Game of Divine Thrones

Chapter 181: Kingdom of Winter 6

Dreadlore, the fortress of the dead.

Logan was looking down at the remnants of the siege from the top of the walls.

“… It was an easier battle than I expected.”

Unlike his initial belief, this force was not the opponent's main army.

This attack was simply a diversion

Even the giant ice golem moved to attract their attention.

Fortunately, it was simple to defeat it, but Logan felt this odd discomfort.

There was no news from the three liches and Nigel.

As Logan stood nervously, a black portal appeared next to him, revealing a blonde red-eyed man.

“You seem to be troubled, Logan.”

“… Sir Aleister.”

"Do not worry. Her plan is going smoothly. They were simply sacrificed for the sake of our cause.”

Aleister was referring to Nigel and Angrboda.

Logan stared at Aleister in utter shock.

“What are you talking ab...”

“It's similar to a role play. Nigel and Angrboda were... let's see, they were the villains we needed in order to create tension and find out the whereabouts of the Holy Grail.”

“Then what is my role? Even if I’m not the great antagonist who defeats the hero, I hope my role is long-termed. And if possible, I’d like to have a breathtaking death.”

The psychopathic Logan was more interested in how to die than how to survive.

Aleister laughed cheerfully as he liked Logan’s mentality.

"Ha ha ha ha ha! Salvation comes to those who long for it! Logan, the more I observe you, the more I realize you resemble me. I feel like you will become one of the Four Apostles in the future.”

“Does that mean… I will be able to celebrate the end of the world myself?”

“Close enough. Anyways, let’s move to a safer place now. We can't keep discussing the future here.”

Aleister drew a large circle in the air with his staff.

Then, the air distorted and a portal appeared.

“Are we going to the Demon World?”

“No, the stage for you is the Eeth Continent this time again. Here’s a hint: you will be sent to the north-east.”

The region Aleister was speaking of was the Aize Kingdom.

A nation with a climate similar to the Norton Kingdom’s and with little interaction with the outside world.

It was the best location to scheme something in secret.

Logan grinned in joy as he also knew that fact.

"I look forward to it. I will soon have my own solo stage.”

“You are going to grow rapidly from now on. You will also obtain better equipment. We will complete the development of the ancient weapons over there.”

They could find abandoned Homunculi in several other places besides the Valkyrie's ruins.

Aleister smiled and reached out to Logan.

Before long, two silhouettes disappeared beyond the dimensional door.

***

“… Did he really abandon the fortress and escape?”

Woohyuk muttered as he entered Dreadlore.

Since the Commander-in-Chief had vanished, the enemies had raised the white flag.

“Maybe he was afraid? You did defeat all his superiors, My Lord.”

“Logan feels no fear. He is a psychopath who lacks emotion.”

That was why he easily became powerful starting from the tutorial in his past life.

Even though Woohyuk had stolen the Necromancer class, Logan would still be a troublesome enemy if kept alive.

But it seemed that Aleister favored him.

As Woohyuk frowned, Catsy appeared before him.

"Master! There are no members of the Reaper Clan in the castle. Logan probably summoned them all to his position.”

"Alright. Then scout the nearby areas for now.”

“Meow! Okay!"

Catsy raised a hand and disappeared.

As Woohyuk walked toward the audience chamber of the fortress, Han Jangmi spoke to him from behind.

“What an eerie place. No wonder it’s called the Fortress of the Dead.”

She was subordinated to Woohyuk through Asura's power.

However, she couldn’t be called a demon since her soul wasn't taken away.

In other words, she was a simple servant who performed small errands.

The clan leaders who had surrendered to Woohyuk until today had also formed master-slave contracts with him.

“This place was built a long time ago under the reign of Nakron. Afterwards, he reigned in the Norton kingdom for over a thousand years.”

“Then, there may be rewards for you left here, My Lord. Since Nakron's true successor never appeared until now, you may obtain some incredible artifacts.”

Sieg spoke with interest at Woohyuk’s words.

He was an ancient hero, so he was quite knowledgeable about myths and legends.

“It's highly possible. There was a clue about it in the last chapter of Nakron's Grimoire.”

“Have you read the entire book already?”

“Ah, I recently finished reading it. I had a lot of free time since the carriage ride here was long.”

Moreover, Helena recited the contents of the Nameless Tome whenever they had time.

Knowing the contents of these two books was essential to overcome future challenges.

These days, Woohyuk showed more interest in the three Major Catastrophes than defying the Eeth Continent.

Brynhild smiled brightly as she knew of his hard work.

“As long as you make an effort to achieve your goals, you'll definitely get what you want. There will be some disappointing events, but if it is to save this world, I will actively cooperate with you.”

For Valkyrie Brynhild, who was lawful good, Woohyuk was a complicated existence to interact with.

However, after listening to all of Sieg's stories, she had to admit that Woohyuk’s goals were correct, and that it was right to help him achieve his purpose.

She was a Valkyrie exiled from heaven either way.

Woohyuk nodded silently at Brynhild's sincere consolation.

Her help was absolutely necessary to prepare for the upcoming First Catastrophe.

And since he didn't know when he would have to deal with Black Demolition again, it was best to keep her by his side.

The quiet Helena spoke up as the atmosphere became warm.

“But it was quite dangerous back then. It would’ve been the worst case scenario if I hadn't come forward.”

