest affinity & control over them.

This meant that any being in this world who was born out of the darkness element or magic would basically be Kahn's servents and also his prey if he wanted to kill and absorb their magic & skills.

Not only he won't be killed by these creatures, but he could also completely make them powerless by robbing their ability to control and attack with dark magic spells and physical skills.

As long as this element of reality was concerned, there was nobody who could rival him. Let it be an undead just like the Lich who killed him a few minutes ago or any other creature or a being born of this element would be his match.

Plus the 2 times additional buff in physical strength, mana capacity, attack skills and magic spells during the night made him 3 times stronger than his original capabilities compared to daytime.

His mind barely functioned at this moment as he was put under a daze because of the surprise. He didn't know what to do. Shout or scream in happiness or be shocked and bewildered instead.

He looked at the skeleton of the undead Lich that was lying beside him.

"Hey, can you wake up and kill me few more times? At this rate, I'll be able to kill that Demon God by next week." spoke Kahn in disbelief.

For the next 10 minutes, Kahn was exhilarated and couldn't think straight. Even with his resolute and calm temperament, he could hardly believe and process his gains.

"I guess that's a fair compensation for dying." spoke Kahn and looked at the body of the undead Lich. He didn't know what to do.. Be enraged or thank this guy for killing him.

Nevertheless, it was already dead. The 5 spell books that once floated in the air were lying on the ground behind the body. And an idea suddenly clicked in his mind.

"System, I can absorb the dark magic spells & abilities from other beings even if they're dead, right?" asked Kahn.

[Yes.] replied the system.

"Good." said Kahn and put his hand on the skull of this Lich. But after a minute, he noticed that he wasn't absorbing anything at all.

"What's this? Why can't I absorb anything from it?" asked Kahn in confusion.

[The host has already acquired skills & abilities along with the dark magic of this subject.] explained the system.

"Huh? When?" he asked.

[During the Awakening process, the host was in a frenzied state and absorbed everything from this subject.

The host has acquired the following abilities & skills :

Darkness Barrier (ACTIVE) :

Allows the host to cast a defensive barrier around 10 meter radius made of darkness element which has durability 3 times the host's physical defense.

Note : This skill is only weak against Holy magic.

Shadow Blades (ACTIVE) :

Allows the host to attacks with long-range dark elemental blades made of destructive mana.

Current Range : 50 meters.

Void Realm :

Allows the host to temporarily cast the Void Space spell for a short time. Anyone other than the host & the subordinates will lose their ability to move under this spell.

Note : Current activation time is 5 seconds. The host is advised to practice and perfect this spell by himself.

Dead Summoning (PASSIVE) :

The host can create undead creatures that function because of dark magic in 100 meter radius.]

"You know what.. I give up." said Kahn and threw his hands in the air as the system told him the new skills he gained. These skills just outmatched many of his previously gained skills.

Now he had only two things left to do.

So he paid attention towards the 1st thing.

Use Synthesis to merge skills.

But just as soon as the system showed him the list of merged skills.. Kahn's jaw dropped on the ground in shock!

"Holy fuck dude.. Did I just become too OP?"

Chapter 85: The Necromancer

Kahn stood with a gobsmacked expression on his face after seeing the possible merged skills that the system listed to him.

Past half an hour already gave him two small heart attacks and now the system gave him the 3rd one.

The new merged skills were the very reason for that.

[The host can acquire the following merged skills :

Darkblade (S Rank) (Upgradable) :

A combination of Shadow Blade & Windcutter sword skill.

Allows the host to attacks and shoot waves of 3 meter height long-range and highly compressed dark energy blades through the sword.

Current range : 60 meters

King of the Dead (S Rank) (Upgradable) :

Ability created by merging Dead Summoner under Synthesis divine ability. The Divine Ability has undergone a transformation. The time required to create new subordinates has been reduced by 50%.

Allows the host to directly create subordinates without touching them. As long as the host provides monster cores or mana ores to the system, the host can directly create new subordinates in 500 meters radius.

The host has gained the ability to impart or grant the Dark magic & Darkness element to the newly created subordinates.

Command word to activate this skill is required.] listed the system and gave him the details on his newly gained skills.

"Bloody hell." said Kahn and made a gesture of drinking his imaginary coffee.

There were only two merged skills available but they were top-notch in every aspect.

Darkblade was simply too overpowered because it had the same effects as the Shadow Blades that the Lich used to kill Kahn. Those were the same blades that even Kahn's Somir scales failed to defend against. And that ability was his best defense skill. Even the Windcutter attack could barely make a scratch on those scales. So he understood how strong and destructive those shadow blades were.

But to use them in combat through the sword was far useful as Kahn won't need to spend any time on casting them or cite any incantation. He could just use his sword to launch those blades that could easily cut through boulders with ease and that too for 60 meters range.

Just through description alone, this ability had become his most powerful long-range offensive skill. He clearly lacked such skill.

Although the Grappling Extensions had 30 meters of range, he couldn't use them in a fight without appearing like a monster to onlookers. Even though the Dark magic was forbidden, he could still make do with Windcutter in front of the public eye and use Darkblade when he had to fight multiple enemies.

Kahn was now certain that the Darkblade skill could cut through armors and shields like a hot knife through butter. He could cut through a dozen enemies with just a single attack of the Darkblade skill because with Hero of Darkness title in effect, the output damage of all his dark magic spells and darkness element attack skill will be tripled.

And then the King of the Dead was a life-saving skill for him. Because he was tired of always having to put his hands on the creatures and standing there like an idiot and wait till the new subordinates were created. And since the system couldn't function outside of his body, he always had to do the job manually. With the increase of subordinates.. This had become a tiresome chore. And one of the reasons why Kahn hadn't created hundreds of subordinates already despite killing so many people and monsters.

"Merge them." commanded Kahn and waited for his new skills.

[Synthesis complete. Please decide a command word for the King of the Dead skill to activate.] replied the system.

"Arise."

[[Author : Oye!! Do you want me to get sued? Think of something original, you dumbass!]]

"Uhmm.. Wait. Let me think of something else. How about 'Awaken' ?"

[Command word accepted.] affirmed the system.

Kahn then moved to the 2nd thing on his to-do list.

He thought for a while about his possible options as he looked at the body of the undead Lich.

"Ceril!" he called out the Enchanter subordinate. Currently, it was his only best choice to merge with this undead.

Because no way he was going to let go of the powerful enemy who managed to completely overpower & kill him. The Undead Lich already gave him a lot by accidentally awakening his Hero of Darkness title, granted him the OP dark magic spells and skills and now it was going to give him another powerful subordinate.

"System, I can skip on needing a subordinate with Evolution skill unlocked given how the Lich was made of dark magic & darkness element, right?"

[Yes. But the host will need to impart all the dark magic he currently has in order to successfully merge the bodies along with 30 A Rank monster cores. The Dark magic reserves will be restored with time. The resultant subordinates will possess the skills & spells of both subjects but the Dark magic will have a more prominent influence on its characteristics.] replied and commanded the system.

"I see. Impart all my current storage of dark magic to the synthesis process and take the cores." said Kahn and took out 30 A Rank monster cores from his space ring.

[The host still needs to give the command.] reminded the system.

"Awaken." said Kahn and suddenly, all the cores in his hand were absorbed and Ceril's body started to merge with the bones of the undead Lich as both the subjects turned into shadows and mixed without Kahn having to touch them.

Even with the 50% decrease in the Synthesis procedure, it still took 30 minutes before the new subordinate was finally created.

A Skelton mage that had a crown embedded in its head and a 10 meter tall body. It was nothing but white bones and its eyes glimmered red. Ceril's humanoid structure was gone and now he appeared very similar to the undead Lich in many ways. However, his rib cage had a red fire orb in the middle and his aura was plain red unlike the dark summoner who emitted a purple aura.

