Chapter 5 - Confrontation in the Dark Castle

The corridors of the Demon King's Castle whispered with the echoes of a forgotten era as I and the rest ventured deeper into the heart of the ancient castle.

The air, heavy with the scent of dampness and history, seemed to cling to me as I moved toward the source of an otherworldly disturbance.

As I approached the ominous opera room, a haunting melody reached my ears, carried by the mournful notes of a choir.

"Ge is terrified! What is this somber and scary song?"

"It's ominous."

The Necromancer went on high alert while glancing toward the shadowy figure that approached them in an unstable manner.

Crackle! Boom!

The thunder crackled with eerie energy, illuminating the tall figure of a feminine humanoid while adorned with a long armored dress, and the aura of it exuded a depraved otherwordly sensation.

In the grand hall, a lifeless marionette emerged from the darkness, its porcelain face eternally frozen in sorrow like a maiden waiting for someone to free her from the pain.

The strings that manipulated its limbs shimmered with an ethereal glow as it began to sing a song that resonated with the melancholy of the Castle itself.

The Necromancer and the Skydream Ice Worm, sensing the rising tension, tried to intervene, but an unseen force emanating from the Demon Realm restrained them.

"Ugh?! What is this? Ge is getting sapped!"

"These chains... are absorbing my strength?"

Their forms wavered as if held captive by the very essence of the castle.

Huo Yuhao walked into the stage while the Marionette, who had an emotionless look, nestled with cracks throughout its body.

It had a glowing purple energy pulsating throughout its body.

"The nauseating smell of corruption." I frowned.

'Ajetus'

I grabbed the materialized Demonic Spear before taking a long defending stance. It was an unknown opponent. So, it was best to analyze her first.

The marionette's movements were swift and unpredictable, its hidden blades flashing with deadly intent.

Thung!

As I blocked the long sickle from its hand rest.

I frowned before stabilizing myself in poise.

I almost lost balance within that second, which was a deadly weakness and a precursor of defeat.

I didn't know what strength I had in comparison to other Spirit Masters.

But, I wasn't ordinary since I was 3 times stronger than the average Spirit Master.

'At most, this Marionette is a Spirit Ancestor at the 4th Ring.'

"Watch out!" Ge yelled.

'Sh*t.'

It suddenly appeared from my back, as I quickly materialized the Gauntlets, the sound of metal colliding resounded strongly, and four sickles from both of its hands revealed a deadly gleam. 

I was sent hurling from the ceiling while numerous afterimages of the Marionette throughout the ball room threw blades of darkness towards me.

"!"

Swish- Swish- Swish-

"Hey! You're not dead yet are you?!" 

"..."

Amid the smoke of the bellowing tense situation.

The smoke cleared revealing a figure of a boy, blue-hair, with gleaming crimson eyes filled with annoyance.

I stood steadfastly while black blood leaked from the slice wounds from the Marionette's blades.

Black blood was the result of the corruption doing its filthy business of infiltrating the body to corrupt it.

But, of course. To me, it was just a prickle of constant burn.

There was a burning sensation permeating through my body as I felt the negative emotions taking hold.

"Ha... not bad." I smiled.

'I found a worthy opponent to test my strength.'

I planted the Demonic Spear to the ground and summoned a powerful Divine Sword.

'Lucifer.'

A dark sword materialized into my hands, it had a beautiful appearance with a mystical power that would send shivers to anyone.

It was also inlaid with runes and the divine dark energy floating like a halo on the crossguard.

"What a powerful Divine Weapon. Just who are you really?" The Necromancer asked in a trembling tone.

"... I am the Demon King. The being who once ruled this world. From this forth, I shall be your, master. For you have connections to my soul." I smirked at the shocked duo and turned to look at my opponent.

'Lucifer.'

I glanced at the godlike weapon. It held an ancient history of glory in the once tumultous divine realm.

The Divine Sword, Lucifer. Forged in the fires of primordial creation.

It contained the being of the Chieftain Angel, the Right Hand of God, and the embodiment of celestial authority.

His responsibility was to maintain the balance of the cosmos and the celestial order.

But, when he became prideful of his power. He rebelled against God.

While relying on the might of his transcendental speed and unerring precision.

It was a sword that never miss.

The Marionette only tilted its head at the sword, with the corruption energy alerting it the potential dangers.

It then faced the ceiling and sang a choir similar to the 'Sie Liebten Sich Beide 4th Movement.' Hamlet Play Song.

