Extra's Path To Demon King

Chapter 543: Meeting Zoromir

Gareth led Axel to the outer edge of the capital, in the designated location where Zoromir wanted to meet Osiris. Both of them stood in front of a particular frosted mountain.There was nothing but complete silence in that location, no sign of any people loitering around. Gareth sensed a not-so-hidden small entrance in an awkward corner of the mountain. Leading inside.

Axel also noticed it, and he nodded towards his trusted subordinate. Gareth went ahead first and checked on it, just to be cautious.

After a minute, Gareth gestured towards Axel from afar, signaling that there did not seem to be any trap or other suspicious things hidden there.

They both cracked the massive stones open, which blocked the entrance.

According to what was told to Gareth, the strategist of the 3rd ghost legion, Zoromir Gorthak, should be inside the mountain. Axel let out a tired sigh internally.

He could already see where this was going, sensing the fluctuations in the mana; he could tell the moment he stepped inside this pathway that this was a Mine of Oathbreaker stones.

Not long after, both of them reached inside the enormous cavity that existed within that mountain. Axel’s eyes flickered; this structure was almost like the Hand of Umbra’s branch, which he had once destroyed in the past, though much smaller in scale compared to that.

The walls of the mountain’s interior were filled with a layer of uneven, glittering, glass-like substance. And that complete layer all around the massive internal cavity of the mountain, or even the grounds, was all raw Oathbreaker stones.

It was at this moment that an inhumane voice came from behind, "Osiris..."

It was said like a tired sigh, but due to the nature of a lich’s voice, especially a Lich who was at the 5th phase, the sound was extremely disturbing, akin to thousands of dry bones scraping against one another.

Even Axel felt his heart jolt at that moment, even though he was already prepared for the mighty Lich to pop out at any moment. But outwardly, due to his mask, no one could see the expression on his face.

Of course, what bothered Axel was not Zoromir’s voice but his mighty presence that surpassed anything he had ever felt. With his demonic instincts, he could instantly tell that this entity, without a shadow of a doubt, was far stronger than any of the 5th-phase beings he had ever come in contact with.

He slowly turned around, and so did Gareth. His subordinate’s expression and gaze were much more controlled as he had met with the mighty Lich quite a few times by now.

As Axel’s eyes landed on the sunken hollow sockets of the Dreaded Lich, a mighty pressure descended upon him, and only him, excluding Gareth.

But Axel remained unperturbed in the face of that pressure. An artifact worn on his wrist flickered.

Seeing that, the Lich sighed with disappointment, "Blocking my pressure with an Artifact? Come on now, Osiris, is that what you amount to?"

Axel smiled through the skull mask and stated calmly, "You expect someone who is so much below you in terms of phase to resist your pressure, the pressure of a 5th phase being. I apologize, Sir Zoromir, but I’m not so foolish."

Unlike a normal human, when Zoromir heard Axel’s demonic voice, it sounded like music to his ears.

Though Axel, in both his demon and human forms, could fight against powerful 4th-phase existences. Yet, the chasm between the 4th and 5th phases was far greater than anything below that.

Axel gave a courteous half-bow to the Lich as a sign of respect, and he added, "But regardless of those matters, I have to express my gratitude towards Sir Zoromir’s small help. Especially the Black sword, I quite like it, not to mention the Death Worms. They are truly marvelous creatures."

His tone was respectful and amiable. Zoromir smiled when he saw that, and the pressure descending upon Axel instantly vanished. The Lich laughed and patted Axel’s shoulder with his bone hands.

"Ho, not bad, Osiris. Not only are you extremely intelligent, but you also know how to pick your battles and when to back off. It seems you don’t have the chaotic personality that demons should have. Good, good, very good," stated the mighty Lich with a grin on his face.

Axel knew these mighty beings were extremely arrogant; the number-one rule was never to hurt their ego, no matter what. Otherwise, these powerful existences would hold onto that and cause him endless problems.

Axel chuckled, "Wielding so much demonic energy does make me temperamental, but since I’m not really a demon, it does not bother me too much."

Zoromir gave him a knowing smile but did not comment on that, as his expression turned solemn, "Anyway, you should already be able to guess why I brought you here?"

Axel did not speak and let the mighty Lich continue, "I am willing to give you this entire Mine away, and all the Oathbreaker stones here are yours as long as no other species come in contact with this. The terms of which you already know, but..."

"The reason I am willing to give you so much more than what was promised between us is that I require you to do another thing. But you must assure that you would indeed be able to do so...."

Axel’s eyes narrowed; he already knew what was going to be asked of him, and Zoromir uttered the very words he long expected, "You must kill the Valkyrie, and there can be no error in it."

Axel closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, forcing his raging heart to calm down. When he opened his eyes once more, he smiled, but his smile was cold, filled with maliciousness: "I’ve long wanted to kill that arrogant bitch..."

But in his heart, the words he declared were the complete opposite: ’Oh King Leonidas, in the end, you did exactly as I thought. And now, just because of your request, the day when I am strong enough, the existence of the Ghost race will also disappear from the continent of Eldarion. Just like your bloodline...’

There was a ghastly chill to his voice, and a ruthlessness that would not falter no matter what.

Maybe Axel was being irrational or foolish for thinking that way, after all, he didn’t have the power to make his words come true, but the demon knew in his heart that one day, he would indeed have that power.

That day, his declarations would come true like a divine mandate foretold by the heavens.

And whoever wanted to harm Sophia, he would kill them all and destroy their entire bloodlines. This was in his nature and could not be changed, no matter the circumstances.

That was his bottom line, which should not be crossed.

Zoromir’s laughter rang in his ears, "Now, that’s the spirit; however, I must caution you, the Valkyries are not so simple. They are much more than what seems to the eye."

The Lich did not offer any more explanations regarding that, and simply left, with one last warning hanging in the air, "Remember this, Osiris, you are not to fail in this matter, because if you do, it will not be me who kills you, but My Lord Zeledin Ulpranak himself who shall make you regret ever being alive...."

The 5th phase Lich teleported away in a flash, and a deafening silence took over the empty Oathbreaker Mine. Axel released his demonic energy, and through his energy sense skill, he identified certain spots where lingering spells had been left to spy on his activities.

Axel switched his aspect, returning to being a runecaster. With his expertise in runecasting, it didn’t take much effort for him to neutralize those spying mechanisms.

And he neutralized the spells in a way that only some minor activities within the Mine could be monitored.

Axel sighed, "Gareth, I will wait here; you go and bring everyone, and they must be in proper disguise with the artifacts I provided."

Not long after, all of his followers gathered once more, each oozing with more power compared to before.

There was an air of confidence born of that power, evident in their postures, even as they hid their identities, wearing dull gray masks and black hoods that covered their entire bodies from head to toe.

Axel issued his orders to them all, his demonic voice ringing in the air, "Zena, you will stay here and gather the necessary workers with whom you will excavate all the Oathbreaker stones left in this Mine."

"Elira, Theron, and Caelan, you three are to return to your respective kingdoms, and gather the most skilled workers, and I will come to each of you in turn."

Axel brought out a map with three spots marked on it and said, "Conner, take this..."

It was a map of Ravenspire, and he added, "Those three spots, you must buy or temporarily blockade those lands using your power as a prince. And you must be subtle about it. You have 24 hours for that."

Conner nodded with a solemn expression, "I understand, sir."

Then Axel’s gaze turned to the rest, "Once Conner is done with that task, we will have to personally extract and process the Oathbreaker stones as fast as possible."

"Because the mundane humans would not be able to extract them properly, nor would they be fast enough for my liking..."