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"Phew, another failure. The power of dark magic is indeed inclined towards evil and chaos; it's difficult to grasp the balance within it..."
A deep voice came from within the long robe, and the dim candlelight flickered, illuminating a sinister face that was not yet old.
In the past, the appearance of this face would have been accompanied by a rich and pure spiritual fluctuation, as well as an extremely pure aura of light magic, carrying an admirable wisdom and tranquility.
But now, what lingers around this face is an unfathomable darkness... and an insatiable desire for destruction!
He is.
The Kingdom's Morning Star, the current Chief Mage of the Round Tower, and the most powerful Holy Archmage in the entire kingdom—
Ang Lac.
Chapter 251 Lark's Memories
Ang Lac had an idea a long time ago:
Are humans in this world somewhat superfluous?
Looking at all races.
Humans are also the shortest-lived and weakest race, yet they occupy most of the continent with their huge population and high reproduction rate.
Just like ants building a nest, countless weak humans gather together, growing and expanding like a snowball, pleasing one another.
And then... the most filthy and ugly ecosystem in the world was born—
The strong bully the weak, the superiors oppress the inferiors, the rich exploit the weak, the wicked squeeze out the good... This cycle repeats endlessly.
Scholars attribute it to vague explanations such as environment, institutions, fate, and contradictions. But Lach believes that the root cause of all this ugliness lies elsewhere:
It's all just human nature.
Human nature is inherently ugly, base, and insatiably greedy: without so many humans driven by human nature, so many tiresome tragedies would not have been created.
Lak did not believe that his mission in being born into this world was to exterminate all of humanity.
But he soon discovered that eradicating humanity, this scourge, from the continent seemed to be the only thing that would be meaningful to him.
Therefore, he decided to dedicate his life to it.
To pursue ultimate power, regardless of whether there is any hope of success, is to bring devastating disaster to the entire human kingdom before death.
Either succeed through destruction.
Either perish in destruction...
Lach believes this is part of humanity.
"The power of black magic is indeed much stronger than magic driven by divine power... Even if it consumes materials with spirituality and life, the price is worth it."
Lark has been studying dark magic in this secret room for many years.
No one knew that the kingdom's most powerful and holy archmage had also reached the pinnacle of black magic.
only……
“Not enough.” Lak frowned deeply.
“I can sense that behind the black magic lies a higher level of power, one that is absolutely destructive… Only by mastering that power can I rise above all of humanity.”
"Do you want to explore and research it yourself, the power beyond black magic..."
Lark considered himself a once-in-a-millennium genius in this world, having already exhausted the path of magic within the limited lifespan of a human, reaching a level that none of the chief magicians of the Round Tower had ever achieved.
But to discover that power beyond the reach of humans on his own would take a time that Lak might not be able to accomplish even if he spent the rest of his life on it.
"There's still not enough time," Lark said with some regret.
"The best-case scenario would be to use modified black magic to exterminate nearly 90% of the kingdom's population..."
As he pondered this, ripples suddenly spread through the space.
"What?" Lark's eyes flickered slightly.
He had laid down numerous powerful and secretive dark magic arrays to conceal and imprison this secret room, but at this moment, they were as nothing to that power, which easily passed through them, and a sinister and evil aura suddenly surged into the secret room.
"Phew, what terrifying power! The source of power has been completely shattered, and other sources have also been scattered... In any case, as the main will, I have escaped this calamity, so there is still a chance."
A somewhat withered black sphere drifted slowly in the air, surveying its surroundings:
"Fortunately, I didn't expect there to be such a place with such dense dark power nearby..."
The "dark" gaze fell upon Lak, its body stiffening at first, then quickly and happily resuming its leaping motion:
"Heh, interesting... really interesting... This is the first time I've seen such a strong destructive desire in someone like you, a Lightborn."
"Furthermore, you wisely chose the path of black magic, which is closest to the 'Abyss,' and have been able to study the power of the 'Abyss' to this extent—"
"Your philosophy aligns very well with the 'Abyss'."
Lak remained expressionless, merely flicking a jet-black flame from his fingertip, imbued with concentrated magic, which landed with unparalleled precision on "Darkness".
But those terrifying flames, which could easily incinerate flesh and blood into nothingness, seemed to thrive on "Darkness," making it tremble with renewed vigor as it slowly devoured the flames, emitting sounds of unfinished business:
"Not bad strength, but it still needs some refinement... Now, can we have a discussion on equal terms?"
