Becoming the Dark Lord

Layla was practicing with her bow at the top of the temple stairs, aiming at targets she had set up far away among the village houses. She missed a few shots here and there. The distance was brutal, and she was training how to burn stamina to push her range farther.

“Nice shot, Layla. You hit it,” Charlie said.

Charlie had become her friend. She was far sweeter than Angie, with a genuinely pure heart. Layla had taken it upon herself to make Charlie see the truth about that bastard.

“Why does that mascot call us rats, but calls only the bastard ‘human’?” Layla asked.

The mascot stayed a short distance away, always refusing the cores they collected. Most of the time, he stared at the temple door. Whenever the bastard came out, the creature would immediately run off and pretend it had not been watching at all, then sneak after him anyway.

“The little guy is weird,” Charlie said.

She went back to adjusting the tents. She did that every day, even when everything was already perfectly set.

“Why do you wear that maid outfit, Charlie?” Layla asked.

“Master Luke likes maid uniforms.”

That bastard is a damn fetishist on top of everything else.

Using the poor girl to satisfy his fetishes. That somehow made him even worse. A monster.

“Why do you do it, Charlie? What do you see in that guy?” Layla asked. She had to help her friend realize what he really was.

Charlie’s face turned red like a tomato. “I-I-I like Master Luke.”

“I know that, Charlie.”

No one put on a maid outfit and did the things she did without liking the person.

“But what do you see in him? What’s so special about that guy?”

“Master Luke is really cute.”

Layla froze. Her bow slipped from her hand and hit the stone.

“Cute?”

That guy? Cute? That guy?

Layla stared at her, completely stunned.

Charlie covered her face with both hands. “It’s really cute when Master Luke is focused on something, thinking, talking, or doing anything at all.”

Layla came to a grim conclusion. Charlie was seriously unwell.

Angie suddenly appeared beside her, making Layla jump. “You almost scared me to death!”

“Charlie, my new class just appeared. It awakened,” Angie said.

New class? A familiar could have a class?

“Now I’m a—”

***

Cassandra was reading the reports. With each passing day, things were getting worse. More and more support was flowing to the baron from people coming through the Rift.

“We don’t have a choice,” she said. “Sitting here does more harm than good. The more time passes, the more prepared he becomes.”

Inside her tent were people she trusted, military leaders of the kingdom. She did not place the same faith in the mercenaries. Someone had been leaking information to the enemy. Bill’s operation, even though it went against her orders, had been exposed. If Cassandra herself had carried out that mission, she would have walked straight into a trap.

“Wasn’t the kingdom supposed to help us?” one of the sergeants asked.

“And it is sending soldiers,” Cassandra replied. “The problem is that they don’t really know what’s happening here, or how well this operation was set up. The troops stationed at the portals might not be completely reliable. They could be traitors, just like the baron. It’s also possible that on the other side, the reports sent back to the kingdom claim everything is under control.”

It was a real possibility. They were effectively cut off, trapped like hostages.

“And there’s still a traitor among us,” she continued. “I’m talking about a soldier, not just a mercenary.”

The baron had sent back Bill’s head, along with those of other soldiers who had tried a stealth attack through the cavern network. There had been a note attached: “I thought you would have come with them.”

“He might have written that just to throw us into confusion and turn us against each other,” Peter said. “Think about it. Discord is a powerful weapon.”

Even so, how had the baron known the group was moving through the caves? Was there truly a traitor among them, or had the surprise attack simply failed on its own?

“I’m done wasting time,” Cassandra said. “We’re doing exactly what the enemy wants. It’s time we strike back. At least the alchemists’ attacks have stopped.”

When the meeting ended, Cassandra returned to her tent. She walked carefully, paying close attention to the soldiers standing guard, watching them more closely than before. Inside, she pulled a Spirit Tool from her storage item. A claymore. The weapon had never been sent to the kingdom. She had kept it for herself.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

All right, Miles. If you want war, then war it is.

Cassandra was versatile in every combat style and could wield a Spirit Tool better than anyone else. Thanks to her Rank Skill, she understood how such weapons truly worked.

[Steel Pride (Rank F)]: Born from the desire to live up to the expectations of one’s idols and the pride in one’s own ability. When wielding a weapon for the first time, you instinctively grasp how it functions and can use it effectively, even without prior training.

***

Luke’s hand throbbed, burning like fire, and the glow that spilled from it revealed a figure. A man with a sharp goatee, a black cloak, a pair of horns rising from his forehead, and eyes green as a serpent’s.

“Asmodeus?” Azazel asked.

“Hello, Azazel.”

What is happening? Asmodeus… that name is familiar. I think it was on that list of gods I was given. The invitations.

Vaelor drew his sword. “Who are yo—”

Asmodeus snapped his fingers, and the world drained of color. Everything turned gray. “There. I froze time for that one. Now the three of us can talk without interruptions.”

Azazel crossed his arms. “What are you doing here, Asmodeus?”

“Oh, come on, Az. After all this time, that’s how you greet me?” Asmodeus replied.

Azazel turned to Luke. “Luke, did you accept anything from someone strange?”

“Accept something?”

“Did you greet anyone with a strange name?”

“I greeted… a lot of people,” Luke said.

