A few hours later, as the sun began to set on the horizon, the three had returned to the settlement after killing a dozen bestial and monstrous abominations.
Upon arriving, Uriel raised an eyebrow at seeing some unfamiliar faces among the crowd. Among them was a tall, burly man with black hair holding a sword.
"That's Tessai, Gunlaug's right-hand man, and those are his men," said Caster.
Shade, who still controlled the body, nodded.
The atmosphere was tense.
Tessai turned his head and smiled upon seeing that the person he had been waiting for had finally arrived.
"You must be Uriel. Or should I say, Lord of Darkness," the man said in an indifferent tone.
"And you are Tessai, the castle lord's lapdog?" Shade asked with his characteristic mocking smile.
Tessai frowned slightly but didn't let the insult get to him.
"What are you doing here? As far as I know, you only care about your castle and let the sleepers outside your walls die."
"That's true," said Tessai without a hint of remorse in his words. The sleepers who heard this gave angry looks, but none dared to utter a word.
"I come in the name of the castle lord to make you a proposal," said Tessai.
Shade raised an eyebrow but didn't interrupt.
"The message is as follows: Lord of Darkness, I offer you the opportunity to become one of my lieutenants. You will live within the castle, enjoying the highest rank, in exchange for your submission," Tessai stated.
Shade made a thoughtful noise.
"That sounds really tempting," said Shade, making the sleepers' hearts fill with uncertainty about what their savior would do.
"But I'm afraid I refuse. Tell your lord that I reject his proposal. I don't follow those who don't even try to leave this place," Shade declared.
Tessai frowned.
"So you reject Lord Gunlaug's invitation?" Tessai's question made the temperature drop.
"Yes," Shade said firmly, not letting himself be intimidated. The darkness responded, growing deeper and more threatening.
The two stared at each other for a full minute until Tessai clicked his tongue.
"Fine," Tessai finally said. "We're leaving. I hope you enjoy your life, Lord of Darkness," he added threateningly.
"Tell your lord to think ten times before doing something he'll regret."
With that final exchange of words, Tessai and his soldiers returned to the shining castle.
Once they were gone, Shade looked at the sleepers, who had looks of relief and great respect for him for standing up to Tessai and essentially telling him and Gunlaug to go to hell.
'Hey, Shade, that was awesome,' said Uriel.
'Thanks. I drew inspiration from the villains of One Piece and Naruto. You just need a deep voice, a cold gaze, and elegant words.'
Uriel sweated a drop.
'Sure, whatever you say.'
Uriel's eyes returned to their black hue.
'Do you think he'll send Horus?'
'I doubt it. You made our position very clear. Gunlaug isn't the type to do something reckless. So he'll wait for an opportunity to use some excuse and make his move,' replied Uriel.
...
After that encounter with Tessai, things continued on their new path. The total number of inhabitants in the outer settlement was around 600 sleepers, while about 500 lived inside the castle, making a total of 1,100 inhabitants in the Dark City.
The second week passed, with Uriel, Caster, and Scarlet becoming the central core of the sleepers due to their abilities.
Thanks to their strength and the fact that they gave away the meat of the monsters they defeated for free, the sleepers regained their strength and will to fight and challenge the unknown.
Soon, what started as a hunting party of three grew to ten, then to a hundred, and then to three hundred.
With these numbers, the beasts began to lose ground constantly. However, everything had a price, and not everyone would survive until the end of the hunt.
In the second week, Uriel met Effie, who was exactly as described in the novel. After chatting with her, they reached an agreement where she would keep a portion of the monsters and act as a scout due to her great experience with the beasts of the Dark City.
On the fourteenth day, an Awakened demon attacked the settlement, but Uriel, Caster, Effie, and Scarlet defeated it without much difficulty. Uriel landed the final blow and obtained a new memory—an Ascended sword of the first level, which he replaced his lance with, making it more effective at cutting through monsters more easily.
...
Name: Uriel
True Name: Lord of Darkness.