Kahn took out long white and red mage robes and some light armor from his space ring and gave them to Ceril. To cover the majority of his exposed bones.

With a wave of his hands, Ceril now summoned the 5 Grimoires that once belonged to the Lich and they connected to him by red and tangible mana threads.

Ceril then wore the mage robes and knelt in front of Kahn.

"Thank you, my lord. I shall serve you with all my strength till the end of days." said Ceril who could finally speak.

"System, show me his stats." commanded Kahn.

[Following are the statistics for the subordinate named Ceril :

Name : Ceril

Species : Necromancer (Variant Undead Summoner)

Rank : Lord

Level : 53

Strength : 186

Agility : 193

Dexterity : 361

Defense : 137

Mana : 782

Active skills & abilities :

Darkness Barrier

Undead Summoner

Shadow Blade

Firestorm

Lightning Bolt

Wind Blade

Frost Pike

Water Blade

Silence Barrier

Void Space

Note : Some abilities that are no longer suitable for the subordinate after merging with Dark magic have been removed.

Passive skills/abilities :

Mana Recovery (A Rank) (Upgradable)

Dark Magic Absorption (A Rank) (Upgradable) :

Allows the subordinate to absorb dark magic energy from other beings.

Commander of the Dead (A Rank) (Upgradable):

Allows the subordinate to summon undead creatures and command them as part of its army.]

Kahn was stunned after hearing the results and exclaimed in surprise.

"Holy mother of God!"

Chapter 86: Returning the Favor

Kahn who had grown numb surprises at this point still felt amazed. Because Ceril had become something he didn't actually expect to happen.

Necromancer! Ceril was now a Necromancer!

Kahn had already declined this Divine Ability when he was offered a choice. Because the 3 Divine Abilities he chose were more tempting to him.

Even though Ceril's current abilities couldn't amount to someone with that Divine Ability, this still had opened many doors to Kahn and in the future, Ceril would definitely play a pivotal role for him.

"All of you, come with me." spoke Kahn and they started walking towards the previous tunnel where they had fought and killed the skeleton army of the undead Lich.

Now that Ceril had become a Necromancer, he had the skills to Summon the undead and also cast his normal mage spells, making him a variant who could do both. Because normally, no Lich or a mage could cast Dark magic spells along with other magic element spells at the same time. They had to make sacrifices and give up on one side.

If Ceril evolved further.. He could be one of the strongest Necromancers only second to the one with the Divine Ability. Kahn already decided that if he ever came across another of such enemy, he'd prioritize on upgrading Ceril.

"Summon them and make them part of your army." commanded Kahn.

"Yes, my Lord." spoke Ceril in his hollow and grim tone. He started casting various magic spells and the 5 Grimoires around him floated.

A dark fog emitted from his body and these books, spreading around the thousands of bones and engulfed them one by one. Their broken bones started reattaching and the bodies of the skeleton soldiers started standing up one by one including the huge skeletal warrior they previously killed.

In just 10 minutes, around 500 skeleton soldiers stood inside this cave-like space and almost filled the entirety of it.

"System, can they be counted as my subordinates?" asked Kahn.

[Yes. However, they are not directly under the control of the host but subordinate named Ceril, the Necromancer. The host is allowed to store them by granting them Shadow Merge skill that can be shared using Ceril as a medium.] replied the system.

Kahn found it reasonable because it wasn't him who directly created them. He would've if he had any dark magic reserves left inside him, but he didn't because he used it all up to evolve Ceril. Besides, they were still his minions because at the end of the day, he was the boss of their boss.

Kahn then pointed his space ring towards this army and in a matter of seconds, a huge pile of weapons, armors and magical artifacts ranging from Common rank to Rare rank was placed in front of him. There were more than 300 weapons, 200 armors and 50 magical artifacts.

These were from the stock he had gotten by robbing the treasury of the Sigurd clan and leftovers from when his army killed the Scarlet Lion guild members and looted their belongings.

So it was the best time to use them. Because this army of undead was definitely going to prove more useful and increase his side's attacking strength.

After the majority of them were equipped, there were still more than 150 who didn't get anything. Kahn decided that he would give them the gears later.

"Let's go. It's time to leave." said Kahn and departed the dungeon. It was already evening and his usual time to return to his home.

With his current wealth, he could easily buy a small mansion for living but given how he didn't have the habit to get attached to materialistic things, he found it a waste of money. He didn't even know how long he would stay in this city.

Instead of directly going to the house, he went to a high-class dining restaurant and ordered a hearty meal. Because this time when he 'supposedly' died.. His biggest regret wasn't about not being able to live his life where he was happy, loved or respected.. Rather, it was not being able to eat all the delicious food this new world had to offer.

Because there were too many amazing dishes and spices he had tasted and wanted to eat rather than just food full of nothing but sugar, butter, cheese and oil in his previous life. If he failed to enjoy thousands of delicacies before dying again.. Then he would feel disgusted & disappointed at himself.

The waiters and the cooks of this restaurant had a run for their lives because Kahn alone had ordered food enough for 5 people and wolfed on these mouth-watering, aromatic dishes and drinks like there was no tomorrow.

BURP!

After an hour, he was finally done and felt satisfied. Feeling content, he paid 600 gold coins and left. 100 of which were just the tip for the waiters & the chefs for meeting his pace of eating.

When midnight finally came, he fell asleep in his comfortable and king-size bed. Today had given him a lot of life lessons on how to never underestimate your enemy even though he was always cautious and how to appreciate the things that you find comfortable and relaxing.

Ever since he came into this world.. He didn't have a single day of proper relaxation so he thought it'd be best to take few days off from his usual hunting things and killing enemies.

But just when he had entered his merry sleep and finally closed his eyes.. His ears & Survival Instinct picked up a presence one kilometer away, heading towards him very silently.

Kahn got out of the bed and the figure stood outside of his huge window.

"Enter." he said and ordered the figure that was using Stealth at this moment.

An invisible person walked in and a figure of an assassin appeared in front of him.

"Mister Kahn.. The Magistrate hopes that you keep your promise and deliver upon it." said the Elven Assassin.

It was the same Elven Assassin who once did research on Kahn and reported it to the old Lionkin magistrate.

"We talked just this morning. Is he really that much in hurry?" asked Kahn.

"Time is of the essence, Sir. Here's the list of 3 people the Magistrate wants you to get rid of. And the time margin is only 3 days. He also told me to tell you that the sooner you repay the favor, the more convenient things would be for both the sides." said the Elven assassin and handed Kahn an envelope.

Kahn opened the envelope and there was a list of names and their details written on them. But after reading the list, Kahn was stunned and shouted..

"Is he fucking crazy?! Does he want to put the entire city on war?!"

Chapter 87: The Big Three

Kahn was surprised by reading the names in the list. And the details of these people were what made him ask that question in surprise.

"And I thought you were someone capable since you reached the Grandmaster rank at such young age. Even those so-called geniuses of noble factions and military officials don't amount to anything in front of you.. But to see that you find this task troublesome.. I find it disappointed." said the elven assassin.

"And why are you under the impression that I need any approval or validation from you? If you were so capable, why did the magistrate contact me in the first place?" scoffed off Kahn and gave a deathly look towards the assassin, instantly paralyzing him on the spot.

He used the Executioner's Gaze on the assassin to put him in his place because how could Kahn allow someone's lackey or a henchman to talk down & question his strength?

"I'm only concerned about the consequences of killing these people. Tell the magistrate to make sure that things don't come to bite me back. And after this deal is done, our debt is paid. I don't want any more involvement in this. Understood?" said Kahn in his tyrannical voice. Instantly sending shivers to the already paralyzed and scared assassin.

The assassin soon left.. More like ran for his life as soon as he recovered.

Kahn kept the envelope in his drawer and went back to sleep. Today he was too tired so his sleep had no dreams.

