Chapter 183: [Bonus chapter] Into the Nexus 2

Chapter 183: [Bonus chapter] Into the Nexus 2

[Bonus chapter for keeping me in top 20 powerstones/golden tickets]

Aldrich paused to stare at the Death Lord, noting the drastic changes to her.

One of her arms was completely gone, her robes hanging loosely around the

area. One of her shining, emerald green draconic eyes was gone, covered over

by a black eyepatch. Under the eyepatch, the hints of burned esh were visible.

One of the Death's Lord's black horns had been severed, crumbled down to the

base. All of the damage she took, it seemed, was localized to her right side. The

injuries stood in contrast to her regal robes, but she still proudly strutted about

as if nothing was wrong at all, showing her shapely legs under the slit of her

robes and putting out her chest with all the condence in the world.

"..." Valera side eyed Aldrich with a narrow gaze.

"What happened to you?" said Aldrich.

"Oh, this?" The Death Lord looked down at her missing arm. "Nothing, really.

A sparring session with one of my Deathguard that turned a little intense."

"Your First Deathguard, I assume? That's the only one that could injure you like

this," said Aldrich.

Among the Death Lord's ve Deathguard, the number in the guard did not

indicate strength. Volantis, for example, was fth, but at his peak, when he

went on his warrior's journey to become stronger and obtained the [Hand of

the Blood God], he became the second or third strongest.

But the First Deathguard was no doubt the undisputed strongest. Rella the God

Slayer was her name. She was the estranged daughter of a High God called

Rathos who was basically the equivalent of Zeus in Elden World, and in raw

repower, she exceeded even the Death Lord with massive area of eect

lightning barrages.

"Rella does nd it dicult to control herself sometimes," nodded the Death

Lord. "But enough about my injuries, they hardly weaken me. How about I

introduce you to the much-needed changes I made to this pitiable space that

ignorant goddess deemed the 'Nexus?'"

"You're weakened, you say?" said Aldrich. "Then what happens if I challenge

you here and now? Do I have a chance to usurp your power all at once?"

"Hoh? You would approach me like that? Challenge me to now?" The Death

Lord smiled, baring her many sharp, draconic teeth.

"If taking down this snake is what you require-," Valera put her arm out to the

side and stood rmly by Aldrich's side, her cross-shield materializing around

her arm. "Then I will be happy to oblige, master."

"Hm. I may be weakened, Death Walker, but you are being too condent just

because you've received some power. Uncharacteristically condent," said the

Death Lord.

"It was just a hypothetical," said Aldrich.

"Heh, an interesting one to consider, my Death Walker, but patience. We will

have our destined battle soon. And you're not at full strength either, though,

are you?" said the Death Lord as she breathed out a ring of purple smoke that

oated towards Aldrich's helm. It would have landed on his white dot eye

before he batted the smoke out the way. "What did you do to my dear Volantis?

I allow him to serve you and he comes back like this. Poor thing."

"He'll be ne soon," said Aldrich. He looked around. "Where are the rest of my

units?"

"Ah, they are resting in the Nexus," said the Death Lord. She waved her pipe,

beckoning Aldrich forward. "Come, come! I am just dying to show you how

much I have changed things for the better! Oh, I am already dead, but you

understand what I mean."

The Death Lord strutted away, walking towards the imposing castle gate of the

towering Necropolis.

Valera held her shield tight still, but Aldrich put his hand on her shoulder. "It's

alright."

He started to follow the Death Lord. One thing he noted was that the Death Lord

was actually not that good at hiding her expressions and emotions in the way

that, say, Solomon Solar was. She was too expressive when her true appearance

was laid bare like this.

She probably relied on her enormous full body armor covered her face to make

her unreadable.

But Aldrich could tell she was not entirely comfortable with his questioning. It

was in the way her eyes shifted, in the way her serpentine tongue itted out in a

hint of displeasure, in the way her eye ever so slightly twitched, that he got the

idea that she was not exactly telling the truth of her injuries.

Aldrich did not press on further in this matter, though. The Death Lord was

probably never going to give him a straight answer, and so long as she did not

pose a direct threat, he could tolerate her.

Valera nodded, her shield dematerializing. She gave the spot where Aldrich had

touched a lingering, loving gaze, before quickly following behind Aldrich.

The Death Lord walked up to the bone decorated castle gate of the Necropolis

and waved her hand in front of it. The door crackled with green magical energy,

but it did not move.

"Ugh. My magic is still not what it was," said the Death Lord. "I will just do

this."

The Death Lord took her pipe between her ngers and cast a spell. "[Outer Mist

Phase]."

The smoke emanating from her pipe turned green, amplifying in mass into

clouds that covered Aldrich and Valera.

"You can aord to cast a 8th circle spell like this but not open a simple door?"

said Aldrich.

"You are quite critical of me today. I almost feel shy," said the Death Lord as

she made a mock gesture to hide the low cut of the robes that barely hid her

chest. "But alas, I am Lord of Death, and shame is not part of my being.

Now, take this warp with me to the Nexus. There, you may be reunited with the

rest of your budding Legion." The Death Lord ashed a mischievous smile.

"And quite the change to, well, everything in that accursed place ranging from

that dreary old smith to those putrid divine waters to the shadowy mannequin

of that disgusting light loving wench."