The Shadow King continued to inquire, "The Undead... he looks like he's been alive for many years, only recently released by you?"

The conspiracy hidden in the shadows of history was within reach, and the Shadow King felt he was close to touching it, his pupils filled with scarlet blood threads.

"What exactly do you want to do?"

The visitor let out bursts of laughter without answering, continuing the game of chess and talking about other topics.

"Rather than worrying about these matters, you'd better care about yourself. The dead don't get the chance to witness all this."

The visitor inspected the Shadow King's decaying and corrupt body, feeling his gradually fading vitality. By normal logic, the Shadow King in front of him should have died long ago, yet he defied logic, maintaining an appearance of life, but merely clinging to a threadbare existence.

"You're a pretty good pawn; you possess those noble human qualities—focus, resilience, caution, never compromising..."

The visitor halted the chess game; amidst the writhing darkness, the Shadow King could clearly sense that descending gaze.

"Want to make another deal with me?"

The visitor extended an invitation to the Shadow King, who remained silent, gazing at the chessboard, his eyes penetrating time, tracing back to many years before.

Back then, he was just a child who could barely lift a sword, meeting the visitor on some indeterminate night and making a deal with him.

The visitor reversed the Shadow King's fate but also directed his destiny towards a deeper darkness.

"My soul, my shell, my everything..."

The Shadow King shook his head, his voice calm, bearing neither sorrow nor joy.

"I no longer have anything to offer you."

The visitor extended his hand, forcibly holding the Shadow King, demanding him to lift his head and gaze into the darkness.

"No, it's not like that; even if you've lost all your value, so what? You're still alive now; you can continue to generate value."

The visitor understood the Shadow King's thoughts, observing his growth, witnessing his rise from despair... He understood the Shadow King too well.

"You don't want it to end like this either, do you? I can see the desire in your eyes."

The visitor laughed, his voice hoarse and piercing, "You're also looking forward to this moment, aren't you? Eager for my grace to fall upon you again, granting you power, returning you to the battlefield..."

"Ah... you're a restless black goat. I knew it from the start."

The Shadow King coldly observed the darkness, allowing the pitch-black arm to remove his mask, the icy palm pressing against his rough, decaying face, followed by fingers forcibly prying open his eyelids, exposing his eyeballs fully to the air.

The Shadow King was not swayed by the visitor's words; throughout the conversation, he had been contemplating, accurately speaking, from the first time he met the visitor in his childhood, he had been pondering why the visitor did this.

Until today, many years later, until Bologue Lazarus appeared before him, until various coincidences pieced together, he roughly understood the visitor's intentions.

"I'm just a vessel, a vessel transcending time to transfer that power to its substitute."

The Shadow King grabbed the pitch-black arm with a fierce grip, as if he wanted to break it.

"I should have no value to you, yet you now come back to find me.

Yes, it's not me asking for your grace; it's that you need me, right? You need me to do something to fulfill your dark conspiracy."

The visitor casually replied, "But you also mentioned, we're clear now, aren't we?"

Many years before, the Shadow King had fulfilled the deal with the visitor, repaid the debt, becoming what he is now.

The Shadow King laughed, his words filled with anger and reproach, "Clear? How could it be clear? I have never escaped your control, and you have always been watching me. The reason you haven't appeared before me is only because you were waiting for a suitable moment, right?

For instance... now."

The visitor fell silent, then with trembling laughter said, "Indeed, you are the finest."

"Many people think they are special, that they can break spells and pay off debts. Some even believe they can outwit the Devil and profit... You're different from them."

The visitor pushed over the pieces; they collapsed in waves, bodies piling into mountains, spanning the battlefield.

"You are always so clear-headed, never easily believing anyone's words."

The Shadow King growled, "Well then, what are you waiting for?"

The pitch-black figure began to wriggle and collapse, turning into countless black fish swimming around the Shadow King, ultimately consolidating behind him, reshaping into that pitch-black figure once more.

He extended his hands, gently placing them on the Shadow King's shoulders, lowering his head to whisper in the Shadow King's ear.

"Once more, my gaze will fall upon you, and you shall receive my grace again."

The shadow dispersed, countless fish burrowing into the Shadow King's body. After years, the sinister protection descended once again, granting him anew.

The Shadow King slowly stood up, sensing the surge of power within, also aware of the visitor's departure.

He was not happy about gaining power; on the contrary, a sorrow that was hard to resolve surrounded the Shadow King's heart.

Ultimately, the Shadow King had not escaped this destined fate; he once thought he had, but it was only a temporary evasion. He was destined to be entangled with it until the day his life ended.

Yet, the Shadow King did not regret. As long as he could fulfill his purpose and slay that abominable entity on the throne, even at the cost of his entire soul, he would not hesitate.

Silently leaving the chamber, the Shadow King did not attract anyone's attention, departing from the Fog Abyss Fortress, walking along the steep corridor into the shadows of the Great Rift.

The Shadow King could smell the rotten and decaying scent, then he found the struggling Demons within the shadows.

Pairs of scarlet eyes opened in the darkness, scrutinizing this unexpected visitor; some shouted loudly, some greedily eyed the soul beneath the Shadow King's shell, others, ravenously hungry, slowly drew their blood-stained Short Knives.

All this reflected into the Shadow King's eyes, a hateful smile gradually surfacing on his decaying face, he licked his sharp teeth, then plunged into the darkness.

After a brief metallic hum, harsh and piercing screams echoed in the shadows, as if some brutal punishment had descended upon the Demons, the wailing persisted for a short time, then ceased completely.

Amidst the ground strewn with corpses and filthy blood, the Shadow King gasped, feeling life's vigor; simultaneously, flecks of azure light arose from shattered limbs, Soul Shards merging into the Shadow King, bringing soul fulfillment.

The Shadow King contentedly closed his eyes, savoring the soul sacrifice he had awaited far too long.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.