The next morning when he woke up, he left in a hurry to do some intel gathering on his own. The matter was too sensitive to leave it to anyone else.

Because the 3 names the list contained had one of the most prominent figures in the entire city.

One of them was the current ruler of the Underworld of this city, the other was the president of the Business Federation and the last but not the least was the current leader of the Noble Factions and probably the hardest one to kill.

The reason why he was stunned and bewildered was because if he killed any of these people.. There would be a war fought just to sit in the position of these people.

Gangs and criminal groups will fight for the seat of the ruler of the underworld. All the businessmen who only appeared simple would fight for the authority of the new president while the so-called upper class nobles will kill each other to gain the head position of the leader.

The reason Kahn asked if the magistrate wanted to put the entire city on war was because the consequences of these people falling would affect the entire population of the city in many ways.

Because no matter what world it was.. In the power struggle of the strong, it was always the poor and the innocent who suffered the most.

Violent gang fights would implicate innocent passerby & citizens while the silent war between business authorities would affect the prices of the goods and daily necessities for the normal people, affecting the economy of the city where normal folks barely made enough to keep on living. And not to mention the Nobles faction.. Those people had money, resources and people to fight their wars in the amount of thousands.

No matter which part it was.. Either way, there was going to be a bloodbath in some way. Besides, it would also break the power balance in the city and it could also cause destabilization in the security of the city itself.

This was just paying too big of a price just to have his name not implicated and burying the matter of killing two people.. No, the entire Scarlet Lion guild. Because Kahn wasn't stupid to think that the magistrate didn't know that it was him who murdered more than a hundred people that day.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone this far and give him the list of the top powers in the city. And that's why he had no option but to accept this deal.

Kahn spent the entire day traveling to these locations where the targets were known to live and often visit. And the most important part was that they'd be alone in some of these places. So he had to bribe few people, infiltrate places and determine the best place and the timing for taking them out.

And he had no intentions to get mixed into this after the killings were done. But he had to be careful that there'd be no way he could be connected to this. So he changed his clothes to of a mage and hid his face behind a mask while gathering the intel.

He also had to decide how he'd carry out the killings because he couldn't make it the same way Azrael did the things as it'd lead to unnecessary suspicion from the Magistrate's side. Also cutting their heads off with a sword would be another trail, new dark magic skills were out of the equation.

"I guess it leaves only one option." spoke Kahn and decided that he had enough intel to do the assassinations. And the method he chose would be very effective and won't implicate him in any way. Besides, it was about time he used one of the trump card abilities he recently gained.

When the night descended and the bustling nightlife of the city lightened up the dark corners and infamous streets, a brothel full of half-naked women including human, demonkin and elf females with their plump and exotic bodies along with their seductive assets waving around were serving the drunk & lustful customers with their the upper half of their bodies exposed.

Some of the more daring customers even grabbed the butts of these women and fondled their breasts as they teased them in front of so many people.

This wasn't considered as weird in this place because at one corner, a dozen of men and women were doing the deed while being completely naked. Beastmen having their go on human and elven females while the human males banging their bodies on demonkin and lamias (Snakekin females). The moans and grunts of these people filled the entire hall.

[[Author : For the record, the Novel is R18. Nudity and Gore won't be shied away from. So don't go reporting the novel or filing a complaint.]]

And in the topmost floor of this 5 stories building, a tall and muscular Demonkin who was surrounded by multiple females with bodacious bodies and giving him the service, enjoyed the blissful experience of bodily pleasure as he laid on a bed.

A set of footsteps were heard and 2 men, a Tigerkin and a Wolfkin stood in front of him.

"Boss, he's here. And he's asking for a private meeting." said the Tigerkin.

"Tell him to wait. I'll be there soon." said the Demonkin.

"Well, I guess we'll have to shorten our time here. Let's finish this quickly." said the Demonkin and multiple moans of women whimpering in pleasure came out of the room.

After some time, the Demonkin who was now well dressed up in more businessman type of clothes entered inside a room full of highly decorated ornaments and incredibly well-designed furniture.

After he entered the room, his eyes landed on a skinny and old man.

The old man who was dressed in aristocratic clothes bowed in respect in front of the Demonkin.

"My name is Saan Jormain. Pleased to make your acquaintance sir Vetroleux Arvitzen, the King of the Underworld."

Chapter 88: Repaying the Debt

The old nobleman introduced himself to the King of the Underworld. The tall demonkin was none other than the boss of several criminal organizations who controlled everything illegal in this city. Let it be black market, assassinations, kidnapping, slave trading.. All of it.

He had been holding that title for more than 10 years already and killed hundreds of people to reach there and hold his rule together.

His bodyguards and trusted men followed him inside and stood against the doors and windows.

"What does a nobleman want from someone like me? If not for you paying 50 thousand gold dramus, I wouldn't have even attended this meeting." replied the demonkin in a skeptical tone.

"Apologies, sir. It's just that we require your services and your connections. How would you feel about doing some business with the House Vivaldi?" spoke the old man who had a well-trimmed mustache and a beard.

GASP!

Everyone in the room gasped in surprise.

"House Vivaldi? What does the most powerful noble family of the city want from me? Didn't your factions declare a war on us years ago?" asked the demonkin as he sat on the sofa.

"The matters are very sensitive so I'm afraid we can't talk in presence of anyone else. However, I was told you show you this." said the old nobleman and directed his space ring at the middle of the hall and soon, a huge pile of golden coins appeared out of the space ring.

The entire room was filled with a golden glow and all the people including the boss was left speechless.

"Please consider this as a gesture of our sincerity and listen to our request because even the walls have ears. And the matters I want to talk about are better kept a secret." said the nobleman.

"Everyone, out!" ordered the demonkin to all his bodyguards. The amount of money that laid in the middle of the room was enough to make him understand that he was actually talking with a big shot of the Vivaldi clan & the matters were too important to be disclosed to his underlings.

The bodyguards left the room and the demonkin took a magic artifact that cast a silence barrier.

"No noise can leave this room now. Tell me what is it that you want to talk about with me?" asked the demonkin after he greedily looked at the heap of gold coins.

But just when he looked at the old man again, the nobleman's eyes sparked yellow and the demonkin felt like all his muscles had stopped moving.. He was paralyzed.

The nobleman didn't speak anything, he simply walked towards the demonkin, took a knife out of his space ring and cut the demonkin's throat very swiftly. The underworld boss didn't even see it coming that the frail nobleman was not someone who came to do business with him, rather make his life's final deal.

For the next 2 hours, there was no voice or anything that came out of the room but the guards kept a lookout on the door as part of their duty.

At this moment, an elderly wolfkin suffered the same fate as the demonkin.

"Now, the last target.." spoke a demonkin with blonde hair. There was a heap of gold coins in this room as well and nobody else but the two of them present inside this luxurious room of a mansion.

The blonde demonkin's figure flickered after he took all the gold coins and he disappeared from the spot as he merged inside a shadow.

When midnight came, inside a massive mansion, a white wolfkin dressed in businessman clothes stood inside a nobleman's office and a body of an elderly bald man lied in front of him.

But this time, there was a small hill of gold coins, far bigger than both the previous times.

"Idiots. Everyone lets their guard go as soon as you show them money." spoke the wolfkin. And took all the gold back in his space ring.

He opened the window and jumped down, mixing in the shadows and leaving without any trace behind.

The next morning, Kahn woke up from his sleep and started doing his weapons practices as usual. No one could've guessed that he killed three influential figures of the city in a single night.

Because his approach was exactly the opposite of what any assassin would ever choose.

And he used his newly acquired Metamorphosis bloodline to do the job.

Kahn already had absorbed the bloodlines of various species when he created the 6 Generals after killing the Groundhog adventurer team. Just that he never had any use of these bloodlines other than the skills of their particular job. But after acquiring the Metamorphosis bloodline from the 13th floor boss, he could finally make a good use of them.

