Chapter 519: A gift?
"Looking to die? Funny—you’re the one who should be worried."
Angel of Death, Andona stepped forward, her voice cold as ice.
"Klorvax, I know who you are. But the one thing you should never have done... was insult our Lord. And now? You’re already dead."
"Oh, really?"
Klorvax let out a laugh—loud, manic, echoing through the mountains like thunder.
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
BOOOOM!
As he laughed, his power erupted outward in a violent surge. The surrounding mountains trembled, groaning under the pressure of his energy.
BOOM.
BOOM.
BOOM.
Like a tidal wave crashing through the sky, a monstrous army appeared—massive beasts, grotesque and terrifying, floating in the air behind him. Each one radiated a terrifying aura.
His personal army.
Namyanna’s voice rang out urgently, "Use the Gorgon’s Eye! Channel your power into it and activate it!"
Ethan narrowed his eyes, staring down Klorvax from across the battlefield. He reached for the Gorgon’s Eye—but just as his fingers touched it, a familiar chime echoed in his mind.
DING!
"Player Valkarion, attention:
Hidden Quest Triggered — ’Steal Klorvax’s Heart.’
Acquiring Klorvax’s heart may empower Hero Unit: Ataneya.
Accept quest?"
A quest?
Ethan blinked, then grinned.
"Accept."
Immediately, two images flashed in his mind—one of Klorvax’s heart, the other of Ataneya’s.
He muttered under his breath, "So... if I take his heart, I can’t use the Gorgon’s Eye myself..."
A bit of a trade-off, sure. But worth it.
They didn’t need the Eye to win this.
He looked up, voice sharp and commanding. "Everyone—attack!"
BOOOOM!
Andona was the first to strike. The moment her Holy Lightblade appeared, even Klorvax’s face twisted in shock.
His pupils shrank.
"No... that sword... it can’t be—"
He didn’t even finish the sentence before Namyanna made her move.
BZZZZZT!
The sea roared to life. Water surged from thin air, swirling around her as the Trident of the Sea God materialized in her hand. The moment it did, Klorvax’s composure cracked.
"No—no way! That’s Poseidra’s trident! How the hell is it in your hands?!"
He was in disbelief.
Poseidra was supposed to be his equal—a powerhouse on the same level. If Namyanna had his weapon...
That could only mean one thing.
Poseidra was dead.
"Impossible..."
"No," Namyanna said with a cold smirk. "It’s only impossible because you’re too ignorant to see the truth."
Ataneya stepped forward, ready to unleash her own power—but just then, Ethan leaned in close and whispered, "Ataneya... be ready. I’ve got a gift for you."
Her eyes widened. "A gift? What kind of gift?"
Ethan didn’t answer.
Instead, he vanished in a blur—charging straight at Klorvax.
And with that, the battle exploded into full force.
Klorvax was strong, no doubt. But he was no stronger than Poseidra—and Poseidra was already dust in the wind.
There was no way he was winning this.
Within minutes, Klorvax was on the defensive, overwhelmed. His monstrous army? Useless. The Trident of the Sea God and the Gorgon’s Eye—though Ethan couldn’t use the Eye himself due to the quest—were more than enough to seal them away.
His forces were crushed.
He was alone.
A commander with no army. A king with no throne.
Pathetic.
"No—please! Don’t kill me!" Klorvax begged, his voice trembling with fear. He knew it was over.
Ethan tilted his head, smiling faintly. "I don’t have to kill you. Maybe... if you give me something, I’ll let you live."
Klorvax latched onto the hope like a drowning man. "Anything! Whatever I have, it’s yours!"
Ethan pointed at his chest.
"Your heart. Give it to me. Rip it out yourself, and maybe I’ll spare you."
Klorvax’s eyes went wide.
His heart was his core—his source of power. Without it, he’d be nothing. Dead.
"You bastard... you’re playing with me!"
He roared in fury.
Ethan gave a mock shrug. "Guess that’s a no, then. Can’t say I didn’t offer."
He turned to the others.
"Finish him."
"AAARGH!"
Klorvax’s scream tore through the air, raw and agonized.
It was obvious now—fighting four-on-one, even for someone like him, was a losing battle. He was powerful, sure, but not invincible. And with Ethan and the others pressing harder and harder, his defenses were crumbling fast. He wasn’t fighting anymore—he was just surviving. Barely.
"Finish him!" Ethan barked, his voice cold and final.
He motioned to Andona.
Without hesitation, she stepped forward, her blade gleaming with divine light. With a single, precise slash, she tore open Klorvax’s chest.
FWIP!
A burst of sword energy split the air, carving a deep gash right across his torso.
"Perfect," Ethan said, stepping in.
He reached into the wound and, without flinching, ripped Klorvax’s heart from his chest.
"Got it!" he said, eyes gleaming with triumph.
He turned immediately to Ataneya.
"Ataneya! Come here—this is yours. Take it. Absorb it!"
"My Lord... this is..." Ataneya’s voice trembled with excitement. She understood exactly what Ethan was doing. In a flash, she darted forward.
As soon as she reached him, the heart in Ethan’s hand began to glow—radiant, pulsing with raw power. Then, like a beam of light, it shot straight into Ataneya’s chest.
She gasped.
The energy hit her like a tidal wave, flooding her body with overwhelming force. She didn’t even have time to react before it began reshaping her from the inside out.
"No! NOOOO!"
Klorvax thrashed wildly, his voice cracking with desperation.
He knew what this meant. His heart—his core—was gone. Without it, he was finished.
But he couldn’t stop it.
He had nothing left.
He had lost. Completely.
Meanwhile, the light continued to pour into Ataneya. Her small frame began to shift, growing taller, stronger—her body maturing before their eyes. In seconds, she transformed into a young woman, around sixteen or seventeen, glowing with divine energy.
And her power—
It was skyrocketing.
Her aura surged, climbing past even Andona and Namyanna’s levels.
"She’s evolving..." Andona whispered, stunned.
She knew that feeling. She’d experienced it herself when she first bonded with the Holy Lightblade. Evolution wasn’t just a power-up—it was a rebirth. Every time it happened, their strength multiplied.
And now, with Ataneya’s evolution complete, their team had just gotten a hell of a lot stronger.
But Klorvax?
He was done.
With his heart gone, his body began to collapse. His skin cracked, his limbs shriveled, and within moments, he was nothing but a broken shell.
Then—
He disintegrated.
Gone. Dead. Defeated.
Ataneya dropped to one knee before Ethan, her voice trembling with emotion.
"My Lord... thank you. Thank you for this gift. It’s the greatest honor of my life."
She was glowing—literally and figuratively. Her eyes sparkled with gratitude and awe.
Ethan grinned. "Looks like that power suits you, Ataneya. Hah! You’re stronger than ever."
He turned his gaze toward the sky.
There, shimmering in the air, a glowing map had appeared—an ethereal guide lighting up the next path. His progress in the Citadel of Shadows dungeon was now more than halfway complete.
From here on out, things would move fast.
Ten Sacred Gems.
Ten Laws of Power.
The map clearly marked the locations of the remaining seven.
All that was left... was to claim them.
Once he absorbed all ten, he’d complete every quest in The Dark World and finally return to the Dungeon.
He raised a hand and pointed toward the glowing map.
"So... do you know where this place is?"
It was a simple question.
But Andona and Ataneya both fell silent.
Ethan narrowed his eyes, catching the shift in their expressions.
"...So it’s like that, huh?" he said quietly. "Whoever’s there... they’re worse than Poseidra and Klorvax, aren’t they?"
They didn’t answer.
They didn’t have to.
Their silence said everything.
...