Blacksmith of the Apocalypse

--- Colossal Dungeon, the Crypts---

~Hey Mr.Sun, do you think you can do something about the miasma?~ Seth asked Puffles.

Once the arrows on light had exploded together with tens of surrounding undead, the crypt had gone dark again. The miasma even obstructed Seth's vision and he was more annoyed by it than he would have expected.

~Are you sure? Didn't you want to enjoy your little adventure? The unadulterated experience of raiding a dungeon... ~

~Yeah, yeah, enough with that. I'm not going to hold back if things get this annoying. Please do it, Puff.~

~Since your a pleading, this great me will magnanimously help out.~ the Ivicer said graciously.

The nightmare centipede flew high up and vanished in the miasma. The party looked on questioning until a sun appeared just below the ceiling and illuminated the party's surroundings. Puffles and Tatzel created a miniature sun around himself and his light burned away at the miasma, revealing the situation in the dungeon.

They could finally see something, in the twilight of the weakened miasma. In a radius of several hundred meters surrounding the party, the undead had been blasted away by Seth's barrage. The undead past the radius had stopped moving, all of them were looking at the sarcophagus.

Following their gaze, Seth and the other saw a black, desiccated hand reaching out from the stone casket. With an effortless shove, the massive stone plate that had sealed it away, flew to the side, crashing into the giant metal bars and bending them out of shape.

A second arm appeared and the two grabbed the edges of the sarcophagus, lifting up a black mummy. It looked like a dried-up corpse, but it was dark and lustrous as if it was soaked in tar. On its head, it wore a crown made from a black, crystalline substance.

Its eye sockets burning with pale soul fire like that of all undead turned to the sun, shining light on the scene. Slowly it floated above the sarcophagus and revealed that it had no legs. It was a floating torso, ending in a cut-off spine and wearing a long black robe.

<Eschok, the Lifeless lv. 189>

"What unpleasant light. Be gone," a deep voice reverberated through the miasma, and darkness collected around the skeletal hand as the Lich King raised his hand toward the ceiling. A bolt of darkness shot towards the little sun.

Eschok grunted when his projectile was intercepted by a strike of lightning. Circling around the sun was a massive black snake that resembled a dragon. Protecting Puffles who was chilling, playing sun, was Tatzel, playing orbital magic cannon.

"The seal has been lifted and the first thing I face are snakes and glowing pests, how weird. But I owe you my freedom. As a sign of my gratitude, I will give you immortal life and have you join my army! <Domain of Death>"

<Ding! You are under the influence of <Domain of Death>.

- Resources regenerate 50% slower

- Skills cost 50% more

- Skills are 25% less effective>

They all felt the tremendous pressure, as the miasma thickened once again. But it didn't just thicken, they could see it flow into the undead, that were approaching the party. Their pale bones and rotten skin, as well as their broken leather and rusted iron armor, were saturated by the darkness, taking on the same black sheen as Eschok.

"Shit!" Evee cursed and hurriedly pulled back her undead army, she had deployed to deal with the encirclement. The reason was, that her minions were undergoing the same change, but apart from gaining power, she had also felt her control over them weakening.

<Domain of Death> did not only put pressure on and weakened them, or strengthened his own undead, but it was also a way to wrestle away control of undead and corpses in the vicinity.

"What's the plan?" Mina looked at Seth, Mike, and Lydia.

"How about a competition? There is enough to go around for everyone. I will take the undead bloke and you will take the undead horde. Whoever finishes first wins," the Tower Master suggested

"That's unfair! There are so many skellies!" Fin complained

"Okay, I will give you Ceres to help. Deal?" Seth asked with a smile. Fin wanted to agree, but Mike covered her mouth.

"What is in it for us?" Lydia asked suspiciously.

"I'm opening the ballroom for a victory celebration," Seth offered.

""" Deal."""

They quickly huddled together to come up with a strategy.

"They are all Colossal Death Knights with a level above 150. They also don't be apt in active magic," Faenys explained. Of them all, she had the highest appraisal skill, despite not knowing exactly what level the opponent was, she knew that she could appraise anyone below 150 at this point.

"Then let's split up. If we want to be quicker than Seth, we have to hurry," Mina glanced at her boyfriend walking toward the boss leisurely. "Let's really show him that he can't underestimate us," she said with a combative fire burning in her eyes.

Seth leaving the horde strong undead to them, meant he was trusting them, but it also felt like he didn't trust them to be able to take down the boss without problems.

"So, let's go all out."

looking at Mina's determined gaze, the others agreed. They didn't get the chance to go all out very often. Their biggest trump cards were usually sealed away in case of an emergency. Just firing everything they had sounded...fun.

"Alright, we will split up, but the mages should stay with the tanks of their party." Lydia and Mike agreed.

Seeing Seth approach the boos, they all nodded and split up this way. However, Mina stayed back with Edward, Evee, and Lyxiss.

"I actually have a good idea. Evee you can use wards to attract enemies, right?"

…

"Hast though come to die a valiant death protecting your companions? How vain. You and they shall soon join my ranks," the hollow voice mused calmly.

He looked down at the little human, in his dark armor. His presence was a notch above what Eschok expected from dungeon challengers in this world. He had been sealed for who knew how long? On the other hand, someone lesser would have probably been unable to take down that treacherous Marcus and release him.

"Stop talking so slowly. I have a bet to win. I have to finish you before the others are done with your minions. Any last words?" the little man said, stretching his body.

Eschok was a little displeased by the words the challenger chose, but it showed how confident he was. Once he had made him part of his entourage, it would be his opponents to be displeased with his minion. He was looking forward to it.

"Kukuku, I recognize thy confidence. I'm Eschok, the Deathless, last true King of the Colossi. What is thy name, Challenger?" the Lich King asked imposingly.

After he assimilated these challengers, there was nothing in his way to win his own bet and become the dungeon master. Then he would not only conquer his world but also spread to this new world. The more death he brought, the more miasma it would generate and his power would keep growing until he became the god of death.

"Last true king? Do you call yourself that because you desecrate their graves and make them work even after their death? So you are literally the last king they will ever know?" his voice oozing with sarcasm.

Eschok had shown him the most respect he could bring up for a vermin, but this was how his sincerity was answered? Maybe he didn't want someone like this under him. It was best if he just purged his personality and had him become a mindless ghoul, like all the others who resisted following him.

"I'm Seth Smith, blacksmith, and bard. The "last true king" shall find his end at the hands of a craftsman."

Eschok snorted when his field of view was suddenly bathed into a realm of flames. So this was where his confidence came from, but the lich could only snort. His body was immortal. He couldn't die as long as his soul was safe and it couldn't be any safer since it was not even in this dungeon. His phylactery was securely kept in his real castle.

He knew this, he knew, but then what was with this pain? Normal fire couldn't harm him, but he felt excruciating pain as this dark reddish fire, leeching the miasma out of his bones and burning it up like oil.

"W-What did you do to me?"