Emperor of Steel

Chapter 763: Crete Island 1

Crete, a secluded island to the east of Rhodesia continent.

At dawn, when the battle in Bless wasn’t even over, a small lighthouse built on the rocky island shone.

“How did it happen?”

The man who was guarding the island all alone, tilted his head and stepped towards the temple.

Wearing a robe that seemed like a rag, the lonely one was Bargosa.

He had been there guarding the temple for 300 years.

At that time, the Crete Kingdom was showing signs of destruction. The volcano located in the center of the island was showing signs of explosion.

The Kings and nobles who kept the truth a secret from the people thought they were doing it to avoid chaos.

The nobles would meet with talented wizards to prevent the disaster from striking them.

However, all the famous wizards rejected their offer.

It was because the evils of Crete, like the human offerings, were already known to the outside world.

And even if that wasn’t the case, preventing a large-scale natural disaster such as volcanoes wasn’t a task for a wizard of the 9th circle could do.

“I don’t know anyone of us who can actually do it.”

When the leader looked grim because of the warlock’s words, the Baroque Empire’s Veritas Magic tower gave them the answer they wanted.

During that time, Veritas men along with the Holy Imperial Magic Tower were known to be the two leading towers in the Magic Tower.

But shockingly, they introduced a Lich of the Veritas Magic tower.

Arsene, the Arch Mage brought in a changing world as the founder of Magic Engineering!

The heads of the Crete Kingdom begged him when the time was turning troublesome for them, Arsene readily accepted the mission.

“This kind of disaster cannot be prevented with regular magic. I don’t think that it would be possible unless we get over 10,000 girls as sacrifice...”

In Arsene’s words, the King of Crete immediately brought in 10,000 girls as a sacrifice.

The people, who naturally did human offerings, struggled when their families and relatives were being captured and dragged by the army.

Arsene performed the ritual with 10,000 living offerings.

However, it wasn’t to prevent the volcanic eruption but to summon an entity that would help him regarding the Devildom.

And the being which he summoned was Arch Duke Demon, Bargosa.

He signed a contract with Arsene in exchange for the souls of 10,000 girls.

In addition, he defended Arsene’s Life Vessel, which was transferred to Crete after the kingdom fell, and would pass on the skills of the Devildom sword to the undead.

Bargosa did not go outside the island.

It was because Arsene had already made sure that he wouldn’t leave the Island during the contract signing, but it was because Arsene wanted his Life Vessel protected at all costs.

The biggest weakness of a Lich was the Life Vessel.

And who would dare think that the Life Vessel was being guarded by an Advanced Demon?

And it was to make sure that he would prevent gathering the attention from the Divine power, the Saint Guards.

For a demon to be active in the Middle Earth, they could only intervene through contracts.

Anyway, Bargosa had spent 300 years of his time.

And there weren’t humans who would come over to the cursed island, and the visitor who came was just Arsene.

But in recent times, something terrible happened.

The remarkable incident was the body which Lich King Arsene used for hundreds of years, was destroyed.

Arsene was the only human in Middle Earth who could win over Bargosa.

And that kind of man died?

The problem was that the lighthouse was shining again.

And it was a sign that Arsene had lost his body once again.

“What the hell happened... could it be that another new warrior has appeared?”

The last time that the body was destroyed, Arsene talked about a man called Luke.

Was this too, the act of the same Luke?

“Kuakkk! Luke. You. Bastard! Once. Again. You. Humiliated. Me!”

‘So he got hit by the same guy.’

Bargosa, who entered the temple, was able to see Arsene who resurrected into his spare body.

Arsene was talking through the stiff body and swore for a long time, and began to unseal the sarcophagus where his spare body was stored.

“Can’t. Work. With. This. Body! Not. This. Either! Not. Enough!”

The power of the reserve bodies wasn’t great, and he broke open all the sarcophagus.

“Kugh! Trash, everything. Is. Just. Trash! How. Worthless! Not. Even. One. Useful. One!”

‘It is because you used up all the useful ones.’

Bargosa knew about all the corpses Arsene collected, the ones of the warriors and the wizards.

And Arsene used all of those corpses into Undead.

In other words, it meant that the spare bodies which were in the lighthouse were worthless to be used.

Of course, there was a way to strengthen those with weak abilities.

However, it was unethical in many ways.

Arsene never asked Bargosa about the method.

And Bargosa had no obligation to respond to the matters he wasn’t asked about. And there was no demon in the world, who would be kind enough to do anything other than what they had contracted.

“It looks like you have met a tough enemy.”

At Bargosa’s words, Arsene grunted through his teeth.