“Did you eat all the chocolate already, Witch of Profanity? No wonder your whining became more frequent these days.”

“… Do you take me for a pig? Anyways, the Witches will be aiming for me from now on.”

Helena had one of Solomon's treasures, the Holy Grail.

However, she had used it this time in order to rescue Woohyuk, so the Demon World was now aware of this fact.

As Helena frowned and complained, Woohyuk reached out for her.

“Give it to me.”

"What?"

“The Holy Grail.”

“… Do you really think I’d give it to you?”

“I promise not to use it for bad purposes.”

"No. It’s not for sale.”

Helena turned her head with a straight face.

Brynhild also helped persuade Woohyuk.

“Let her keep the Holy Grail. The energy from the Demon God’s power may pollute it if you take it.”

“Then show me what it looks like.”

According to ancient documents, it was in the form of a cup, but the Demon Kings did not know of its substance.

So, in many ways, the Holy Grail was a very secretive object.

As everyone showed interest, Helena shook her head stubbornly.

“That's also impossible. As soon as its appearance is shared, I’ll have less means to protect it in the future.”

“… That’s too bad. But you won't be able to keep it a secret forever.”

In fact, Woohyuk could have taken it if he wanted to.

However, since Helena's role was important for his future plans, Woohyuk did not act upon those thoughts.

When they arrived at the audience chamber, they saw a throne on top of a high staircase.

“So that’s the Lich King’s throne...”

“This is the first time seeing it myself.”

Sieg and Brynhild exclaimed.

The throne was decorated with various types of bones and skeletons, so it looked eerie yet dignified.

Leaving them behind, Woohyuk started climbing the stairs alone.

Step.

Step.

He was qualified to inherit Nakron's legacy.

As soon as he arrived at the throne, Woohyuk took out Nakron's Grimoire.

He then put it into the square hole at the top of the throne.

‘The past Logan couldn't do this.'

Since he had simply killed King Akunaton in the Labyrinth of the Dead in his past life, he couldn't obtain Nakron's Grimoire even if he reached the secret room.

After a short while, Nakron emerged as a blue energy emanated from the throne.

“You have safely found this place, my disciple. Good work reaching this far.”

He was holding a small box in one hand.

“Is that a reward for me?”

“It was planned in advance by the system. Us spirits can help our successor every time he gains a qualification.”

“So what is the reward?”

“The Elixir of Immortality. It's one of the items you need to become a lich, but I wouldn't recommend that. Because I, who reached the pinnacle of all liches, couldn't obtain the Divine Throne.”

After his death, the liches left Dreadlore and scattered around the Eeth Continent, except for Nigel and Serici, two of his followers.

They were unable to give up on the Lich King's throne and leave full of regrets.

When Nakron told an old story, Woohyuk nodded.

“No one has ever released the seal I placed on this throne. That is why they couldn't become the true Master of Dreadlore.”

"Indeed. It would’ve beed better for them to find a new home instead of staring at an empty throne all the time.”

However, as time passed, a new Lich King appeared.

A lich called Tyrion.

Currently, he was growing his forces after allying himself with some Demon Kings in the Vulcan Kingdom in the Eastern Eeth Continent.

“I imagine I can only obtain the Lich King’s Dark Crystal after defeating him.”

“It was originally an object placed here. So it won't matter even if you go to Tyrion and talk to him.”

Nakron handed the box and placed his hand on Woohyuk's shoulder.

Then, several system messages popped up in front of Woohyuk's eyes.

[New Title Acquired: Nakron's Successor]

[All the dead asleep in the basement of Dreadlore awaken to obey you.]

[You may also continuously create, combine, and strengthen undeads in Dreadlore.]

[Necromancer exclusive skill: ‘Sanctuary of the Dead’ acquired.]

[The Sanctuary of the Dead can only be cast in one place, and the cooldown is 4 weeks.]

[Inside the Sanctuary of the Dead, the stats of all undeads are increased by 15%, and corpses automatically turn into undeads every 10 minutes.]

A priceless reward.

It was worthwhile to use up all his spare time to read Nakron's Grimoire.

As Nakron spoke his farewells and disappeared, Sieg stared at Woohyuk in curiosity.

“My Lord, what happens if you drink that elixir?”

“I will literally live an eternal life. There is just one drawback.”

“What is it? Does your skin darken and dry up like a lich?”

“No, my appearance won’t change. Instead, I will lose my ability to procreate.”

“...”

In other words, Woohyuk would become a eunuch.

Sieg shook his head with a deep frown.

His darkest worries were about to turn into reality.

But Helena laughed it out as she didn’t think Woohyuk would drink it.

“You won’t use it, will you? You have lots of women to sleep with once you achieve your goals.”

“I will only marry one woman. I don't need concubines.”

“Phew, thank goodness. Tinia still has a chance to become a Queen.”

“… Isn’t it about time you gave up on that idea, Sieg?”

“What’s wrong with my Tinia? Oh, by the way, Silvia is very kind and cooks extremely well.”

Brynhild chuckled next to Sieg.

They were a couple that got along quite well.

Woohyuk sighed and muttered to himself.

“I should just choose someone as my Queen to make him give up.”

There was always the possibility of marrying Princess Eleonora.

However, he was unwilling to marry a woman he didn’t love, nor did he want to put her in danger.

Woohyuk's wish was simply to fill all the Divine Thrones and quickly return to his original world.