NOVEL NEXT 332. The Corpse
Built with stern ochre bricks, simple and without visible banners, the castle stood above clouds and mountains alike, a worldly emperor that dominated all.
The usual way to enter a castle is to go through the gate, meet whoever's there to welcome you, and then make your way to the throne room, which is usually at the highest point of said castle, because who else but the castle's lord would take the highest place in his house?
Of course, that is not how Glenn and the others did things.
"I mean, we're already flying above the castle. We might as well skip all the formalities and meet the lord right away, right?" Glenn argued, standing ready for business on Pebble's back.
Milena, who was sitting behind Liara on her griffon, Whitey, almost exploded with rage. "Are you insane? Don't you know about decorum? Do you really think that whoever's living there is going to welcome us when we break into his castle?"
Lucian rubbed his chin, nodding slowly. "All very good points, Milena. Thankfully, we're all strong enough to simply ignore decorum."
Sahro frowned. "What does decorum mean? Something about decorations?"
Liara shook her head and rolled her eyes, a hint of a smile on her lips.
Glenn clapped his hands with a large grin. "Alright, the majority has voted. See you down there, Milena!"
"Wait—!"
Pebble dove downward at the castle, sending a violent gust of wind into Milena's face. The noblewoman clenched her teeth and waved her fist at Glenn's fleeting figure, her words stuck in her throat. Liara chuckled and directed Whitey to follow Pebble the one-eyed dragon.
The two flying mounts landed on the castle's roof, close to a large balcony. Glenn dismounted with an impatient expression, rubbing his hands together.
"I'm sure that the castle's lord knows about the Celestial Gods' flying base!" He exclaimed excitedly.
"Let's hope he doesn't want to share that information," grumbled Sahro as he rapped his finger on the pommel of his sword. "I'm eager for a fight."
"When are you not...?" Milena muttered.
The view from the balcony was breathtaking. It overlooked an incredible sea of clouds, white like an infinite herd of fluffy sheep. A few mountains peaked through the clouds, ridiculous in size compared to the absurdly tall castle. Glenn paused for an instant and compared the Royal Tower to the castle.
'Which is taller? And who can build a castle as big as the King of Munirp's?'
'Of course, this castle is much higher compared to the other crazy bastard who calls himself king!' Diamanes exclaimed in Glenn's mind. 'Hey, why don't you make that castle yours? To make the King of Munirp jealous!'
Glenn rolled his eyes. 'I doubt the King would care much for that. And why would I want to make him jealous? You're the one who has beef with him, not me!'
'Y-You wouldn't help a friend? Hey, I know! Put me in the bird and make me lord of the castle! I'm sure that would be enough to at least make him lose his marbles!'
'...Just shut up.'
Lucian whistled casually as he pulled open the balcony's window, his magic picking the lock with ease.
"You know how to pick locks?" Sahro questioned, frowning.
"Don't you?" Lucian grinned.
Sahro shook his head. "I'd rather smash them apart. Easier and faster."
Lucian scoffed. "I should have known."
A violent cloud of dust blew straight into their faces, failing to even elicit a cough out of them. Their lungs could be compared to particle-cleaning machines at the level the team now stood. Glenn whisked it all away with a wave of his hand, revealing an ancient yet pristine bedroom. The walls were of the same stern ochre as the exterior, covered in empty paintings. Blank canvas, void of any colors.
A king-sized bed with white bed curtains stood at the center of the room, surrounded by chests and coffers of lacquered, pale wood. A wardrobe cabinet, large enough to fit three grown men side to side, lay in the corner. Glenn quickly realized it was empty, as were the chests and coffers. There were also weapon racks and shelves, but no weapons or relics. It was all empty, gathering dust, as if someone had already pillaged their way through the bedroom and gathered everything without leaving a crumb of loot behind.