"Heh, equality... You should be honored to hear this word from the mouth of the great 'Abyss'."
"What exactly are you?" Lark finally asked.
Staring intently at the "darkness" before him, he could not deny that he truly felt the immensely profound, destructive aura of the source of dark magic in the face of this unknown entity!
"What I am is not important." The abyssal will, having lost all its essence, remained calm and composed.
"The important thing is that I can help you... plunge everything in this world into decay, which coincides with your goal, doesn't it?"
"I can even allow you to unleash the full power of the Abyss, what you call black magic, with human abilities... Of course, if you can help me find my lost origin, everything will be much simpler. Either origin, combined with you and me, can easily bring humanity to its doom."
"Do you think I would believe you so easily?" Lak's eyes remained unmoved. As a holy mage who had held a high position in the kingdom for decades, he could vaguely discern the current state of "Darkness":
"What you need is a puppet that you can parasitize, hide in, and recover your power, isn't that right?"
"Heh! For other humans, it would indeed be quite good." The will of the abyss nodded without hesitation, then let out a strange laugh:
“But when I encounter a human like you who doesn’t need any encouragement or seduction, even the great Abyss wouldn’t mind treating you as a collaborator… I can turn around and leave, looking for other empty shells, but you need me too, don’t you?”
Do you need...?
Lark found himself without any hesitation, as if he had been waiting for this moment.
Waiting, to be reborn from destruction...
"make a deal."
In an instant, Lak released all the magical restrictions on his body, and with a maniacal laugh, the "darkness" before him melted into Lak's shadow without hesitation.
Inside the sealed chamber, the terrifying storm silently dissipated...
"So, what can you offer me now?"
As if it were just a small transaction, Lak lowered his head, looked into the depths of his shadow, and asked.
"Hmm... let me think, my memory is still a bit fragmented, but hey!"
After a moment's thought, "Darkness" quickly became excited, letting out an extremely cruel laugh, and said:
"I've remembered a 'dragon's blood' potion that can burn away the life force of ordinary humans, turning them into beasts that only know destruction and slaughter... How about it? Interested in giving it a try?!"
Lark's mood fluctuated slightly. This kind of inhumane but terrifying spell was legendary even in black magic, let alone being able to be stably solidified in a potion.
It seems that my choice was indeed the right one.
Even Lak, who had never believed in goddesses or fate, suddenly felt that he had encountered the luckiest turning point in his life.
Without hesitation, he agreed to the "dark" proposal.
"Coincidentally, I heard that in the nearby village of Akarin, there is a boy who has shown signs of enlightenment."
In the secret room, Lak spoke with a relaxed tone, as if envisioning a bright future:
"He would be the best test subject—"
Chapter 252 The Dark Blade of Emperor Slayer
"It seems like everything started going wrong from that day on..."
As I slowly awoke from my memories, the bitterness of the past surged up all at once.
Lak's eyes suddenly cleared: it was through these "experiments" that he became his mother's friend of the hero!
He looked down at the "darkness," his tone revealing a hint of doubt:
"Are you really... not a curse sent by the goddess to break me?"
"What nonsense are you spouting?!"
The will of the abyss was instantly enraged, its shadow trembling violently on the ground.
"Even the goddesses you speak of are, in my eyes, merely beings who appeared earlier and possessed greater power. But I! The Great Abyss! I have been deeply rooted in the dark side of this world since the very beginning!"
"You should be grateful! If you were a being like a void creature, just touching even a trace of my aura would send shivers down your spine! Those with higher purity might even shatter on the spot! Do you know how terrifying I am?!"
"So... even if you're a piece of trash without any 'origin' right now, you can still be useful when dealing with void creatures?" Lak's expression shifted, and he seemed to understand a little.
"Hey! Who are you calling names?!" the Abyss Will protested indignantly.
"However, you are not wrong... The purer a being's spirituality, the more easily it is corrupted, and the more vulnerable it becomes in the face of the abyss."
"So, what kind of creatures can you use it against?" Lark asked.
"do not know."
"?"
For a moment, Lak thought that "Darkness" was just boasting again.
"I don't know which species in this world have racial characteristics that are good enough for me to corrupt them."
The Will of the Abyss said innocently, "After all, those creatures would be severely injured just by coming into contact with me from a distance, and I can't even see them."
Lak's face gradually darkened: "So, not only can you not use it to control those creatures, but you might even risk being exposed if they get close?!"
"Ugh, why so nervous?" The Abyss Will scoffed, completely unconcerned.