"Radishow? Kantor? Damal?" Hallow looked out from the castle he was standing in, his hands raised in frustration. In his hands, he held a glowing green ring.
The daylight was slowly dying outside, fading to evening. Even the undead world of Moria had a day and night cycle. From his viewpoint in the Castle of Envy, he could see a large, sweeping forest full of Demonic remnants.
"What under Chaos is going on?" Hallow muttered as he looked around,
"My connection to the Law of Envy is far more powerful than it should be here. It keeps jumping in effectiveness… none of the other members of the Demonic Council are answering my messages." He mumbled, talking to himself.
The ring in his hand was a magic device that could communicate to a designated holder of a similar ring using Fate Magic, as long as they were on the same planet. It usually wasn't very effective on Moria due to the weak connection with the Laws of the Universe.
He turned away from the window, walking back into a large stone hallway. He quickly moved down it, taking several turns till he found a rather large doorway, lined by ancient pillars. He moved through the door, entering into a large room that had, of all things, an indoor moat. The water in the moat glowed a light blue color, faintly lighting up the dim room.
A stone bridge crossed this moat, leading to a small island where an ancient stone table could be seen. A small stone pillar could also be seen, surrounded by a metal grate. It almost looked like a tube, set in the back of the island.
Hallow made his way to the moat and then began to cross. The air seemed to quicken around him, as if a huge amount of pressure had settled upon his shoulders and then vanished instantly.
He moved swiftly across the bridge, a frown ever present on his face. As he arrived at the island, he glanced down at a complex circle covered in mystical symbols. The Envy Inheritance.
"What under Chaos is going on…" He repeated himself, looking around. He clenched his fists.
"It must be related to Lord Inigo and the Demonic Inheritances… Very well." His eyes grew cold, his entire body crackling with energy.
"Just come and try to take these Inheritances! The Council will stop you!"
.. .. .. .. .. ..
'Man, taking these Inheritances really is easy. Thank goodness the Demonic Council is helping me out.' Dorian thought with a smile as he stood up,
'So this is what the Law of Sloth does.'
After un-Sealing the fourth Sealing Tube, there were only three Castles left that Dorian needed to visit for their respective Sealing Tubes. The Castle of Envy, the Castle of Sloth, and the Castle of Pride, as he learned they were named.
Coincidentally, these were the three Demonic Laws that Dorian hadn't sensed yet.
Kantor, the member of the Demonic Council that was guarding the Castle of Greed, was ecstatic when he learned the 'truth' of what was happening. With the other two Demonic Council members to back Dorian up, and the fact that Dorian could access multiple Laws and was clearly a Demonic being, everything went smoothly.
Thus, he joined Dorian's entourage, vowing to protect him as he un-Sealed the Demon Emperor.
'What should I do when I finish un-Sealing everything and the Demon Emperor doesn't return?' He frowned slightly as he considered the thought. He had a few backup ideas and plans, but he wouldn't be able to know for sure.
The likelihood that the Demon Emperor was actually Sealed here, and not the planet itself, didn't really come into Dorian's consideration. Yukeli's memories had made it very clear that they had defeated and killed the Demon Emperor, and Dorian couldn't see the powerful warrior settling for just Sealing the Demon Emperor away.
Given his past, Yukeli wasn't the type to give up on his obsession with wiping out the Demon Race for pretty much any reason at all.
He tossed the thought to the side as he focused on the Law he had just gained.
The Law of Sloth.
'How interesting. It greatly boosts my recovery and healing powers, by a very large margin.' His eyes flashed as he focused on the sensations, his soul undulating.
When he and his entourage had left the Castle of Greed, they'd arrived directly in the Castle of Sloth. Unlike the other castles, however, this castle had been unoccupied. The room they'd arrived in had a large, ancient stone carving of a bed in the center, and was an otherwise empty area. The same type of mystic Array set with an Inheritance was there as well, the Inheritance for the Law of Sloth.
"Where is Duke Orbit…?" Priscilla, the Mistress of Lust, had been the first one to speak, looking around the large room. Her voice was rather scathing.
"..."
"Sigh." Baron Radishow shook his head,
"He is a Duke, after all, and one that studies the Law of Sloth. Him not showing up is hardly surprising."