"Tsk. Raijin, can you feel something?" Sahro grunted. His fox surged out of his shadow, glancing around the room and suddenly staring down. Raijin's three tails rose in the air, disheveled, the fox taking a step back with a low growl. The group froze, staring at the beast silently. Sahro unsheathed his sword, a grin lusty for blood drawing up on his lips.
Glenn stopped him before he could run into the danger. "Wait a second. We're not here to kill stuff. We just need to find out where the Celestial Gods ran out to." He grimaced and shook his head. " And I don't know about you, but there's something wrong here."
"No shit," Milena muttered as she crossed all four arms. "Everywhere we go, something happens. It's like we're cursed by the gods."
"Maybe we are," joked Liara.
Lucian paled and frantically shook his head. "Let's not joke about this, okay?"
Glenn looked at the Prince like he was an idiot. "Oh, but it makes a lot of sense. Did you forget I already fought a god? Kinda?"
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
"Nope! I don't want to hear it! Let's just go take care of whoever lives here, okay? Good, let's go!" Lucian dashed out of the room, fearing divine retribution. Glenn chuckled, but didn't dismiss the thought. Maybe their unluckiness was indeed because of a God. It wouldn't be the first time they'd be playing on a divine chest board, after all.
'Soon enough, we will shatter the board,' Diamanes cackled within his mind. 'Your clone is making sure of that. Either we become the player, or put an end to the game. What do you say?'
Glenn silently followed behind Lucian, the rest of the group on his heels. The hallways were almost the same as the bedroom, ochre walls, ochre floor, ochre ceilings, ochre everywhere. Banners were hanging from the walls, but they were completely blank as well, pure white sheets frozen in time.
"It really is a weird place," Lucian remarked, his previous anxiety gone. "Usually, a lord—or even my royal father—stores a lot of their decorations in the hallways. You know, pretty armor and sculptures. Here, there's nothing."
"Hmm, that's not entirely true, though," Milena corrected as she pointed at the walls. "There are pedestals for statues and the like. There were armors in the past, but not anymore."
Liara nodded wordlessly, having come up to the same conclusion. Glenn couldn't stop himself from laughing mockingly.
"Whoever came here filled his pockets to the brim. That's impressive!"
Sahro clicked his tongue. "Yes, and a clean job too. I couldn't see any traces of fighting, no scratches on the walls or the floor."
"Hmm..." Glenn shelves the information in the back of his mind. It was a curious affair, no doubt.
But not exactly what they were after.
Raijin led the group through the castle with soft steps, growling from time to time. They passed by a lot of rooms, all in a similar condition to the bedroom they entered through: empty of anything that wasn't furniture, and in perfect, if dusty, condition.
Emptiness, blank paintings and banners, and a hell lot of dust. "This place sure sucks. No fights, no loot, no secrets. Just a dusty old castle," complained Diamanes aloud, startling the rest of the team.
Glenn's eyebrows twitched. "Don't jinx us just yet. Raijin clearly felt something worthwhile. We just need to reach it."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever."
Lucian shoved his elbow lightly in Glenn's side, his eyes smiling maliciously. "Didn't you find a way to shut the parasite up? If you need a host, I've got a perfectly good sword here—"
Diamanes' mouth appeared in a flash within Glenn's purple hand. "Shut the hell up, you demon-spawn! You think I forgave that boy you call father already?"
The Prince's grin only grew wider. "What do I care if you forgave him? And I'm not talking to you, spirit, I'm talking to your master."
Diamanes almost exploded. "He's not my master you little fuck—"
Glenn clenched his hand shut, using his powers to forcefully send the entity back into his soul. "Enough with the jokes. Focus, everyone."
Even though he said that, the rest of the team had already unsheathed their weapons and prepared their spells. They would have been fools not to; the Mana fluctuated in tidal waves around them, making the air itself tremble with power. Strength comparable—no, maybe superior to a Newborn Ruler's. Lucian kept his smirk up, even though a bead of sweat pearled down his forehead. A crown of light wreathed his head, an incarnation of his power.