Kahn entered as the representative of the Vivaldi clan to the underworld boss, the clan belonging to the leader of the nobles faction himself. He used the money to gain instant meeting and also presented riches and fortunes to make his targets to take him seriously so they'd be left alone to discuss private matters of such a massive deal.

He went as the representative of the underworld boss to talk the business with the president of the Business Federation and then as the Business Federation representative to talk about a beneficial trade with the head of the noble clan.

As soon as all of them saw the money, they thought of him as a goldmine and treated him seriously, ordering their bodyguards to leave them alone for private chats.

That way, nobody interfered when they were alone.

Because what good were Magic Formations and Protection Barriers if you allowed the killer to enter inside?

Kahn even stormed out when he found out that the noble faction leader still had people watching over them.. Saying that they have provoked the wrath of powers that stood behind him and there will be no dealings in the future.

His act played a major part and he took out the 3 targets easily.

This way, the witnesses and powers from these three sides will point fingers at each other and have a war on the outside while inside, there would be a clash for power & the position of the successor.

Kahn made sure that the assassinations looked like a standard one than leaving any specific pattern in them.

With this, he had repaid his debt.

When the night came, the Elven assassin met Kahn again and brought him a letter. Kahn read it and understood that the magistrate was extremely happy but also wanted to carry on their partnership.

In return, Kahn wrote a letter himself and sealed it inside an envelope, telling the assassin to only let the magistrate open it.

When the envelope reached the old Lionkin's hand.. The old man was furious but also felt a sense of dread and threat after reading the contents.

The letter from Kahn wasn't anything long but only a few lines..

"The debt is paid. Do not try to blackmail me or I'll come for your head next."

Chapter 89: Taking a Break

The next day when Kahn finally woke up and followed his usual routine of weapons practice and did various workouts to keep his health and body in check.

Although his current strength was far greater than ever before and now he could even pick up a giant boulder in one hand, he still didn't like being out of form because even if his stats rose and the new body he had was something he always dreamt of.. Lazing around and not exercising will diminish his range of physical movements with time.

In this life, Kahn paid a lot of attention to his fitness because he had seen the effects of always being in motion and staying focused in his hunts. The effects made him realize how he had wasted previous life in being a couch potato and a lazy bum who never paid attention to his fitness and ate unhealthy food. Now he had come to despise his old self and also on the people who took their bodies for granted.

[[Author : Is this a personal attack or something?]]

"Sir, your breakfast is ready." said Jerome, the caretaker of the house.

Kahn noticed that in the past few days, Jerome and his chef had become incredibly approachable and also served him well.

Today.. Kahn absolutely had no plans on what to do. He could spend it on practicing his dark magic spells, his darkblade skill or even something else but he simply didn't want to.

Ever since he had come to this world, it was always one thing or another.. He had to prioritize hunting monsters, killing people as part of the contract then look for resources to increase his strength and wealth. But now, he had everything he needed.

He had made himself completely familiarized with this new world and had superficial knowledge about the things he hadn't seen before.

His strength was more than enough to make him one of the top 10 strongest people in the entire city of millions of residents, his reputation and name were fairly good and his connections with the top brass were also favorable.

As for the warning letter he chose to send the Magistrate last night.. It was to draw the line.

He had already seen it coming that the magistrate would try to persuade him one way or another and even try to blackmail him to work for their faction.

But he too had to assert his dominance with that warning letter. Otherwise, he'd get tangled inside the web of unseen wars and betrayals of the power struggle. This wasn't something he wished to be part of for now, mainly because he had no sense of belonging to any place or even someone in this world.

He was simply a Lonewolf trying to get himself on top of the food chain so that nobody could trample upon him or he is forced to suffer through any form of injustice.

Kahn decided a long time ago that he won't be some Beta main character of some Novel or Manga who has to lower his head in front of the strong people and bide their time to grow in strength and wait for the day when they'd exact vengeance on the oppressors.

No, he wanted to be the guy that no one would ever dare to mess with in the first place. So he won't have to go through the trouble of having cliche enemies & young masters of some powerful and reputed houses or organizations creating trouble for him like those Mangas where the same lame pattern of Protagonist being harassed and looked down on by everyone just because he comes from a poor background or currently is weak compared to others.

The story of the underdog rising in status and power only worked in fictional things. However, the reality functioned very differently and nothing like some plot of a book. You either live a life of the strong or you suffer as the weakling in a society.

Kahn had already been on the weak and pitiful side in the previous life so no way he was going to waste this another chance at life being the same type of person.

He wanted to be the Alpha, he wanted to be the Chad & The Final Stage Boss who can't be killed even with the power of Love & Friendship.

Back to the current moment.. Kahn finished his breakfast and thought of doing something useful and different.. But only then did a sudden realization hit him inside his mind that he truly hadn't experienced the culture of the people and this empire.

Since he always had to prioritize on getting strong.. He never had time to experience the difference between this world's culture and his previous one.

"That's it. I'm going to take some time off. And enjoy what this place has to offer to me." spoke Kahn with resolution as he decide that it'd be better to take a break than let a burnout ruin him later.

Kahn asked Jerome for the sightseeing spots in the city, the places that held historical importance and things that had people paid most importance to in the entire empire.

For the entire day, Kahn spent traveling and visiting these sites, memorial places, vast and beautiful sightseeing places and few museums that held the archives and heritage of the rich history and most noticeable changes that built the foundation of this empire.

Kahn also tried tasting various street foods and just shopping for stuff he found amusing for no reason whatsoever. Because he wasn't looking for something that he had needed.. But something that he hadn't experienced before.

At the end of the night.. Kahn sat below a giant tree and looked at the beautiful scenery of the nightlife under the bright moonlight that made the entire city appear very soothing to his mind and soul.

Compared to the scenery of the modern city full of skyrocketing buildings and bustling population under the moon on the night he committed suicide, the sight in front of him gave a sense of peace and calm.

For the first time in this new world.. Kahn felt the Slice of Life.

Chapter 90: Back on Track

For the entire week, Kahn spent his time relaxing and practicing his skills. And to still make good use of it, he spent of his vacant time studying different books on war strategies, historical events of the empire and information of the various species, their origins and detailed information on the geography of the empire.

Such as which city was situated where and what were they famous for. And which power held the prominent influence over these regions.

As per the information he gathered, there were more than 1023 main cities in the entire empire, hundreds of them even bigger than Flavot city. But majorly, only 83 cities had the biggest impact on the Empire's economy. Flavot City was one of them because of the natural resources they got from dungeons and terrain but it played only a small part in it.

Compared to some fiefs, the city looked like a backwater place. Kahn now finally gained the gist of how he was only strong in front of the weaklings.

The true masters and strong people lived in places like the Capital. And if he went there.. There would be thousands of people just like him. And even the Saint Rank people weren't that rare in the capital while in this city, there wasn't a single Saint rank person.

So compared to the vast ocean that was outside of the city.. Kahn was only living like a frog in a well.

This made him realize how stupid he was to think that his strength was something noteworthy.

The only advantage he had for now was that he was stronger than the other people such as the noble clan heirs and geniuses of some popular & prestigious academies. But in front of the true big shots that lorded over the empire.. He was nothing but a speck of dust.

Even the young heirs of some clans had an army of a few hundred thousand people at their disposal and their personal strength was no lesser than Kahn. And none of them even had any Divine Abilities that aided them in quickly raising their levels and strength.

"Man.. I'm truly ignorant." spoke Kahn to himself as a new world of truth was now opened to him.

And this also ignited his fighting spirit again.

Because at the end of the day, the strength and abilities of a person were their biggest assets while the resources they had on their beck & call was something he couldn't amount to even with all his current strength and subordinates he had.