Asmodeus suddenly transformed into a hunched old man, coughing violently. “Pleasure. I’m also known as the Hanged Man.” He shifted again, returning to his horned form. “Or the Man in Black.”

Luke looked at his hand and remembered the old man.

“I left it with him through one of my followers,” Asmodeus continued. “Someone with a special kind of connection that would activate if you showed up. And look at that, Az, you showed up. I took my time coming, but I think I arrived just in time for our little family reunion.”

“Family reunion?” Luke asked.

“Luke, this is Asmodeus,” Azazel said flatly. “One of my greatest enemies and also… your uncle.”

“Greatest enemies?” Asmodeus scoffed. “Come on, little brother. I at least deserve ‘archenemy.’”

Azazel raised a hand. A black sphere formed above Asmodeus, and in the next instant he was yanked upward, crushed into a spray of blood, and vanished.

“What just happened?” Luke asked.

“I threw him into a black hole,” Azazel replied calmly. “Come on, we need to begin your fusion process. But first, I need to isolate this dimension. Asmodeus is a bit… persistent.”

Before Azazel could snap his fingers, Asmodeus crawled back out of the black hole. Half his body was raw flesh, but it regenerated rapidly, his clothes reforming along with it.

“Seriously, Az? I come here in peace and you treat me like that?” Asmodeus said as he leapt free, pointing a hand before flames swallowed him and then faded.

“I heard you indirectly tried to kill Luke,” Azazel said, arms crossed.

Tried to kill me?

“Oh, come on, don’t make that face,” Asmodeus said. “Do you know how many times I tried to kill you, Az? He’s family. That kind of thing is normal, right, nephew?”

Luke stayed silent.

“See?” Asmodeus said with a grin. “If he doesn’t disagree, that means he agrees.” He straightened his jacket, tearing off a loose chunk of regenerating flesh.

“Did you try to kill my son or not?” Azazel asked.

“And who didn’t try to kill him in that tutorial, Az?” Asmodeus shot back. “It’d be easier to list who didn’t. Remember those idiots from Haven? Or the Renegades? Or Bastion? I had to watch that nonsense drag on forever. Am I really at fault for wanting it to end faster?”

“And Jonathan?” Azazel asked.

Jonathan? What does he have to do with this?

“Jonathan?” Asmodeus paused. “Ah… right. Yeah, I think there was a guy like that. That one? I’ll take responsibility for.”

Asmodeus raised one hand in a mock gesture of surrender. “Easy. I came in peace. Ancient history and all that. I even brought a drink. The three of us have a lot to talk about.”

The demon stepped closer to Luke, and before Luke could react, Asmodeus was already beside him. A heavy hand landed on his shoulder and yanked him in with effortless strength. Luke tried to pull away, but it was useless.

“How about we share a drink, nephew?” Asmodeus said cheerfully. “You, me, and this grumpy old man. I could tell you stories from back when he was a baby demon, still wearing diapers.” He tilted the bottle toward Luke’s mouth. “Or better yet, why don’t you ditch him and come with me? I own some of the most famous brothels in the multiverse. Actually… I own an entire brothel planet.”

A brothel planet? That’s a thing?

“Of course it is,” Asmodeus replied, having read Luke’s thoughts. “It’s basically a resort, man.”

Azazel appeared beside them in an instant, his expression chilling. “Do not touch my son.”

Asmodeus immediately let go of Luke and took a few steps back. “All right, I get it. You’re still upset about that whole ‘I tried to kill him’ thing.” He raised both hands. “But I’m here to help this time.”

He handed the bottle to Azazel. “See? It’s not just booze. This one’s special. I’ve been listening in on your conversations these past few days.”

“You were listening?” Luke asked.

“Ever since I placed a connection point on your hand, I can tune in whenever I want.” Asmodeus shrugged. “Family perks. Relax, I won’t spread it around. Attorney-client privilege and all that. Besides, I appreciate that you haven’t used that hand for anything except killing.”

He turned back to Azazel. “So? What do you think?”

“For free?” Azazel asked, studying the bottle.

“Just a single drop.”

“And the system allowed you to bring this here?”

“That’s why I said a drop,” Asmodeus replied smoothly. “Still, nothing comes without a price.”

“And what would that be?”

“A private conversation with you,” Asmodeus said.

Azazel considered it for a moment. Luke watched the bottle in Azazel’s hand.

“Fine,” Azazel said at last.

Whatever was inside that bottle, it was enough to interest someone like him.

***

Luke stepped out of the temple. Vaelor was still frozen in place, but at least it wasn’t the entire dimension. Just him. Azazel and Asmodeus were in the middle of a conversation, and Luke had been firmly told to wait outside.

“So, human,” Franky said.

“So, Franky,” Luke replied, sitting down near the temple doors.

“I wasn’t waiting for you or anything,” Franky added quickly. “It was just a coincidence that I happened to be here when you came out.”

“I’m sure it was,” Luke said.

A moment later, Angie appeared beside him.

“My lord,” she said, running up before stopping short. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine, Angie. Actually… something completely unexpected happened.”

“Unexpected?” she asked.

Luke thought about it, then shook his head. “It’s already been dealt with. Don’t worry.”

That was a conversation for another time, one that would require patience and fewer witnesses.

Angie opened her system interface. “I have news to share with you. My first class evolved, and my second class awakened.”