The sorrowful choir it sang seemed to reverberate in his mind, attempting to sow seeds of doubt and confusion. But, I easily warded it off.

The Demon King's will and determination surged within me, providing me a shield against the psychological assault.

"Hmph!"

Despite the unsettling mental distortion, I fought against the tide of the marionette's flying crescent waves.

"The same move won't work twice!" 

As my eyes glowed with a radiant crimson glow.

I smiled in excitement before unsheathing the Divine Sword, Lucifer, with immeasurable quantities of sword strikes.

It destroyed all of the dark crescent waves.

"This is ridiculous..." Ge couldn't believe its eyes.

"I can't follow his sword path. What is this? Even the great sword masters of my era, could not match this. Such martial finesse, masterful movement, and that willpower... is he truly just a child?" The Necromancer admired, with mouth agape.

"The Demon King..." The Necromancer soon started to understand.

Soon, the Marionette sped up and continued to hurl black crescent waves, with its afterimages, it soon numbered in the hundreds.

I moved with a dancer's grace, evading the swift blasts, and sliced off the crescent waves that stood in my way while maintaining my concentration at maximum.

The scene was like a play of an opera, as both the Marionette and Huo Yuhao danced while the spectators, the Skydream Ice Worm, and the Necromancer watched the moving scenario with immersion not wanting to miss out on anything.

They have never seen such a unique symphonic artistry battle between a master swordsman and a machine filled with hidden weapons.

In the second phase of the battle, the marionette's hastened and unstable vocal song echoed through the opera room.

But, this contrast created a unique symphony that displayed the desperate battle.

Spikes materialized from the shadows, creating a deadly barrier that limited my range of motion.

Each movement became a test of endurance as I navigated through the lethal maze.

"It's useless!"

I stomped on the ground, causing a crater and fissures to appear, shattering the dark spikes.

I lunged forward while dodging and cleaving through the sea of crescent waves, as the Marionette stepped back to keep a distance.

As the black crescent waves of blades reached the thousands. The consumption of spirit energy too increased dramatically.

I swung Lucifer without even needing to care about the distance. All of the attacks similar to an air slice reached the Marionette breaking through its tough armor through numbers of strikes I could no longer count.

Wounds marked my body as I pressed forward, the marionette's blades leaving their mark while the Godhand did its best to recover my present injuries.

Yet, fueled by sheer willpower, I endured the pain while pushing through the spikes and the crescent waves while approaching the Marionette, with each step.

The Symphony of Shadows, as the marionette's choir became known, intensified, but my blade, which was fast as light, sliced millions of times just to break the blockades and the crescent waves.

The Marionette had a perpetual source of energy from the Demon Realm as seen from the energy that continued to swirl around it.

'I have to end this. I am losing too much spirit energy.'

In a final, decisive moment, I summoned the Demonic Spear, Ajetus, a manifestation of the Deathbringer.

One pierce to the heart, one life.

I pointed the spear toward the Marionette's shattered guard, which revealed the purple core, and threw Ajetus.

The dark comet spear throw cleaved through the marionette's defenses, tearing through the strings that bound it.

The Marionette tried to struggle free, but the Godhand's Dark Energy with Lucifer's light speed and perfect precision attacks incapacitated the movement of the Corrupted Marionette.

With an accurate strike from the Demonic Spear, it pierced the core of the corrupted puppet, the marionette collapsed.

"It's over." 

I coldly looked down at the defeated opponent.

As the marionette disintegrated, the restraining force that held the Necromancer and the Skydream Ice Worm released them.

"That was amazing! Ge is lucky to have chosen such a powerful spirit master!" The Skydream Ice Worm's eyes glowed in excitement.

"..." The Necromancer was silent, lost in his thoughts.

The atmosphere in the opera room shifted, and the grandeur of the once-darkened space began to wane.

The Giant Door, adorned with ancient symbols, opened before me.

The Necromancer and the Skydream Ice Worm, now free, gazed upon the unfolding scene.

I approached the throne, a seat of power that seemed to resonate with my very essence.

As I sat upon the dark ivory throne, a black crown materialized, adorned with a single ruby representing the Sin of Gluttony.

'This must be the Godhand. The core consciousness of the Demon Realm.'

I sensed the familiar power of the Godhand, as I leisurely sat at the throne. 

'It's time to clean this place up first. It's way too filthy and desolate.'

Snap.

The Castle's torches flickered to life at a snap of my fingers.