"And here I thought I was finally good enough. I'm just another country bumpkin compared to those people." said Kahn as he reprimanded himself for being too foolish and delusional.

Reading these books and records brought him down of the high horse he was riding and broke the imaginary halo of strength & power he thought he had. He was still a small bug who could be easily squashed over by the people sitting at the top in the capital.

Let it be strength, skills, resources and even the number of fighters he had on his side amounted to nothing. Previously, he had the notion of having few thousand subordinates in the future and being a Saint Rank fighter would make him one of the top powers in the world.

But to his surprise.. Even those people didn't have the qualifications to call themselves the head of the snake. His previous life where the little strength those gangs and criminal organizations he heard about clouded his judgment, thinking that it'd be enough.. But this whole world was on a different league compared to Earth.

Some Empires even had over 2 to 3 billion people just inside their army. And the entire population of sentient living beings in this world was something that no one ever dared to put a number on.

"This won't do.. I need to become far stronger than I am now. Even that Lich could kill me.. And it wasn't even stronger than me or my subordinates." said Kahn as his mind became resolute again.

It was already noon.. Not late enough for him to wait for another day. So Kahn geared up in his adventurer gear again and thought of visiting a few neighboring dungeons first. The ones that had plenty of monsters that hunted in hordes and had a huge supply of bodies that he could use to upgrade his subordinate's levels and even create new subordinates for his army.

He wasn't going to be arrogant again and barge into lower-level floors of a dungeon to fight the boss as he did previously when he fought the Lich.

Because he was going to use these dungeons and hunting grounds to make an army big enough for him to help out in clearing a big target he had set up in his mind.

This eye-opening information had rejuvenated him more than the break he took for a week.

Kahn went to the adventurer association and bought more than a dozen passes of different dungeons because soon, he'd raid them one by one for upcoming days.

Only by raising his own strength and his army in thousands, would he become someone capable enough to stand on equal footing with people from big cities and the top fighters of noble clans and the military.

Because as the things stood, even someone like Commander Straze could easily kill him without a problem and that Tigerkin warrior wasn't even a Saint Rank fighter yet. Kahn couldn't ignore the difference between Rank & Bloodline that he had come to know from his recent experiences in the past month.

After his priorities were finalized and he gathered enough information about the nearby dungeons. Kahn planned on which floors he'd hunt on and which type of monsters he wanted to farm for skills and add in his legion.

Because for him, time seemed more important again and he'd hate to waste on the small fries that won't serve him well in the long run.

And his first place to visit was something he had already visited once.

Chapter 91: The Final Boss

For the next 5 days, Kahn spent his time hunting inside the neighboring dungeons on the floors he thought would give him the best results and give him subordinates that'd be worth keeping and investing in.

During this hunting spree, he went from various dungeons and chose peculiar specimens to hunt.

He and his army of 550 soldiers now hunted hordes of ogres, orcs and goblins.

[[Goblin Slayer : Did someone say Goblins!?]]

After acquiring their bloodlines and even upgrading many of them by merging and evolving, Kahn had more than 350 new subordinates after painstaking efforts and spending almost all his time in these dungeons. He'd return home only to eat & sleep. And his hard work had shown rewarding effects as well.

The ogres gave him many vitality and regeneration skills that were merged and mixed with his other regeneration and defense skills. Although the goblins didn't offer him any noteworthy skills, he still got plenty of subordinates useful to aid and work under Ronin & Oliver as some were evolved to Assassins & Archer class goblins.

The Hobgoblins and High Ogres were under the command of Jugram, the Berserker subordinate from the Six Generals because all of them were physical attack classes and had buff effects when they fought together as a team. And Jugram had the skills to give them even more attack and defense buff from his skills as he was made from Warrior and Swordsman class.

Ceril now controlled more than 600 undead and had few high 2 half lord rank monsters in his skeleton army after Kahn merged them using Synthesis and imparted black magic and darkness element to them.

Kahn didn't bother hunting Kobolds as there were better options than them. The only one who didn't get to lead a group so far was Armin. Kahn didn't find a single suitable species that could work as his Healer Brigade so the Priest subordinate was on his own for now.

Out of the 350+ new subordinates, 250 were melee attack classes such as High Ogres, Hobogoblins & High Orcs, 50 were assassin class while 30 long-range archer class and the remaining were mage class. Now Kahn's army had a pretty good team formation except for the Healers part.

But even after all these days spent on looking for strong enemies, Kahn didn't even get to fight a single Lord rank floor boss even on the final floors. All of them were simply weak and didn't give him any rewarding or game-changer abilities like his hunts from the past. So he only focused on creating new subordinates.

The most useful ability during these raids was none other than the King of the Dead ability that allowed him to directly create subordinates without him having to touch them in 500 meters radius. All he had to do was wait for his army to ambush and massacre the enemies and for him to step inside the middle of the battlefield.

This saved him a lot of time as he could now create more than 50 subordinates in one go as long as the corpses were inside half a mile radius from his location. Otherwise, he'd have to spend 3 hours just to create 10 new subordinates.

The ones he found not worth making as part of his army were eaten and their cores distributed among the older subordinates as they were the main guys.. Their seniors in a sense.

As Kahn finally felt content with his tiresome grind.. He took a day off just to cool down his mind.

Because the day after that, he was going after the main reason why he felt the need to increase the numbers in the first place.

The next day he spent in his house and carrying on the research by reading books.

As the morning sun came the day afterwards, Kahn had his breakfast and quickly left to meet his other half.. His true love. The girlfriend he never had in his previous life and always gave him skills and abilities unconditionally. The bond Kahn shared with his girlfriend transcended beyond human understanding. And the name of his soulmate was none other than..

The Bromnir Dungeon!

Using a Pass, Kahn finally entered and traveled to the 15th and the final floor of this dungeon.

Not a single group in the past 50 years had cleared this Dungeon floor. Nobody even got past the 14th floor boss to be exact. The Lich had killed them all and probably the army of 500 skeleton soldiers he had could actually be those adventurers. So there weren't any records of this floor boss for Kahn to research just like the previous.

But unlike the last time, he wanted to be careful and not fall into the trap of overestimating himself and getting killed by the enemy instead. He didn't want to find out if getting stabbed in the chest again would give him another title or some power boost.

As Kahn finally entered inside the floor entrance.. Suddenly the doorway that led him inside closed with some sort of mechanism and before he could even dash out.. His only escape route was already closed. This gave him a foreboding and a replay of the undead Lich again.

Kahn's gaze then shifted to the environment in front of him..

A completely black desolate land where nothing but black boulders could be seen. But unlike the previous floor, there weren't some dead trees but the entire floor seemed like Kahn had entered inside a close range of an active volcano.

Because this nearly 10 Kilometer wide floor had tons of big cracks on the ground where red and sizzling hot lava was leaking out of the ground and some places even had small fountains of the erupting magma.

Now even if he didn't want to.. Kahn would be forced to play the game called 'The Floor is Lava'.

He treaded carefully from these crevices and boulders and since the heat was already too high. He had no choice but to activate his Somir scales and cast few water spells to drown himself under them just to keep moving forward.

During this period, he kept all his senses alert. Only when he reached towards a rocky and mountainous area in the center of this floor, did his Survival Instinct started ringing in his head.

[System warning! The host is being targeted by the murderous intent of a high-grade species. It is advisable to be cautious.] the sudden alert from the system came. And it was the very first time the system itself warned Kahn.

"Means it's even a stronger opponent than the Lich.." spoke Kahn and quickly put his darkness barrier on work and prepared to attack with the darkblade as soon as he saw the enemy..

THUD! THUD! THUD!

The ear-deafening thuds of some giant creature stepping were heard followed by the sizzling sound of ground being burnt reached his ears.

Kahn's mouth couldn't even gasp given the look of the enemy that was standing a kilometer away from him.

