Chapter 534: How to Become a Conqueror

Luke stood inside one of the temple’s inner chambers. Three cauldrons simmered at once, their contents bubbling as he worked pieces of the serpents he had slain into the mixtures, following Azazel’s instructions to the letter.

“It’s like cleaning meat or sterilizing tools,” Azazel explained. “We’re purifying the magical ingredients you brought, improving their attunement to the mana in the air.”

Azazel would vanish for a while, then return without warning. Whenever they spoke, the conversation always circled back to what Luke needed to do next. Never the past. Never the questions Luke still carried about his bloodline.

“Did I make the right call coming here?” Luke finally asked. “Is this what you wanted me to do?”

“Do you mean forging the core, or reaching the temple?”

“Knowing you, it’s probably all of it.”

Azazel’s presence lingered near the cauldrons. “And what do you want to achieve in the future? Why did you come to Sirius instead of continuing your old life?”

“I want to kill a dragon queen,” Luke answered without hesitation. “I need power.”

“Is that all?” Azazel asked lightly. “If you used my name among the kings of this world, I’m sure some of them wouldn’t hesitate to start a war in exchange for favors from my order.”

“It has to be me,” Luke said. “I want to do it myself.”

But Azazel wasn’t talking about a short-term goal. He was looking further ahead.

“I want to build a utopia,” Luke said at last.

“A utopia?” Azazel sounded amused. “I like how that sounds. What exactly do you mean by that?”

“I don’t want what happened before to ever happen again,” Luke said. “When the dragon queen came for me and took my friend. Or back in the tutorial, when I was forced to kneel under people who called themselves kings or leaders. I want to found a kingdom, but not just any kingdom. The greatest one on my planet.”

He looked straight ahead as he continued. “Inside my kingdom, I want a utopia. A society as close to perfect as possible. No crime. No hunger. No inequality. And if anyone tries to stop me, whether it’s someone from within my own kingdom or an external force, I want the power to erase them. Actually… I want the kind of power that makes no one even consider trying.”

“Now that,” Azazel said, his tone approving, “is a truly interesting ambition, my son. There is no true peace, no true perfection. Those things don’t exist. What does exist is a world shaped in the image of your own convictions.”

“Something like that,” Luke replied. “Even if I have to use fear to get there, I don’t care anymore.”

“Then let me give you a piece of advice,” Azazel said, circling him slowly. “You can never keep a single room completely clean if the rest of the house is filthy. Sooner or later, the wind will carry dust inside, and over time the dirt will return.”

Azazel stopped beside him and placed a hand on Luke’s shoulder. “There is only one way to fully achieve what you want.”

He stepped back. “There can only be one kingdom on your planet.”

After a brief pause, he added, “If that truly is your desire, I can give you guidance.”

Luke didn’t hesitate. “How do I become a Conqueror?”

***

The Red Baron stood atop the highest tower of the base, watching everything below.

The more time I buy, the better this turns out for me.

He controlled the dimensional exit. New soldiers could come and go freely, allowing a steady flow of manpower and resources. As he made his way down through the base, he passed shipments of crates being unloaded. Gunpowder, flammable oils, even disassembled war machines that would be assembled on-site. Everything was coming together.

“Send my regards to your boss and the leader of your organization,” the Daimyo said as he stepped into the room.

Arcadia had been unlucky enough to try and make a move against someone truly dangerous, and they had fallen because of their own mistake.

“Leaving already?” the baron asked.

“Yes. I’ve gotten what I wanted,” the Daimyo replied. “The Reaper Court really is the best when it comes to underworld business.”

They were the ones supplying the Baron. He would never have betrayed the Kingdom of Lagras without a powerful sponsor backing him. The chaos he was creating here served the organization’s interests, feeding into its darker plans. On top of that, he would leave with a few Spirit Tools, and once everything was over, he might even secure a position for Scythe.

Walking through the corridors, the baron smiled.

“The death of the King of Lagras is only a matter of time now.”

The small kingdom of Lagras had crossed the Reapers’ path. A successor allied to them, along with their faction, would take control. Cassandra, the general’s daughter, would die as well. In the end, no one would ever learn what truly happened within this dimension, and the baron would return to the kingdom in time to toast the coronation of the new king.

Cassandra, did you really think I’d do all this without a plan and solid guarantees?

He kept walking. He needed to keep buying time. The larger the dimensional crisis grew in the eyes of the kingdom’s authorities, the better it would be for him.

***

Luke pulled fragments of shattered cores from the boiling mixture. Using [Advanced Potion Preparation], he continuously infused mana into the water, saturating it with magical properties. He was drawing out the power locked inside the cores, even using organs harvested from the serpents themselves.

“I have three pieces of advice that can help you become a Conqueror,” Azazel said. “They helped me reach where I am.”

If Luke truly intended to found a kingdom, there was no better mentor than one of the greatest Conquerors to ever exist.

“And what are they?” Luke asked.

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“The first,” Azazel began, “is to never hesitate to do what must be done to achieve what you want. If you desire something, take it. Do not care about the opinions of others or how they judge you. If you must trample the good or the wicked alike, then do so. Your objective must stand above everything.”

It sounded simple, almost obvious. And yet, as always, Azazel’s answers to his riddles were both simple and disturbingly profound.

“The second,” Azazel continued, “is to see everything as a game board. Never forget that even a pawn can become a queen. Find value in even the smallest creature, enemy or ally. From the lowliest servant to the most skilled general, everyone has their place.” He paused. “And remember this: one true friend is worth more than a thousand servants. Only a friend will have the courage to tell you when you’re about to make a mistake.”

Which meant mistakes were inevitable.

“And the third,” Azazel said, his tone turning colder, “is to always be feared. Be ruthless. If someone harms you, no matter how small the offense, return it a thousandfold.”

That was the end of it.

“Those are my teachings,” Azazel concluded. “If you follow them as a ruler, your kingdom can reach heights even you cannot yet imagine.”

“That still leaves the question of how I’ll found my kingdom, and where,” Luke said.

Azazel stepped closer. “In a few months, you will know the answer,” he replied cryptically.

Luke wasn’t sure if that was meant literally, or if he would uncover the answer on his own. Either way, it felt certain that in a few months’ time, something would change.

***

Several days had passed since his conversation with Azazel. During that time, Luke hadn’t seen Charlie or Angie, nor had he stopped by their camp. He moved with purpose, nothing more. He went out, gathered resources, returned, and repeated the cycle. Right now, he was focused on tracking the Abyss King. Even though Sariel’s Eye was a powerful enough ingredient to help forge the core, he still wanted to find the King himself.

At Witch level 40, Luke had chosen a simple skill from the five options presented to him.

[Clear Mind (Ancient)]: A skill granted to accomplished Witches who have endured harsh trials and tempered their minds within chaos. This skill helps maintain a calm mental state. Even in dire situations, the Witch can act without succumbing to panic.

One reason he had chosen it was the [Ancient] classification. The other was more practical. One of the methods for fusing with a core required absolute mental focus, and now he finally had help with that.

“You’re taking too long. There’ve gotta be more rats around here,” Franky complained.

The young wyvern followed him closely during the hunt.

“Keep your voice down,” Luke warned.

They moved through the caves, and whenever beasts appeared, Luke took them down with thrown knives. He collected a core and handed it to Franky.