Kantor nodded in agreement, his eyes alert as he kept watch for a stray Lord Inigo, ready to fight to the death against him.
Dorian's eyes widened ever so slightly as he heard this.
'Duke Orbit?! Isn't that one of the Shadow Dukes?!' He blinked. The Demonic Council had spread their wings far and wide, it seemed, throughout the Shade Commune. He would have to be very careful in the future, should he ever return here.
Right after that, Dorian had immediately set upon the Sloth Inheritance, making up an excuse that he was checking it over. He'd activated it and was transported to, once again, a new world.
..
"Ah, Master Bubble. We meet again." Dorian's voice was cool as he looked around, this time not instantly ejected.
He had arrived at a large pavilion, one covered with luxurious purple and white pillows. It was an open pavilion with no roof, the sky above adrift with lazy clouds and an evening sun. A cool breeze swept through the open room, letting in the scent of wine and fresh earth.
Dorian had appeared in the center of this pavilion, sitting atop several of the comfortable pillows. Right in front of him was a large, mostly transparent bubble.
"…" The bubble didn't respond.
"Eh? No words for me?" He chided the bubble with a small smile. At the same time, he probed his soul, seeing if he could access any of his powers.
'Hmm. It's like the first challenge, I can't do anything.' He mentally sighed. It seemed this challenge wouldn't be as fun as the previous one.
"…"
"Welcome to the Inheritance of Sloth." The bubble talked as if it was trying to whisper. Unfortunately for it, it was a bubble and bubbles can't whisper, thus it failed. How it was speaking, at all, Dorian wasn't quite sure, but it seemed to have to follow certain rules. Everything made sense as he looked at it in the moment.
"This Inheritance immutably draws upon your experiences in reality, putting you face to face with challenges that will strain your very soul! To pass, you must resist everything, and prove yourself a true slovenly sloven!" The bubble's voice shifted to be loud and powerful, as if trying to be enthralling.
Despite the bubble's grand tone, Dorian couldn't help but be put off by the description.
"I suppose if I must." He shrugged, accepting it for what it was.
Immediately, the world around Dorian morphed slightly, a doorway appearing in the air in front of him. This doorway glowed with magical light, as if it was about to open up to something or someone from a mysterious reality not like the 30,000 Worlds.
"The first challenge focuses on your filial piety! Almost every man or woman respects their parents and cares for them." The bubble's voice boomed out,
Dorian was thrown backwards as a huge, gaping hole appeared in front of him, causing several of the pillows to fall into an empty pool of darkness. The hole seemed to go on forever, never stopping as he looked over it. Just staring down it caused him to shiver, despite knowing none of this was real.
"What will you do when you see your mother put in mortal danger?" The bubble's tone was full of anticipation.
Abruptly, the glowing door shivered and then opened in a flash, light pouring out…
And promptly revealed nothing.
"…"
"…"
"…"
Dorian exchanged glances with the bubble, or at least he thought he did.
"…do you not have a mother?" The bubble sounded incredulous.
"Well, no." Dorian shrugged.
The bubble seemed to shiver,
"How can you not have a mother?! Everyone has a mother!"
Dorian shrugged again,
"What about orphans?"
"Are you an orphan?" The bubble returned,
"No? Yes? I'm not really sure."
"…"
"How can you not be sure if you're an orphan?!" The bubble's voice was full of disbelief.
"It's complicated." Dorian shrugged for the third time. It really was quite complicated, now that he thought about it.
A brief pause ensued as the bubble tried to come up with a response. After that, however, it seemed to give up, sighing.
"The first challenge has been passed! On to the second!" The bubble's voice resumed its grandeur, though this time sounding slightly strained.
Immediately, a new door appeared, glowing with light. It floated right next to the giant, endless hole that had appeared
"What will you do when you see your father put in mortal danger?" The bubble zeroed in on Dorian.
The door slowly opened, light flowing out from it. This time, a figure actually appeared, falling down from the door and landing on the very edge of the hole.
As Dorian saw the figure, however, his jaw dropped. His entire body froze, going on high alert.