A gigantic 25-meter tall figure with skin covered in the black and scaly hide with 4 legs that could tear through anything with the sharp and strong claws. The belly of this creature appeared to be emitting burning red glow as if it had the magma inside it. It so had long tail that could swat Kahn to a disc and the most prominent and noticeable thing was its head.

The monster that stood in front of him made the undead Lich look like a random henchman.

"Fuck.. This time, I'm definitely gonna die." spoke Kahn as he couldn't believe his eyes when he again gazed at the gigantic Dungeon Boss.

It had two giant horns on its head, the jaw and skull that completely matched the description of a certain species that was deemed supreme in any fictional story.

Although it didn't have wings.. Kahn knew exactly what it was..

The species stood in front of him with nothing but a look of a superior being looking down upon the ants.

It was a Drake!

More accurately.. It was a Magma Drake!

Chapter 92: The Magma Drake

Kahn stood rooted on the spot and forgot how to even breathe in front of this ginormous figure that appeared to be a descendant species of the mighty Dragon race.

As per the knowledge he gained from the books he read recently, Drakes were the lowest level of creatures that possessed the Draconian bloodline compared to other monsters such as Wyrms and Wyverns. But even then, they were nothing to be looked down upon because even a single drake was more than big enough to wipe out at least a thousand enemies by itself.

And one of these creatures was standing right in front of him. Its 25 meters tall body and 10 meters breadth had filled a huge portion of this surrounding area.

The red aura this drake emitted was far stronger and more visible and dense, it made the undead Lich's aura appear not even worth comparing with this gigantic beast. Kahn who felt a similar aura coming from only 2 people he met so far. And those were none other than President of the Adventurer Association, Solomon Elfenheim and the commander Straze Boltomir from the Military.

In a way, it's aura had even more regality and dominance compared to them.

"A High Lord!" shouted Kahn in disbelief as his Hunter's Intent sensed the aura from the majestic and dreadful monster.

A high lord monster was comparable to a Semi-Saint rank fighter.. But given the draconian bloodline, the enemy in front of was no different than a first stage Saint rank enemy.

"Hmm.. A weakling dares to enter my abode?" a tyrannical and domineering voice filled the entire floor.. Kahn shuddered in fear and there were goosebumps all over his body after hearing the dreadful voice of the Drake.

"Apologies, o mighty Drake. I've mistakenly entered inside this place without knowing that a superior and magnanimous being such as yourself lives inside the place." spoke Kahn and bowed in front of this gigantic monster.

Its claws alone were more than enough to squash 5 Kahn's with a single attack and even if 10 Kahn stood on top of each other, it'd still be dwarfed by the Drake's height.

"You.. How can a lowly creature like you can speak our language?" asked the Drake as it tilted its head forwards and took a good look at Kahn.

Flabbergasted!

Kahn had forgotten that because of the All Languages Knowledge gift given to him by Kravel, he could speak even the most ancient languages in this world.. And that included the Draconian language.

"I have been under the awe of the supreme race your Highness belongs to. So I have spent years studying the Draconian language. But to see it finally proving useful and meeting your grand figure here made me forget my manners." replied Kahn quickly.. He had no choice but to butter up this drake or Kahn would be barbecued by this monster.

He was no different than Bilbo Baggins trying to sweet-talk Smaug from The Hobbit movie so that the dragon wouldn't eat him.

"Interesting. So tell me.. Why have you come to this place? Do you seek to conquer this dungeon or do you wish to slay me?" asked the Drake with a curious expression.

Thud! Thud!

It started walking towards Kahn and small tremors could be felt on these grounds that were made from cooled-down lava. Kahn jittered in fear.. He didn't even dare to make a run for it because he had no skills that could outrun this Drake if it chased him.

And where could he even go? Half of this floor was magma while the only safe place was the ground that was the territory of this drake. Even the exit was already closed. Kahn didn't want to be the mouse who was hunted by a cat.

"No, your greatness. I've mistakenly entered inside your territory. Had I known before that your grand persona resided here.. I would not have dared to disturb you." spoke Kahn hurriedly to keep the dungeon boss calm.

"Lies! The proof that you've come here means that you managed to kill Ajak. To think that pathetic skeleton would be defeated by someone like you.. What a disappointment.." rebuked the drake and tilted his head down, almost trying to sniff the scent down from Kahn.

"How surprising.. You now possess his aura and powers as if you've absorbed him inside you." spoke the drake.

"It was a fortunate encounter o great high lord. I barely managed to live. If you would allow me to leave.. I promise never to disturb and take your time again." replied Kahn as beads of sweat dripped from his head.

Because as soon as the drake came 100 meters close to Kahn.. His darkness barrier, the skill which protected the undead Lich from Kahn and his subordinates without getting a scratch had already started waning under the extremely high temperature that came from the drake's stomach and neck.

"Do you think of me as a fool, lowly creature? Do you think I do not know why the likes of you come inside this dungeon?.. You're after the Dungeon Core that runs this place, aren't you?" asked the Drake.

"The dungeon core? What is that if I may ask?" asked Kahn politely.

"Huh.. You outsiders dare to invade our home for our most precious treasure and then put up an act of being oblivious about what you seek? What a deceitful species indeed." scoffed the drake at Kahn.

[Nah dude, I don't know what the fuck you're talking about.] spoke Kahn to himself.

"As the Guardian of this dungeon. I shall grant you a painful death, you pitiful thief!" shouted the drake and ripples of sonic booms filled the entire floor as the drake raged at Kahn.

Suddenly, the drake's stomach even grew more fiery red and something started amassing in its mouth. Kahn's Survival Instinct rang like a siren and quickly told him to run away.

Side Hopper!

Kahn quickly used the skill and appeared 50 meters behind his previous location. Just then, the drake spat out a giant blob of red hot magma and the darkness barrier that surrounded Kahn before was shattered like a mirror hit by a stone.

As soon as Kahn saw this, he dashed away in the opposite direction of the drake.. And only one thought came into his mind..

[Run bitch! Run!]

Chapter 93: Return of the King

Kahn ran through the rocky terrain of the final floor and dodged the jet stream attacks from the Dungeon Boss.

"You're misunderstanding me! I'm not here to steal anything. I only came to find who lived on this floor!" shouted Kahn as he kept running and used Side Hopper skill from time to time just when the blistering hot magma was about to hit him.

THUD!

BANG!

"Do not think of me as a dumb monster you lowly creature. That's what every thief says when caught red-handed!" growled the dungeon boss and chased after Kahn. Every step and jump it made shook the rocky ground and formed cracks as the ginormous creature was the biggest and largest monster Kahn had ever seen in this new life.

So far, Kahn hadn't even tried to summon any of his subordinates because there simply wasn't any suitable place for him to summon his army and even fight properly.

The only place that could hold a large-scale battle in front of the Magma Drake was the place where he met the dungeon boss for the first time.

Kahn knew he alone couldn't do anything against this boss. But if he released the subordinates here, half of them would be burnt alive in the magma that was erupting from the ground.

Kahn thought of a plan, he started citing an incantation as he kept dodging the giant claws by running & jumping from time to time. He let the drake spit another stream of magma at him but just as the attack was about to hit his body, he released the Void Realm dark magic spell.

Swoosh!

Everything in his 50 meter proximity quickly stopped moving including the gigantic drake as if the time itself stopped running in this place. Kahn dashed by its left side to quickly get past it. The spell currently worked only for 5 seconds so he didn't have any time to waste.

When the spell finally ended, the Drake regained control of its body, it shifted its gaze at Kahn again and spoke, "It's Ajak's skill! You really did steal his powers."

The magma drake's expression turned to that of rage as if Kahn had committed some sort of taboo; it charged at him with full speed and with more fervor this time. Everywhere the drake passed, small cracks were formed on the solid ground.

After running for a couple of minutes, Kahn finally reached the center of the grounds where the drake previously stood.

