Chapter 194 Truth
Dorian activated his Perfect Body Ability, causing the world to lose some of its color. At the same time, he activated a flurry of Laws, enhancing himself.
WHOOSH
Leader, in that time, had taken out his bow, armed it, and fired an arrow, all in that single split second. His talent as an archer, even in a younger form, was quite clear.
"Whoa!" Dorian ducked down hard, barely able to dodge the lightning fast attack. The arrow shot past him and slammed into several trees, obliterating them. Shards of wood and bark flew into the air, scattering.
'I dodged it! I saw it!' As this realization hit him, Dorian rushed forward, his eyes full of glee.
"Hah!" In just moments, his body landed next to Leader's moving incredibly quickly. He no longer needed to rely on Yukeli's Mystic Martial Arts to move fast, able to use his raw, enhanced physical state as a stand-in.
BOOM
The valley floor exploded as he landed on it, cracks spreading as huge chunks of rock were thrown skyward. Before Dorian could attack, Leader was knocked backwards by this impact, flipping through the air.
'Oh geez.' Dorian realized,
'I need to move carefully. Landing with too much force can destroy the ground if it isn't extremely solid.' His physique was boosted by his Law of Valor, in addition to all his other powers, making everything he did formidable.
"Super State!" A rainbow Aura burst out around Leader as the skillful archer activated the ultimate power of the Law of Pride. The man's body was greatly enhanced, his physique jumping from that of a strong human to that of an overwhelmingly strong human.
'Ah, he's still King Class. I didn't think whatever remnant or memory of him here would be able to use that power.' Dorian's eyes narrowed.
He immediately gave chase.
WHOOSH
Over the next several moments, Leader fired arrow after arrow at Dorian, intent on striking him down. Each of these arrows was imbued with energy and power. Leader's strength as a King Class archer could not be underestimated.
Yet, this time around, Dorian found that he could just barely dodge the arrow attacks thanks to his enhanced perception. Leader fired shot after shot, and each attack missed.
The time Dorian spent dodging was just enough for Leader to get away, but, gradually, the gap between them was closing.
"Hahaha, Leader! Of everyone I know, you probably match up best against me!" He wasn't lying in that regard. Leader's powerful physique and very strong long range attacks were a solid counter to Dorian, who depended on close quarters combat.
"But, at least against an early version of you…" Dorian smiled,
"I no longer have to risk dying to stand a chance." Dorian stopped chasing Leader, jumping back towards the middle of the original clearing. By now, hundreds of trees had been obliterated and the nearby forested area was in ruins. Craters littered the ground, the air still covered in a haze of dust and debris.
Dorian could see Leader sprinting away, roughly 100 meters distant, his bow in hand. The warrior seemed to be planning on getting to a safe distance before raining down attacks on Dorian.
'Focus.' Dorian's eyes narrowed as he stared at Leader, concentrating.
"Hyperion Beams!" Without hesitation, he activated an Ability he had been preparing the entire fight.
11 black orbs formed, crackling in the air. These orbs each formed about half a meter away from each other, floating above Dorian's head and shoulders, off above or in either direction.
As they formed, Dorian imbued them all with the power of his Black Flames, transforming them. This energy combination upgraded the strength of the attack tremendously. Dragonfire was one of the most potent substances in the 30,000 Worlds, very few would dare to face it head-on.
"My Black Dragonfire Beams! Fire!" He renamed the Ability, deciding on a better sounding name, as he waved his hand forward.
WHOOSH
11 laser beams of molten fire blasted across the air. They melted through the sky, incinerating any dust or debris in their path as they shot forward. Their movement was incredibly fast, far quicker than Dorian was capable of moving.
BOOM
The laser beams slammed into the ground near where Leader was running. When Leader moved, he made quick, unpredictable and jagged movements, taking full advantage of his Super State. It made it very hard for Dorian to accurately hit him with anything at such a distance.
While none of his newly dubbed 'Black Dragonfire Beams' made direct contact, an explosion of Black Flames and energy caused the air to shiver, annihilating hundreds of trees in multiple searing blasts.
Dorian didn't let up as he jumped forward, his body lithe and relaxed. He carried himself with a confident air, a swell of Demonic Auras burst off of him.
"What?! Yo-you're just Lord Class! How is this possible?!"
"Hmm? Master Bubble, you've come back out!" Dorian paused as he turned to look at the floating Array Genie that had just appeared, angrily rebuking him.
"I know that you have access to multiple Laws, but what are these strange techniques? Is that… Dragonfire?!" The bubble was awestruck.
