Chapter 31: The King’s Return and a Vengeful Comrade

Beneath the blood-red sky of the Corroded Realm, a single, jet-black castle stood tall, exuding an eerie sense of oppression.

Upon closer inspection, one would notice the ground before the castle was riddled with craters. Indeed, this was the battlefield where Mo Ya had drawn his last breath.

Yet now, no trace of the raging war remained. Only shattered walls and crumbling ruins bore witness to the conflict.

Suddenly, a lone figure appeared on this desolate land.

A black leather outfit perfectly accentuated her graceful figure. She approached the castle, pushing open its massive doors.

A sound of decay emanated from the opening doors, an unpleasant groan that caused her to furrow her brows slightly.

Her footsteps echoed through the castle’s interior. As she observed the dilapidated rooms around her, the woman couldn’t help but feel a surge of emotion.

Not long ago, this place had been entirely different.

The corridors stretched out like bottomless darkness. By the time the woman reached the end of the hall, some time had passed.

She pushed open the door at its terminus.

As the door swung open, the view dramatically expanded.

This was the palace, the King’s palace. Due to years of neglect, the red carpet covering the floor had turned a dark, grimy black, extending all the way to the throne.

Upon the throne, a man with short, silver-white hair was dozing, his hand propping up his head.

Hearing the sound of the door opening, he slowly opened his hazy eyes.

The woman knelt before him, a gesture of unwavering loyalty.

“Leader…”

The woman began to report something, but the man abruptly cut her off.

He seemed particularly displeased by the word ‘Leader’. With a casual flick of his wrist, he threw a blade he kept on his person.

The blade grazed the woman’s cheek, leaving a thin cut.

“Leader?”

Chilling killing intent emanated from the depths of the man’s eyes.

Almost instantly, the woman realized the impropriety of her words.

Perhaps in the past, this man had been their leader, but things were different now. She felt a profound sense of guilt for such a basic error, though she showed no sign of it on her face.

The woman wiped the blood from her cheek, then changed her address for the man.

“Zack, our great King.”

Upon hearing this title, Zack finally seemed to find a flicker of satisfaction.

This position was one he had fought hard to obtain, and so…

‘All of you must bow before my feet.’

His silver strands of hair trembled as he continuously toyed with the fringe across his forehead, a feeling of indescribable pleasure washing over him.

After a long silence, Zack finally noticed the woman still kneeling before him.

“Is there something you need, Leisina?”

“Yes.” Leisina had been waiting for Zack’s words. She rose from her kneeling position, straightening her knees as she stood before him. “The experimental subject’s life signs have disappeared.”

Zack stopped playing with his hair. His green pupils fixed on Leisina as she reported, a hint of confusion in his gaze.

“You didn’t come to me for such a trivial matter, did you? Experimental subjects are practically limitless.”

“Indeed, such a minor issue wouldn’t typically warrant reporting to the King. However… this particular experimental subject died in a rather unusual way.”

Zack shifted his weight onto the arm supporting him, leaning back against the throne, awaiting Leisina’s further report.

“It was killed by Corrosive Energy, and…”

Before she could finish, Zack suddenly stood up from the throne, his face alight with excitement.

This expression was a stark contrast to his previous imperious demeanor, making one wonder if Zack suffered from some form of split personality.

“Corrosive Energy? Really? How truly fascinating!”

“Your Majesty, please do not get so agitated,” Leisina stated calmly, attempting to steer the mercurial King back to the topic at hand.

She cleared her throat, then continued to present the facts.

“This Corrosive Energy, without a doubt, belongs to him.”

Zack’s movements ceased, his prior excitement seeming almost feigned. His emotions truly had become calm.

His pale green eyes fixed on Leisina. She felt as though she could see her own reflection in his gaze.

To say she wasn’t nervous would be a lie. However, having followed the King for so long, she could grasp some key points regarding his emotions.

“Are you… referring to *him*?”

Zack closed in on Leisina, his hands gripping her shoulders tightly.

“Yes, the former King of this very place.”

“Leisina, that’s impossible~ You might not know, but there’s absolutely no way he could still be alive.”

Zack slowly paced backward, moving as if doing the moonwalk, before settling back onto his throne.

“Because, a species like the Corroded, if they stay away from home for too long, remaining in the human world… their life and power will slowly deplete~ disappearing until nothing remains. Of course, there are ways to prolong their lives, but given that guy’s personality, he wouldn’t absorb negative emotions.”

His hand once again touched his fringe, his eyes full of mockery.

“But just in case…” Zack looked at Leisina, who awaited his instruction.

“Have him investigate the former King. I imagine he must be growing impatient, too.”

“Are you truly going to use him?”

“That’s right~”

“Understood.”

Leisina turned and departed. On the other side… the jet-black iron bars were opened.

A figure emerged from within, carrying the sweet scent of blood.

He had emerged, filled with endless resentment and excitement.

He yearned to personally slay the comrade who had once caused his death, the comrade he had trusted most.

He recalled that night, when his comrade had plunged a blade into his body.

‘Mo Ya, I’m coming for you. Don’t make me search too hard.’

***

The nightmare quietly ended as the morning sun cast its first rays, illuminating the ravaged forest.

Feng Ling, leaning against a tree, stirred slightly, slowly opening her eyes.

The first sunlight pierced her vision. She quickly stood, glancing around.

For some reason, even though the shadow had controlled her body, she had retained her consciousness from last night. She had even ‘seen’ the shadow ultimately being killed by Mo Ya.

‘Was it a dream…’

She couldn’t help but wonder. Her immediate priority, then, was to find Mo Ya.

But he was nowhere to be found. A hint of disappointment surfaced in the girl’s eyes, which began to mist over as she clutched a corner of her worn burlap clothing.

Just then, the rustling of leaves came from a tree branch behind her.

She turned her head excitedly. Mo Ya truly was lying on the tree branch, his gaze fixed on her.

Feng Ling clasped her hands together, a smile breaking through her tears. That, perhaps, was her most genuine smile.

Mo Ya found himself thinking this involuntarily, averting his gaze to the steadily rising sun.

“I found you.”

From below the tree, her voice rang out, reaching his ears.

‘Can’t be helped…’ Mo Ya offered a faint smile, responding to Feng Ling’s words.

“Indeed… you found me.”