"Everyone, out!" commanded Kahn and one by one, hundreds of black figures jumped out of his shadow and quickly started getting in a defensive formation without wasting a single second.

His side now consisted of more than 850 subordinates and many being above Level 40. And since he had spent considerable resources on equipping them with proper gears and weapons, it was comparable to a battalion of well-equipped soldiers.

The first line of defense was Blackwall and the Minotaurs, followed by High Ogres, Hobgoblins, High Orcs and the Undead warriors under the lead of Jugram and Ceril. Ronin took the left flank with the goblin assassins & Oliver took the right with archer subordinates and the Nymphs.

Armin took the center while Omega & Kahn were in the back. This sudden emergence of these creatures even surprised the Drake Dungeon Boss and it stopped his charge.

"What kind of magic is this? They're neither undead and nor are summoned creatures.." spoke the drake in confusion.

At this moment, Kahn didn't waste time answering their attacker. He and Ronin released the fear toxin from their hands at full capacity and started filling the surrounding with the fear toxin.

"You dare to fight back you pathetic vermin!" shouted the drake and charged at the Kahn's army!

A barrage of water & frost spells landed on the body of the ginormous drake and a volley of arrows fell on it.

Blackwall taunted the drake to attack him and put his new shield in the front after activating all of his defensive skills. Ceril on the other hand started launching the Shadow Blades at the dungeon boss that had so much destructive power.

Omega, whose job was to protect Kahn at this moment stood in between him and the enemy.

ROAR!!

The drake roared in anger after surviving through the barrage of attacks. But amongst all of them, only the shadow blades did some actual damage as the scaly hide was simply too strong and fortified to break through. Even the water & frost spells and attack only managed to push it back a little but soon they evaporated from the extremely high temperature coming from the gigantic monster's body.

"Die you insects!" bellowed the drake and stormed in front of the defensive formation. With a single swipe of its giant claws, it broke through the first line of defense and even flung many of the minotaurs and Ogres right inside the lava. Their wails reached Kahn's ears as one by one, the subordinates were melting and burned alive helplessly inside the pool of magma that was coming out of the ground.

The drake roared and sonic booms from its mighty war cry shook the surroundings and many of the subordinates lost their footing. It jumped right in the middle of the formation and started attacking the hundreds of enemies without any care of being hurt. It was extremely agile and strong, opposite of what one would expect from such a ginormous figure.

The magma drake swung its tail and swatted dozens of subordinates in the ground and broke many skeleton soldiers into pieces.. Just in the matter of a minute, Kahn had already lost more than a hundred subordinates by either getting killed under the attacks from the gigantic drake or getting burned alive from the magma pools surrounding the battlefield.

It didn't even take 10 minutes before only 10% of Kahn's original army remained. Kahn himself saw the dungeon boss decimating Ceril, Jugram and Blackwall in the ground and killing them on the spot with magma that it spit out of its mouth.

Omega charged and attacked the drake with shredder claws but they couldn't even go past its defenses while the toxin fog didn't do anything because it got evaporated from the bodily heat before even reaching the dungeon boss.

Kahn who was attacking with darkblade did some minor damage but it wasn't enough. He'd need to attack the same place over few dozen times before his attacks even made a significant damage. His darkness barrier, the biggest protective spell shattered in seconds from the magma attacks of this gigantic beast while his Somir scales were already cracking from the tail swipe attacks he barely managed to survive from.

Little by little, everyone including Omega died by the hands of the drake as it cut and ripped their bodies apart.. Kahn on the other hand wasn't faring any better.

All of his subordinates were defeated.. All his attack skills including the darkblade, fear toxin and poison acid proved useless in front of the dungeon boss.

He thought that he had prepared for the unexpected.. But greatly failed in front of it anyway.

BERSERK GOD MODE!

He activated his life-saving skill and attacked the drake with all his might using his sword and launched dark magic spells and attacks one by one.. But even they didn't cut down the Magma drake and only made it bleed with bright yellow blood that appeared no different than the blistering magma.

THWACK!

Kahn was yeeted away by the tail swipe attack and his body was thrown 200 meters away despite defending against the attack.

His Somir scales started crumbling one by one.. If not for them, he would've been roasted alive.

Just before he could get up, his body gave up and he dropped on the ground with his face & torso bleeding profusely. The effect of the Berserk God Mode had finished and now he was suffering from the aftermath. He had entered a weakened state and didn't even have the strength to lift his head.

"Is this my true end.." thought Kahn. He cursed himself for thinking that he would be able to fight whatever that was thrown in front of him just because he had an army of nearly a thousand soldiers. But the Saint rank monster was in a completely different league.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

The dungeon boss that was standing 200 meters away started walking towards Kahn's fallen body with a bored expression as if Kahn didn't even meet its expectations and gave a good fight.

Kahn's body started giving up and his consciousness started fading.

But suddenly, an alarming sound came from his mind!

[System is unable to control the subordinate! The host must maintain his consciousness!] alarmed the system.

The next second however.. A giant burst of black smoke was released from his body and completely filled the surrounding 100 meters in just seconds. Even the magma drake faltered in its footsteps as it felt a dangerous aura coming out of this seemingly weak creature.

A ground-shattering and terrifying screech was released from inside of Kahn's body as a visible black aura soon filled the entire battlefield.

Kahn heard an Ancient and Domineering voice in his head for the first time. This voice was unknown to him since he never heard it before. The majestic and tyrannical voice spoke to him.

[You're still so weak and pathetic, human!]

BOOM!

BOOM!

The entire battlefield shook as if a bolt of lightning was dropped in the middle of it.

A gigantic and extremely long black creature suddenly appeared in front of Kahn's unconscious body.. And the figure was something that hadn't appeared ever since Kahn left the forest.

The figure had two long and pointy horns.. Its eyes were burning yellow and two giant fangs came out of its mouth. This black creature was even longer than the magma drake and its height was no lesser than the dungeon boss.

SCREECH!!!

An ear-deafening and shrill war cry was heard and even the drake, who was a descendent of the mighty dragon race felt an immense threat coming from the creature that stood in front of it.

A ginormous figure of a Basilisk stood in the middle of the battlefield and stared at the dungeon boss as if it was looking at a weak prey. And the figure being none other than..

RUDRA!

Chapter 94: The Archenemy

Two ginormous figures.. Each one of them belonging to a superior species in the existence of this world. Both figures filled half of this battleground among the mangled, burnt flesh and broken bones of Kahn's subordinates.

All of them were dead.. whether it was Omega, Blackwall, Ronin, Ceril & Oliver. Not a single one of them survived and were brutally killed by this magma drake. Those who were the most loyal to him had already done their best to fight by his side and gave their lives to protect him.

But now, the only being who stood in between him and the inevitable death was this gigantic Basilisk who hadn't even acknowledged Kahn as its master.

HISSSS!!!

Rudra, the Variant Basilisk that Kahn had created using the dead body of the mother Somir & her eggs to repent for taking their lives had finally reappeared after staying silent for too long. It had already been more than a month ever since the tyrannical and majestic creature had a chance to make an entrance.

Although Kahn had to rely on Rudra for few days inside the forest when they had to build up their strengths and increase their levels. But when Kahn came to Flavot city, he couldn't take out this subordinate because it was simply too big and there weren't many occasions he required help from this basilisk who didn't even have any loyalty towards its creator.

But as things stood now, it was the only thing that prevented his confirmed death as Kahn still laid on the ground unconscious and completely oblivious to what was happening.

"What kind of foul scented creature are you?" spoke the magma drake as he felt some sort of unexplainable hatred towards the basilisk that was about as same height as itself.

"Silence! An inferior beast dares to insult me?!" bellowed Rudra. There existed no language barrier as if these creatures were talking to each other telepathically and shared some sort of understanding towards each other.