I surveyed the surroundings, and with a snap of my finger, the once-mountainous Castle was cleansed, and the rooms were tidy.

The echoes of the past were replaced with a renewed energy, and the dark atmosphere lifted.

"Find your own rooms," I instructed the Necromancer and the Skydream Ice Worm, who were still processing the events that had unfolded.

With a wave of my hand, torches guided them to chambers that were once hidden in the shadows.

The Castle, now under my influence, seemed to acknowledge its new master.

Satisfied, I reclined on the throne, the black crown atop my head.

The Castle's torches bathed the room in a warm glow as I closed my eyes, allowing the consciousness within the Demon Realm to merge with the waking reality.

As I drifted into a deep slumber on the throne, the Castle stood as a silent witness to the rebirth of a power that had long slumbered in the shadows, now awakened and ready to shape the destiny that lay ahead.

.

.

.

I blinked my eyes open, the remnants of the surreal experience in the Demon Realm still lingering in my mind.

The vibrant hues of Star Dou Forest greeted me, a stark contrast to the enigmatic shadows of the castle I had just left behind.

As I pushed myself up from the ground, the grass beneath my fingers felt real and grounding.

Tang Ya and Bei Bei were crouched beside me, their expressions a study in contrasts.

Tang Ya's eyes widened with exaggerated worry, her voice laced with genuine concern.

"Huo Yuhao, are you okay? Why were you unconscious at the entrance of Star Dou Forest?"

Her concern was almost comically intense, and I couldn't help but smile at the theatrics.

"I'm fine, Senior Xiao Ya. I fought with a spirit beast."

I assured her, returning her worried gaze with a reassuring one.

On the other hand, Bei Bei wore a calm expression, a silent acknowledgment that he already knew I was alright.

His eyes, wise and understanding, conveyed the nature of most introverts.

Although, they were both looking at my eyes in curiosity.

'Is it due to my eye color or my spirit level 20 cultivation?'

But, it seemed, that they refrained from asking due to their worries about what I had just encountered.

Probably thinking that I almost died to a ten-year old spirit beast.

"Little brother... what spirit beast did you fight? How did your spirit energy reached so high?" Bei Bei finally asked the question.

"Hm... it was a mental attribute spirit beast. It was strong."

"Mental attribute?" Tang Ya and Bei Bei glanced at each other.

"Yes, my martial soul is the spirit eyes. It's specifically a mental ability."

"There are circumstances where I cannot tell you. But, I can show you my spirit ring."

I unleashed my spirit ring. Somehow, it radiated with a purple hue.

"Huh? Bei, am I dreaming?" Tang Ya wiped her eyes and looked again.

"It's a thousand-year spirit ring?" Bei Bei, with mouth agape, exclaimed in a questioning doubt.

'My spirit ring is purple? Was it because I absorbed the Skydream Ice Worm's power that is at least a thousand-year age in spirit level?'

Spirit masters typically absorb younger spirit rings, but rare cases exist where they successfully absorb rings beyond the optimal age.

Normally, this could lead to severe injuries or death due to rejection.

Although most spirit masters typically absorb spirit rings at an age less than 423.

But, Huo Yuhao had an astonishing one-thousand-year spirit ring.

There were times when those spirit masters, who tried to absorb a spirit ring that exceeded their limits, suffered death or even perilous disabilities in the aftermath.

However, those with exceptional physiques, spiritual power, and willpower can increase their odds of success. This phenomenon lacks an official term but is colloquially referred to as "limit surpassing."

Then that simply meant that Huo Yuhao had a strong physique or he was highly compatible with the Spirit Beast. Tang Ya thought.

Tang Ya quickly went to my side and grabbed my shoulders, with glowing excited eyes.

"Huo Yuhao, join my Tang Sect! You'll be the first elder!"

"... Teacher Xiao Ya, we're the only ones in the Tang Sect."

"Shut up, Bei Bei! I was trying to convince him!"

"Um..." the discomfort coursed through me, but I didn't allow my urge to slap away Tang Ya's hands.

"The Tang Sect?" I asked while I pushed Tang Ya's body away from me, in a not too forceful manner.

Although I already knew, my memories were a little cloudy. So, a refresher would be nice.

As if Tang Ya had expected it.

She excitedly explains the Tang Sect, with Tang San as the first founder.

Tang San possessed a variety of techniques that would help Spirit Masters, greatly improve in their journey of cultivating.