Soul Core: Inactive
Fragment of Darkness: [372/1000]
Aspect: Dark Lord
Aspect Rank: Divine
Aspect Ability: [Shaper]
Aspect Rank: Divine
Innate Ability: Dark Body.
Echoes: —
Attributes: [Darkness] [Dark Flame] [Extra Carapace] [Dream Spawn]
Memories: [Night Mantle] [Eclipse Claw] [Dark Vault] [Blue Lance] [Sword of the Night] [Infernal Armor] [Blood Flower] [Dark Mask] [Hunter's Bow] [Comfortable Chair] [Black Rope] [Armor of the Four Senses] [Aqua Pearl]
Flaw: [Dual Mind]
...
'Look at that, we look like hackers,' Shade commented amusedly.
Uriel let out a laugh. He was alone, so he could talk to Shade as much as he wanted.
'Two weeks have passed. Those three should have arrived at the Ash Barrow by now, or they'll arrive soon,' said Uriel.
'Are you worried about those three?'
'Not really. They're strong,' Uriel expressed.
'Anyway, now what concerns us is what to do with this,' said Uriel, taking out a piece of paper with a few words written on it:
"Come to the east wall of the shining castle tonight. I'll be waiting for you there."
'Obviously, it's a proposal,' said Shade.
'You think so? I mean, I'm handsome, but what if it's a trap?'
'Relax, you sound like Sunny with his crazy paranoia. No sleeper in this city can be a threat—well, except Gunlaug, Tessai, and Seishan. And we have enough ability to get out of any situation thanks to Dark Body,' said Shade.
'Fine, agreed. We'll go,' said Uriel, returning the paper to his Dark Vault before taking out a tomato and eating it.
"Oh, so here you are, Darkness," said Effie, making Uriel look back.
"Oh, if it isn't Mr. Muscles. Want an apple?" Uriel offered, showing a bright red apple, making Effie nod.
"Where did you get it?"
"I have my tricks," he replied with a teasing smile.
"And what are you doing here?" Effie asked curiously.
"Thinking about what to wear for my date."
Effie almost spat out the mashed apple in her mouth in surprise.
"You, on a date?" Effie couldn't help but laugh. "You're a terrifying guy. You having a date... oh, gods, that's good."
"I'm serious. I was very popular at the Academy," he defended himself with a smile.
Effie shook her head.
"Whatever you say. Anyway, isn't it time we go kill a few abominations? My meat is running out."
Uriel looked at Effie in horror.
"You finished all that meat in two days?"
"You forget what my Flaw is."
Uriel blinked.
"Well, what can you do? We'll try to kill an Awakened demon that's lurking on the outskirts of the settlement."
...
Uriel observed, hidden in the darkness. He had arrived at the east wall, as indicated in the message. Curiously, this area was empty, with no one daring to explore or leave the castle at this hour.
Uriel observed the figure who had sent the message, and he was undoubtedly quite surprised. It was a woman in her twenties, with black hair and dazzling beauty, wearing a wine-red dress and an intricate silver necklace. However, the most striking feature was her gray, corpse-like complexion.
'Holy mother, it's a zombie!' Shade shouted.
'If we bite her, will she turn human?' Shade asked curiously.
'I don't know, maybe,' thought Uriel, tilting his head.
'Well, your turn.'
'Yes,' said Shade excitedly, quickly taking control. His eyes turned an intense blood-red that seemed to pierce the soul of anyone who looked directly at them.
Shade smiled and emerged from the shadows, seeing how Seishan, the head of the castle maidens, had noticed his presence.
"I never imagined meeting one of the princesses of Revenheart," said Shade amusedly.
"Princess Seishan. I am the Lord of Darkness, but you can call me Uriel. Now, what do you want to discuss with me that you sent a message directly?"
"I didn't expect you to come," Seishan responded with a slight smile.
"I'm someone driven by curiosity, that's all. Now, why don't we talk business, Beast Legacy bearer?"
Seishan's eyes widened slightly before turning cold and sharp.
A cold night wind swept across the wall, making Uriel's black cloak and the woman's red dress flutter in the breeze.