“If. I. knew. That. Things. Were. Going to. Turn. Like this. I would. Have. Killed. Him. Long ago!”

Bargosa smiled seeing the man in anguish.

“Humans are the creatures who live in arrogance and then collapse. The same goes for you.”

“Shut. Up, Bargosa!”

“That can’t be done. I don’t remember signing that in the contract.”

“Kuek! You. And. Your. Contract! The. Contract!”

Arsene burst into anger but didn’t forget the contract which gave him the right to order Bargosa.

Arsene thought for a while and hit his jawbone which was stuck and spoke to Bargosa.

“I want to become twice as strong as I was, no thrice as strong. So teach me!”

“You want to win over the man called Luke?”

“Yes, I do! So show me how to get strong!”

At Arsene’s request, Bargosa smiled.

“If he is such a strong enemy, there is no need to fight him.”

“What? There. Is. No. need. To. Fight. Him?”

“Yes, the human lifespan is over 100 years. Some people with excellent skills live past it, but they rarely live over 200 years,”

“What. Are. You. Trying. To say?”

Despite Arsene’s frown growing deeper, Bargosa didn’t stop speaking.

“Just stop paying attention to the outside world, and stay in seclusion for 200 years. After some time, he will be nothing but a skinny skeleton, then you can take him and use him as your toy, how is that?”

“Kul! You. Are. A. realistic. Person!”

“Because that is the kind of advice I can give.”

Shrugging his shoulders Bargosa replied.

Prior to signing his contract with Arsene, he was working as the Demon King’s underman.

At that time, the situation of the Devildom was so confused that the future turned scary, so Bargosa, thinking realistically, distanced himself from the Demon King.

However, Arsene was different from the Demon King whom Bargosa served.

“Seclusion. I. can’t. do that! Right. Now. Luke is. Growing strong. I need. To. Take. Him. Down! And. Take. Down. His. Lover. In front. Of. His. Eyes!”

He was so angry, that his jawbone began to rattle again.

“This is an opponent who beat you twice, I don’t want to recommend you to go and fight.”

Bargosa spoke with a very cold tone, Arsene barely restrained himself from punching the demon.

“You. Might. Be. Realistic. Type. But, would. That. Luke. Stay. Still. Without. Taking me. Down? He. Would. Turn. The continent. Upside. Down. To. Find. My Life. Vessel!”

“But he won’t come to this island. In the past 300 years, the only one who came to this island was that demon.”

“A demon? Came. Here?”

When Arsene was shocked, Bargosa told him about the demon which was spying on him.

Arsene turned more anxious as the story went.

“if. Luke. Was. In. contact. With that. Demon... then. He. Will. Know. Of. This. Place.”

“He won’t. that lower demon is very unlikely to survive my attack.”

“But. Just. In. case!”

Seeing Arsene turn all nervous, Bargosa could imagine what kind of forces Arsene was dealing with.

The fact that this human Luke wasn’t an easy one.

“There is no way to make your power suddenly twice or thrice. No, there is a way, but your abilities are lacking.”

“My. Abilities. Are. Lacking?”

“Yes, so take your Life Vessel and run away. To a place out of his sight.”

Arsene was disappointed with Bargosa’s answer.

But then, a thought entered his mind.

“If. You can’t. then. The. Demon King. Might!”

Arsene laughed frantically.

It was because there was no way he had a sacrifice that could be given to summon a Demon King.

Until then, there were many warlocks who tried to summon the Demon King but seeing that, none of them had succeeded. Arsene guessed that the difficulty of getting it done was high.

But, would it be possible for Arsene who lost all his life force and weakened body to summon it?

In a gentle tone, Bargosa gave him an advice.

“Don’t create bigger problems, Arsene. You don’t have the time or means to do it. Even if you did, where is the offering that you want to give to a Demon King?”

“The. Offering. Is. Right. In Front. Of. You.”

“... are you in your right mind, Arsene?”

Arsene was a Lich who lived for 500 years.

He was also the first one to become the white magic wizard of the 9th circle and the 9th magic circle of the black magic.

But to sacrifice himself?!

Signing a contract with a demon meant that the humans would turn into a slave after death.

Of course, since the contract with Bargosa was done 300 years back, there was an equal relationship between the two.

However, no matter how great Arsene’s power was, there was no way he could hold an equal footing with a Demon King.

“Do you have any idea what it means to be a slave to the demon?”

“I know. But. I. need. To. Take. Down. That, Luke!”

He was willing to the level of selling his soul to the devil.

Bargosa, who looked at it, laughed out loud.

In order to gain strength and eternal life, Arsene who abandoned humanity and turned into a Lich was clearly showing foolish human behavior.

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