A lean, muscular warrior with dark brownish-black hair and rich blue eyes, carrying an intensity that seemed to flow from the very fiber of his being. He had a handsome, suave face that made him appear like a noble.
"Oh my god." He muttered in horror.
It was Yukeli.
"Look upon this challenge! Your father lies upon the brink of death, about to fall into the pit of never-ending darkness! Make your decision now! Choose to rescue him or let him fall to his death because of your slovenly ways." As the bubble finished speaking, a certain compulsion seized Dorian.
He knew, for a certain fact, that the being he was looking at was his father. This feeling of certainty was clearly magically influenced, part of the challenge, but despite knowing that, it was a feeling he couldn't shake. He was 100% convinced that he was looking upon his real father, and that if he did nothing, his father would die.
"Good riddance."
Dorian snorted as he looked at the figure of Yukeli grasping hold of the ledge. He waved lazily at the figure, feeling extremely relaxed.
'So what if that was the real Yukeli?' He thought with a shrug,
'Why should I bother helping that major pain in the rear. The dude tried to kill me and take over my body.' Yukeli was literally the last person he would bother to help.
"W-what?! You are so easily abandoning your own father?" The bubble's voice shrieked as it glared at him in all its bubbly might.
"Yep." Dorian grunted, shifting his body so he could lay comfortably on the pillows. The figure of Yukeli on the ledge, meanwhile, stood absolutely still, not even looking as if he was remotely in danger as he ignored the unending hole of darkness. The man's eyes were almost predatory as looked around his environment, his forehead crinkled slightly in confusion.
"He seems fine to me." Dorian stated.
"What, no, of course he isn't fi- huh?!" The bubble cut itself off,
"Oi! What are you doing? You are supposed to be slipping!"
"There is no being in existence that can command me to do something, even if I am a mere shadow of my true self." Yukeli's voice caused Dorian to shiver. The words were rich and deep, each one full of absolute confidence in himself.
"Dammit, obey the Inheritance Array! You can't jus-" The bubble began but was cut off,
"I refuse."
"You CAN'T refuse, you don't even exist!" The bubble shouted back.
"I refuse!"
Yukeli ignored the bubble, leaning on the edge as he looked around. For some odd reason, it seemed that Yukeli wasn't able to see Dorian. The Array must've set it up so that the parent figure could be seen, but not see the son or daughter that was being tested, likely for some complex reasons.
Dorian watched all of this go down, deeply impressed.
'Wow, even an imitation of Yukeli is so powerful and strong-willed, it can resist the Array that created said illusory imitation.' He hadn't even known such a thing was possible. It was likely that it was only possible because Yukeli was who he was, and probably wouldn't work for anyone else. The man was an Anomaly in his own right.
"Arrrrgh!" The bubble seemed to gnash its teeth in frustration, sounding almost as if it was about to cry.
"First your freakish past from the other Inheritance, then now you don't have a mother, but somehow you do have a father, as if that makes sense, and now your father is just as freakish as your past..." The bubble's voice shook,
"Oh hold on a moment… why is this man familiar?" The bubble's tone became curious,
It was at that exact moment that a feeling of enlightenment abruptly settled upon Dorian. At the same time, Yukeli's form wavered and vanished, as did the giant hole.
"Wait, you're already receiving the Inheritance?! But you didn't complete the challenge! Wha-"
Before the bubble could finish speaking, the world around Dorian twisted and distorted as he was abruptly teleported away. His eyes grew unfocused as the sensation from the Law of Sloth covered him, a Baptism of the Laws.
And, a short while later, Dorian reached where he was now. He had gained access to the Law of Sloth and completed the Sloth Inheritance, somehow.
'A Law that vastly enhances my recovery, huh? That sounds useful indeed.' His eyes flashed as he smiled, pleased. The Inheritance had ended rather abruptly, as if he couldn't be tossed out quick enough, but he had still gained the reward from it.
Before he did anything else, however, he walked over to the Sealing Tube.
'Time to get the 5th Sealing Tube handled. Then there will only be 2 remaining.'
'I'm almost done…'
.. .. .. .. .. ..
