Chapter 331

Chapter 331

Lake Kingdom Dungeon, Zone 5, Fountain Square.

After parting ways with Ash and his party, Nameless silently roamed the darkness of Lake Kingdom.

Except for the The Dried Sewer, the persistent darkness of nightmares still oozed and swirled everywhere else, showing no signs of retreat.

Yet, Namelesss face was noticeably brighter.

Perhaps she had found a glimmer of hope within this endless darkness.

"You look happy, Nameless."

However, her once bright face instantly hardened at the sudden voice.

"Out of all the faces Ive seen over the last five hundred years, yours is the brightest. Found something good?"

"...

Nameless slowly turned her head toward the direction of the voice.

She didnt draw her sword. She knew who it was.

"Its been a long time since we met here."

Formal respect flowed from Namelesss mouth.

"Crown."

Emerging from the dark alley was a man in jester attire wearing a smiling maskCrown.

After briefly staring at his masked face, Nameless slowly removed the hood of her robe and bowed respectfully.

The revised honorific flowed from her lips.

"No... Brother."

"..."

Brother.

The resonance of that word was so unfamiliar and tender that Crown involuntarily shuddered.

- Brother!

Suddenly, Crowns eyes caught a glimpse of the scenery from five hundred years ago.

A huge pond from which splendid fountains spouted streams of water upwards. Above it lay a beautiful marble walkway.

When they met on this path, where the sunlight created small rainbows by striking water droplets, his younger sister greeted him with a respectful bow and then... smiled like a petal.

"..."

Closing his eyes briefly, the traces of that distant past had vanished.

Above the stinking dried pond were shattered, grotesque stones that remained as debris.

Instead of sunlight, compressed darkness was pouring down.

Above that, his younger sister stood with a sword on her back, wearing a tattered robe, her hair having turned white, and her body soiled with dirt, ash, and blood.

With an expressionless face.

Without a trace of that tender smile from those days.

"..."

Its a distant, really distant memory.

Now, its so far away that he doubted whether it was a dream or a real memory.

The princess and prince of a kingdom that fell into hell stood far apart and stared at each other for a moment.

"Call me Crown."

Crown, readjusting his mask, whispered.

"Like you offered your name and soul to the Goddess to gain power, I too have given my name and soul to a demon for strength. Theres no meaning in calling me by any other name."

Despite becoming Nameless by burning her own existence for power and losing her name,

She had stubbornly held onto a few memories, one of which was the fact that Crown was her brother.

That fact painfully disturbed Crown.

This pathetic man... his younger sister still treated him as her brother.

"...Alright, Crown."

Nameless, adhering to Crowns request, looked around her surroundings.

"Were you wandering here today for some business? Or did you come to meet me?"

"No. Its just a coincidence that our paths crossed."

Crown shrugged.

"The King of Kings has convened a War Council. He assigned me the task of summoning the Nightmare Legion commanders. So Im going around informing them about the meeting."

"Ho, a War Council..."

Namelesss eyes sharpened.

A regular meeting convened by the Demon King and his monstrous subordinates, summoning the Nightmare Legion commanders up to rank 10. The War Council.

In the past, Nameless had stormed into a meeting and disrupted it. Once again, her hand moved to the hilt of the sword on her back.

Crown waved his hand in disapproval.

"Planning to cause another ruckus? Just stop. Last time, you laid waste to the Kings Castle, but they recovered overnight, didnt they?"

"..."

"No matter how many of them you kill, the King of Kings will revive them. Dont waste your energy for nothing."

Since Crowns words were true, Nameless reluctantly pulled her hand away from her sword hilt. Still, her face seemed dissatisfied.

Crown continued to speak.

Someone had tied her hair while she had spent a day at Ashs mansion on her way back.

So, that person was...

- It was my pleasure.

...Who was it?

Her memory was already hazy.

Nameless shrugged and resumed walking. One lost memory among many.

The next monster onslaught was coming soon.

For Ash and the outside world, she needed to kill as many monsters as possible. She moved forward to fulfill her duty.

***

Walking along the road, Crown looked down at the list in his hand.

Nightmare Legion.

Originally a term for all monster commanders, but it eventually became a designation for the top ten monsters commanding the ten highest-ranking legions.

Crown raised his hand and scratched off several names on the list with his nail. Names of those he would need to summon for the war council.

Rank 10: Goblin God-King.

Rank 9: Slayer of the Full Moon.

Rank 8: Ghost Strategist.

Rank 7: Succubus.

Rank 6: Black Spider Queen.

Rank 5: Vampire King.

Rank 4: Lord of Plague.

Rank 3: Grand Sorcerer.

Rank 2: Demon Guardian Commander.

Rank 1: Black Dragon.

Maybe I should be grateful that three are already dead.

9th Lunared.

6th Orlop.

5th Celendion.

Ash had already killed these three.

Indeed, this Ash is different.

This Ash was exceptional. Perhaps he would achieve something remarkable.

But in the end... victory would belong to the Demon King.

Knowing this, Crown chose the path of submission under his rule.

Traitors do what traitors can, dear sister.

Recalling his sisters face, Crown smiled bitterly.

May you remain noble till the very end.

Yes, noble, even if just until the very end.

Because ultimately, everyone would fall into darkness.

***

At the same time.

Central Jail of Crossroad.

Mason was squeezing his massive, muscular frame into a narrow cell and was in the midst of a restless sleep.

Thud. Thud.

The approaching footsteps awoke Mason, who discreetly opened his eyes.

A knight in black armor stood outside the iron bars. A smile crept over Masons bearded lips.

"Good evening, Sir Lucas."

"...Mason."

Creak-

Lucas dragged a chair in front of the bars and sat down, his bright blue eyes twinkling.

"Ive considered the proposal you passed along... and I dont think its a bad idea."

The proposal Mason had relayed.

In other words, the message from Fernandez.

- If you uphold the ancient vow, all crimes committed by your family will be absolved, your honor restored, and your familys old fiefdom and wealth returned.

The ancient vow meant the vow of loyalty toward Fernandez, staked on the familys name.

"..."

Lucas closed his eyes, momentarily recalling the days of his youth. He then shot his blue gaze forward once again.

It was a cold, icy stare, the kind that seemed like it could freeze you with a mere glance.

"So, what exactly do you want me to do?"

Facing such a lord, a faint smile appeared on Masons lips.