"Get out of my way! I must kill that invader." roared the drake and stared at Rudra.

"You dare command me?! A weakling wishes to provoke my wrath?!" screeched Rudra at the drake and his eyes glimmered yellow again.

"My life is bound to this weak human. So if you want to kill him, I'll have to see whether you're worthy of killing me first." declared Rudra.

Even if Rudra had an advantage in terms of Rank & Bloodline purity and even had the same size as the dungeon boss, he still had to be wary of the drake because he was currently level 62 while the drake as per Kahn's standards would be around level 82.

The difference between rank and bloodline was made up with the difference in levels and attributes. In terms of physical strength, both of them were at equal stats because Drake was only a low level descendant of the Dragons while Rudra had 50% pure Basilisk bloodline.

But this didn't make Rudra feel fearful of the opposition in any way.

Although none of these ginormous figures were some mindless beasts but intelligent and sentient beings belonging to noble species of this world, they still felt an enmity as which strong creature didn't want to fight someone as strong as them and set their dominance.

For some unknown reason, both these creatures felt a sense of rivalry and inborn hatred towards each other.

If Kahn was to be still conscious, he'd understand the reason why. Because from the various books he read about different monsters and species in the world so far, he had come to know a little bit of information about the Godbeasts that were nothing but myths at this point.

According to the folklores and ancient historical archives, the Basilisks that were one of the five ancient godbeasts and the mighty dragon race were actually lifelong enemies and had fought wars with each other for thousands of years before both sides greatly diminished their numbers. Which also paved a way for many other species to evolve and get stronger with time.

So killing or protecting Kahn was just an excuse. Because one way or another, these creatures were going to fight against each other sooner or later.

"Prepare for your death, obnoxious beast!" declared Rudra and dashed towards the drake as he slithered extremely quickly.

Thud! Thud!

Crack! Crack!

The magma drake ran and charged towards to face the enemy head-on and several cracks were formed on the ground.

BOOM!!!

Two ginormous figures collided against each other and a loud sonic boom of their grand and sturdy bodies banging against each other shook the entire floor.

SCREECH!!!

An ear-deafening screech from Rudra created ripples of waves and the basilisk bared and bit with its fangs. He bit the highly defensive and burning hide of the magma drake that was leaking magma from small outlets.. The wounds that were previously made by Kahn.

The drake quickly swung its giant and sharp claws against Rudra's black and fortified layer of the scales. It even tried to bite Rudra's skin but soon, both sides realized that their enemy was extremely strong and had a very tough body that was hard to penetrate through just physical attacks.

The drake quickly gathered the magma in its mouth spew it on Rudra's body.

HISSS!

Rudra hissed loudly and jerked his body, when he looked back at the scales that were attacked with this spray of magma, he saw that his lustrous black and impenetrable scales were slightly damaged.

Rudra released his Dominator's Aura and a pitch-black yet very heavy pressure was exerted in the 200 meters surrounding, making it hard for the drake to swiftly move.

"You'll pay for this!" he bellowed and suddenly, spat a spray of dark green liquid at the magma drake!

Corrosive Acid!

It was Rudra's innate skill that was an evolved version of Somir's poison acid.. Far more destructive and lethal.

Sizzle! Sizzle!

ROAR!!

The drake roared in anger as the Corrosive Acid almost took out a outermost layer of its hide that was extremely hard to even make a scratch on.

The next second, both the sides took a step back and the interaction of gauging their enemy's strength was done.

But unlike what one would expect, Rudra didn't wait up for a chance and frantically charged at the drake again and encircled its entire body with his own and this time, he threw up more corrosive acid on the drake's head and neck!

WRRAAAAHHH!!!

Wailed the gigantic drake and haphazardly swung its claws and tail to beat Rudra.

Clang! Thud! Bang!

The clashing noises of the two dangerous and terrifying creatures filled the entire floor as their massive bodies hit each other again and again.

Rudra wasn't even afraid of getting hurt, more likely.. The basilisk was enjoying the battle despite getting injured and a part of his body getting burnt and receiving deep wounds.

Unlike Kahn, who prioritized on defending from and attacking an enemy at the same time, Rudra used his body and tail to straight-up swat and whip the drake without caring for the injuries he was receiving from the volcanic body that was leaking magma and was extremely hot to burn trees just by passing close to them.

"HA HAH AHA HA! More!!" a devious and menacing laugh came from the basilisk as if a sadist was looking at his target and getting exhilarated by imagining how he would torture them.

The groundbreaking and brutal battle carried on for the next half an hour. Both the ginormous creatures were glaring at it each other with murderous intent, their eyes filled with anger. Both of them were wounded and bleeding profusely from many openings on the body as their respective skills and attack were like bane to each other.

Rudra was bleeding mainly from the lower part of his body where the area was exposed and wasn't covered with the scales, while the drake dungeon boss was leaking yellow hot blood that was sizzling & evaporating with time from various wounds on its back and legs. It had already lost an eye because of Rudra's Corrosive Acid.

But the basilisk on the other hand was getting even more fierce and excited as the battle went on.. Giving no room for breathing.

For the first time in its life, the magma drake fought an enemy it couldn't kill with a single attack or trample over it effortlessly.

On the other side of the battlefield, a body of a human finally showed signs of moving after feeling the tremors and noises coming from the ongoing battle that shook the ground and created shockwaves.

"Ugh.. What's happening?" asked Kahn to himself and tried to get up. Since he was in a weakened state, he barely had the strength to get up.

Kahn quickly took out a high-grade health & stamina recovery potion and gulped down the entire bottle in a single go. Only when he felt like regaining some strength in his body, his eyes landed on the ongoing battle.

Kahn lied against the nearby boulder and looked at the battle of the kings.

[So he finally decided to show up.] spoke Kahn to himself.

After another ten minutes of intense battle, both sides came to halt and maintained a distance.

"Finally, I've fought a worthy opponent." spoke the drake.

"I cannot say the same." replied Rudra and suddenly, his pupils and iris enlarged as he looked right in the remaining eye of the magma drake.

"What?!" spoke the drake but suddenly, everything around it turned into a blur and darkness surrounded the dungeon boss.

Kahn who was far away from this battleground quickly recognized what was happening.

The magma drake could no longer see anything other than the pitch-black surrounding and the light that was fading away each second. Its body started going numb and the ginormous monster stopped moving as if it had lost all the control over its nerves.

But soon, it felt like something was slowly wounding over its body and the grip it exerted was increasing little by little. The drake wanted to move but it couldn't.. His own body wasn't listening to the mind and let go of all the struggle to even retaliate against this extremely clenched & tight hold on its body.

Soon, the body fell on the ground but the chocking on its neck was increasing at an extremely fast pace.. It could no longer breathe properly.

A dark and grim black aura covered its body and the only thing he saw next was two gigantic yellow snake-like eyes staring right through it as if an unparalleled tyrant was looking at a weak subject.

HISSS!!!

The drake heard a loud hiss and finally came to its senses and noticed that his entire body was coiled over by the gigantic basilisk and unable to even move its legs.

Kahn knew what actually happened.. It was one of the gigantic basilisk's innate skills that he had seen before when they hunted many creatures inside the Abyss forest. The ability that made even their enemies willingly surrender and put down their guard..

The Hypnosis Gaze!

Unlike Kahn's Executioner's Gaze, the Hypnosis Gaze didn't paralyzethe enemy on the spot but completely broke the mind and body connection of the enemies and blinded them as if they were inside a completely different world. Making them confused and unable to see the approaching enemy.

The drake had finally fallen for Rudra's Hypnosis Gaze ability. And before it could even speak another word.

RIP!!!

Rudra bit and ripped the dungeon boss's head off of the body. Its ginormous figure had slumped down after the Magma Drake lost its life.

And thus, the victor of this battle was decided.

RUDRA.. THE DOMINATOR!