Of them all, Lucian was the closest to breaking through to the Newborn Ruler stage. He had more Mana than even Glenn, and his esteemed father, the King of Munirp, Eighth-Circle legend, also gave him a lot of tips and resources to progress the most efficiently possible.
Resources which Glenn didn't share, even if his training with Exan the Omniscient pushed him much higher than where he was before. In hindsight, Glenn was almost certain he could give Milena's grandpa a run for his money if he really wanted to.
And all of his teammates were in similar situations. Milena and Liara were on the cusp of breaking through to a higher stage, even if the latter was more focused on trying to create something similar to Sahro's Primal Aura, a product of his heroism, foolishness, and stupidity. In Exan's words, 'that idiot should be dead, not stronger for it.'
Glenn brushed away all of these thoughts and conjured his Mana, a Sun swirling at his fingertips. Raijin stopped in front of massive white double doors, undoubtedly leading to an equally grand room. Glenn cracked his neck and kicked the door open, finding...
The back of a throne.
'That's a weird place for a throne. Doesn't this mess up the Feng Shui?' Diamanes blurted out, but Glenn ignored him. The smell of blood and iron instantly submerged them, so powerful it felt like they were bleeding from their noses.
Creak... k-k-k-shrrrk...
The sound of metal rattling against the stone echoed through the room. Glenn and the others carefully entered, their expression grim and wary. The throne room was massive, with the throne itself taking the most prominent position. It was a wooden throne, made of that same white, lacquered wood. Beside it, the remains of another throne, completely smashed up.
There were more empty, blank banners, and the walls were still of that ochre stone.
"What the hell is this?" Glenn muttered, horrified.
Corpses.
Piles of corpses, piled up to the ceiling and filling every corner. Bones littered the ground like dirt, and blood painted the floor crimson. There were countless bodies, but the 'freshest' ones were Orcish, as it appeared. All mangled beyond recognition, the sole hint of their identity the color of their skin, green.
And amidst this mess, dragging an eroded, long blade behind him, was a corpse. Rotten, flesh hanging off and bones showing through it, shattered yet mended by unknown magic. Tendrils of Mana and Divinity kept the corpse moving, its eye sockets empty and its teeth almost black with rot. It was in such a state of disrepair that not even its genre could be identified.
"More...?" The corpse asked, its voice making the castle tremble. Glenn stood his ground, ready to use his spells to defend himself, but this was something beyond magic. His knees wobbled, the weight of immense guilt and pain crushing him down.
The corpse pointed a finger devoid of skin or flesh at them, his voice ringing like the end of the world. "Be damned, dogs. I... I shall never yield, and wait for the day... the day!"
Its shout made the piles of corpses tremble, a pulse of Mana and Divinity running through them. Glenn wanted to cast a spell, say something, anything, but that crushing feeling had turned him even more useless than when he took his first step into Limbo.
Slowly, one by one, the corpses rose. Skeletons and zombies stood up, clenching rusty or pristine weapons, all staring silently, their empty eyes shining with white flames. A legion of the dead, and their macabre commander.
Glenn pushed through the awe and horror and sent his Mana surging through his body, shaking off the corpse's hold. Next to him, Sahro was already aiming to swing, his crimson, electric Primal Aura pouring out like lava from a volcano. Lucian had already pulled himself together, his crown shining brighter than ever. Milena and Liara were struggling, but Raijin and Pebble were guarding them while they gathered their bearings. The one-eyed dragon had teleported himself in at some point, adopting his more compact form.
Glenn, Sahro, and Lucian stood side by side, gazing at the uncrowned corpse.
"As the ruler of this castle, I command thee..." The corpse held his rusty blade before him, black blood pouring out of his hands.
"Kneel before me!"
Glenn scoffed, a Black Hole in one hand and a Sun in the other.
"In your fucking dreams, corpse."