Meanwhile, back in the city of Cracktyl…
The Royal House Inn's entrance was virtually destroyed, as were the nearby buildings. Wood, stone, and shards of things in-between coated the area, giving it a damaged appearance. Screams and yells could be heard in the background as various Shades lay on the ground, injured.
Fabian's breath wheezed in and out of him as he fell to one knee, his entire body exhausted. He was covered in wounds, as were Captain Harvold and Captain Ayra. All three Captains stared up at the figure of Kanto Ren, shock and horror in their eyes.
Kanto Ren, in the meanwhile, shook his head. His long green robe was stained with blood, none of it his own.
"I may only be Third Captain under Duke Barmo, but I am second to only him in terms of strength. Even the Holy Prince of the Church is just my equal." He sighed, wiping the pair of long, slender silver sabers he wielded. Dark energy crackled around his body, giving him an ominous appearance.
Kanto stepped forward, his eyes cool as he looked at the downed King Class Shades.
Around them, the battle seemed to have mostly subsided. The Lord Class fighters that Kanto had brought were the elite forces of the Southern Duke of Shadow. They were the absolute best, trained and experienced in the art of warfare.
Conversely, the Shades here were strong, but many were glory-seekers or elders, with not nearly as much experience and training. They were a cohesive force, but when compared to the elite troops of the Commune, they weren't quite equal.
Despite that, the Moria Liberation Force had somehow managed to fight the elite forces of the Southern Duke to a complete standstill. They showed a level of ferocity that couldn't be imitated, one that indicated complete faith. Not a single member of the force retreated.
In their eyes, Lord Inigo had already found great success in his mission to un-Seal Moria, success that they themselves witnessed. While Kanto Ren clearly didn't believe that 'Lord Inigo' would actually cleanse Moria, the Shades of the Moria Liberation Force believed otherwise.
What ended up breaking the tie, however, was the presence of Kanto Ren. A true, elite expert at the Late King Class, trapped at the jump between Late King Class and Pseudo-Angelic. Second to very few.
Kanto Ren had taken on all three King Class Captains and won, his powerful Law of Darkness and great skill as a Sabermaster scoring him the victory.
"You have made your choice, Fabian. I gave you every opportunity to leave. I will give you one more, here and now." Kanto began, his voice causing the air to shake.
"Step. Aside."
"Or die."
Fabian stared up at Kanto, his bloodied arms trembling. Every muscle the Shade had was screaming at him, his entire body badly wounded. He barely had the strength to stand, let alone do battle.
"I… will not." He coughed as he spoke, blood spattering up.
"If you want to take Lord Inigo's wife… you will have to kill me first…" He slowly struggled to his feet, his entire body about to collapse.
Kanto Ren sighed,
"So be it." With an almost casual wave of his arm, he cut forward with one of his sabers, a wave of black energy slicing through the air.
Fabian looked at his incoming death and met it with a sad smile.
'I have failed you, Lord Inigo. I did all that I could, but I was not enough.'
'Go in peace with the Light.' He closed his eyes, unable to physically dodge or block the blow.
CLANG
"..."
"..."
"..."
Fabian didn't die.
He slowly opened his eyes, blinking in befuddlement.
Right when the saber strike of dark energy was about to collide with him and strike him down…
From seemingly out of nowhere, a large, oversized cauldron appeared.
"Ahaha, you see the sharpness of my cauldron?!" A cheerful, jovial voice echoed out as a thin, reedy looking Shade appeared, standing atop the Royal House Inn.
"It is my duty as a Shade to uncover those I believe are spreading lies…" The Shade began, an extremely powerful Aura of Cutting emanating from his body. This Aura was just slightly unstable, but undeniably at the Late King Class, as if the owner of the Aura had only broken through within the past day or two.
It was none other than the Shade that had challenged Dorian when he first arrived in Cracktyl, illogically wielding a round cauldron as if it was a mighty and sharp edged weapon. The warrior had accused Dorian of leading his army to its death and challenged him to a duel. He eventually was sent flying away by accident mid-duel by one of Leader's extremely powerful arrow shots, an attack that had been intended to hit 'Lord Inigo.'
"I, Bayran Handsworth, the greatest Warrior-Alchemist to have ever lived, shall stop you!"
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