novelbin Chapter 346: Hunger for power
Chapter 346: Hunger for power
Vale’s eyes flickered. "What... is staying my hand?"
The image of Tiber and Slya flickered together, overlapping their voices. "Yes, yes. You know where the road to power lies. Why hesitate to take the step?"
Vale looked up with eyes drunk with tiredness. He frowned as he realized that the monsters were even closer now, his fireball only casting a shadow of its previous light and heat.
"Why answer all these questions when I am about to die? What purpose does it serve? Even you are just products of my imagination. My mind reaching out in its last desperation to reach into something...."
The flickering images of Tiber and Slya froze, only their heads were apart at this point, the rest of their bodies indistinguishable in one. They spoke as one. "You.... are you truly His successor? How strange, how curious. How easy...."
Vale didn’t hear most of what the voices were saying as every inch of his body demanded rest. Even his mind was heavier than his limbs. "I..... i.... i.... i..."
"..." The voice hissed. "You weakling."
Vale froze.
His neck stiffened and he seemed to have difficulty turning it as he raised his head. There was no image of Tiber and Slya. Only a shadowy figure stood before him, a thing made entirely of shadow, and it looked down on him with such condescension that his skin raised in goosebumps.
A low light that rapidly expanded into sharp light appeared in his eyes as he forced himself to stand.
Weakling?
That was something Vale hated. Something he thought he had put in his past, forgotten and gone. Weakling?
The fireball above him reacted to his fury. It couldn’t burn brighter, but heat rolled in the air once more. "You. Who the fuck are you to call me a weakling."
The shadow smiled. "I am so much stronger than you. You are a weakling."
Vale’s hand raised and he back-slapped the shadow, his body exploding into action before his thoughts could catch up, dredging up the last of his strength.
The slap connected, but it felt like slapping a ball of air. Nothing more.
But it seemed to have an effect though. The shadow paused for a long time, just looking at Vale, muttering. "I can’t remember the last time I was slapped. So long ago. So long. What a strange feeling.
"You won’t die today."
Vale blinked. "Who are you?"
"What are you?"
The shadow, with no real face, somehow smiled. "I think you know who I am. You have seen me before after all. You know this voice."
The voice was now speaking normally and indeed, Vale knew it. He had heard it before and he understood it. He remembered. "Old Man."
The Old Man that stole his artifact in the Rift. That old, powerful and terrible thing.
"What do you want," Vale asked. He couldn’t help it as his body trembled a little. He could remember the power that the man had commanded, and it wasn’t even his full power. "What do you want now?"
Old Man chuckled. His figure solidified into flesh, the shadow peeling away to reveal him. White long hair and low grey brows on a regal face. His eyes were a deep purple with different symbols floating in them. He chuckled. "What did I want? I should be asking you that, boy. What do you want? You are the one in my space after all."
"In your space?" He couldn’t hide his shock. From what he had gathered that day in the Rift, the Old Man was imprisoned. And if Vale was in his space, that means...
He’s in prison? He looked around him blankly. Was this how a prison was supposed to look like? But then again, what did he know about prisons for those who were powerful like him. "How did I get here?"
The Old Man shrugged, then he gestured. "Walk with me."
With his hands behind him, Old Man took a step forward and began to walk in the air. His eyes flashed purple and power condensed. The air groaned as it gained weight, then it spread like a shockwave, instantly flattening all the monsters in one go.
A force warped around Vale and lifted him up, dragging him behind Old Man. "Tell me, what are you afraid of? Why did you not go in search of power?"
Vale didn’t say anything as he let the tension drain out of his body. But he really couldn’t be sure if he had traded a bad situation for a worse one.
He needed to recover his strength.
And for that, he needed to play along.
He answered the question truthfully. "I did not truly trust the power."
And it was the truth. The power that Old Man was talking about was the inheritance of the Crimson Lord. The Forbidden Knight. Or whatever his name might be.
Maybe in the stories he read, there were lucky instances where one came across sudden wealth or powerful artifacts and means of power without drawbacks. But in the real world, things don’t happen that way.
There’s no free food. There will always be a string attached.
The Crimson Lord inheritance was something he was born with as a Forbidden Knight. But as he understood it, he’s not the only one that has access to the inheritance.
The Old Man is an example. A very strong example that drives the point home.
Vale still didn’t fully understand or know the string behind the inheritance.
"You are wise not to trust it, but you are also foolish. You seek power and the inheritance will temper you. Will you not look for Rifts and steal its resources for your power? Do you trust the Rift? And yet, here you are. Seeking more power."
Vale blinked. "Here? What do you mean?"
The Old Man chuckled. "The... Crimson Lord has many inheritances. He was near to becoming a god when he fell and his powers are hidden and scattered. You have the Infernal Dominion power, one of his very core powers, but it isn’t complete. You are using but a shadow of it."
"Infernal Dominion allows him to become the Crimson Lord and Lord of the Eternal Pyre. You are so lucky."
Old Man turned back to smile at him. It was a warm smile, but Vale felt coldness touch him all around.
It was as if the man was complimenting himself on how lucky he was.
That made Vale remember something and he froze, alarm ringing in his head. When he first saw the Old Man in the Rift, all he wanted to do was devour him. To eat him... to eat the Inheritance in him.
The Old Man also carried an Inheritance and Vale wanted to eat him. Does that mean the Old Man wanted to eat him too?
Vale shuddered.
"You have the strongest branch of the Inheritance. But it’s incomplete and feeble. You do not use it well."
Vale took a deep breath before he asked, steeling himself. "You also have an Inheritance."
Old Man smiled. "Of course. I have the Dead and Decay of his power and also have the corresponding artifact. It’s a complete power for me."
Vale’s eyes widened. He hadn’t expected his question to be answered to such an extent. But there it was.
’...so I was right. This sneaky bastard also has an inheritance and he probably wants to eat me too. But as he said, I’m incomplete and feeble, it won’t be a good meal. And he’s also imprisoned and can’t hunt for Inheritances. He likely drew me here using some means....’
’...if I’m too thin to eat now... then he’ll like fatten me. But I’m sure he knows I know that. How exactly was he planning to eat me when I’m fattened?...’
Vale couldn’t help it as he felt his mood lifted, as his blood heated to the challenge.
The Old Man was saying the truth. He might fear the power, but at the end, he still wanted it. He hungered to be powerful. He had a Clan now, and subordinates. He wanted an Empire.
Indeed, he hungers for it.
"How can I get the rest of my Inheritance? How can I make it complete?"
Old Man chuckled. "Ah... is that greed I hear in your voice? That’s good. That’s good indeed!"
"Let me tell you a little bit about this Inheritance. The Crimson Lord, you should know that it’s one of his titles, but due to the nature of your Inheritance, you are now the Crimson Lord and the Lord of the Eternal Pyre.
"The Lord’s power was shattered into seven shards when he fell, seven different inheritances which now exist as latent potential, occasionally awakening in humans across the world of Eros. It exists as Forbidden Mark.
"If a Forbidden Mark does not activate any shards of the inheritance, then it might spell trouble as it might become... a gateway for entities to enter Eros with very weak laws imposed on them."
Vale listened carefully to something he had never heard before.