Dorian smiled,
"I am the last disciple of the Demon Emperor. My powers are beyond understanding." He couldn't exactly tell the bubble that he had absorbed and created a Draconic Bloodline and the Abilities that came with it.
"…"
"Ah! It all makes sense if that is the case!" The bubble seemed to be struck by an epiphany,
"Your freakish past, your powerful strength, your use of multiple Demonic Laws, you must be related to the Demon Emperor!" The bubble seemed to jiggle in mid-air,
Abruptly, the world around Dorian froze. The air, Leader, even he himself froze as the Array Genie temporarily seized control.
"While I can't stop the Inheritance, I can interrupt it once. I must ascertain the truth of your words!" The bubble moved to float in front of Dorian, gleaming lightly.
A warm, soft light floated off the bubble, mystical and mysterious.
"This is a Truth Aura, one of the many powers these Arrays can control. Its common use is to determine if a supplicant is lying. The words you speak will reveal their truth before this Aura!" The bubble loudly proclaimed,
"If you are lying, it shall be obvious. If you are telling the truth, it shall be obvious!" The bubble inched closer to Dorian.
"So you want to test the truthfulness of my words?" Dorian tried to cross his arms, but then realized the world around him was still frozen. He could still talk, somehow, using his mind.
"Hmph. What's in it for me?" How would a Great Demon Disciple act? Probably arrogantly and proudly, Dorian concluded, doing his best to match that image.
"Why should I care if you believe me or not?" He grunted.
The bubble paused,
"Ah, of course! My apologies for the intrusion." The bubble seemed to try and bow its head, though the fact that it lacked a head made such an action rather difficult.
"If I can confirm the truth of your words, I will ensure that the Defensive Array in His Glory's Domain Castle will not reject you!" The bubble's voice sounded almost apologetic.
"Now!"
WHOOSH
The warm, soft light, colored white, surrounded Dorian. As he felt it touch him, he instantly knew that if he uttered a single untruth, it would twist away from him, revealing his lie.
Without pause, he put his focus on his soul. He immediately pulled as hard as possible, commanding Fate to fall in his favor.
'Make its questions one I can answer!' His soul quivered as a large amount of energy vanished, invisible waves of Fate spreading.
"Are you related to the Demon Emperor?" The bubble asked its question, in no uncertain terms.
Dorian stared right back at it, unblinking. His heart pounded as he considered his answer.
"Yes."
shiver
The white light shook briefly but remained unmoving.
Dorian hadn't lied. After all, he was brought into this world by the man that murdered the Demon Emperor, and even had a remnant of that man's soul on him. His entire life was heavily related to Yukeli, and by default, related to the Demon Emperor, from his perspective.
"Do you seek to harm the Inheritances left by Master?"
"No."
"Are you a member of any of the organizations that are opposed to Demonkind?"
"No."
"Did you fight against the Demon Race in any of the Great Wars?"
"No."
The bubble unloaded a series of questions. Dorian was able to answer 'no' to each one, without lying or even stretching the truth.
He didn't wish to harm these Inheritances, he only wanted to cleanse Moria and keep his cover clean, helping to heal Helena and escape. He wasn't a member of any organization, opposed to the Demons or not, and he wasn't even alive at the time of any of the Great Wars.
The Moria Liberation Force that he had created had a singular focus and wasn't what he considered an organization. It was more of a temporary alliance, centered around cleansing Moria. Or, more accurately, centered around serving as a cover to protect Helena, a cover that had gotten a bit out of hand.
Therefore, from his perspective, it wasn't a group that was 'opposed to Demonkind,' even though others might see it differently.
Throughout this, the cool light of the Truth Aura remained still, warm and unchanging.
Finally, the bubble asked one last question.
"Do you seek to damage the world of Moria by your actions here?"
"No." With finality, he finished speaking, his eyes cool and relaxed.
The Truth Aura shivered one last time and, without suspense, vanished.
"Alas! Forgive me for being blind, disciple of my Master!" The bubble's voice echoed as it appeared right in front of Dorian, bending over in a bubble-bow.
"Greetings!"
Dorian wiped a sheen of sweat off his forehead in a casual sweeping motion, his heart pounding at a million miles an hour. He could feel faint waves in Fate, as if his answers had been extremely important. Somehow, he had managed to pull it off, carefully thinking each question and answer over to ensure he truly believed what he said.
'Excellent! With this, I should be able to cleanse Moria without any obstructions at all!' His eyes glowed as he spoke,
"It is fine. Now that I have answered your questions… Allow the Inheritance to resume." He commanded.
"Of course, Master's Disciple!"
WHOOSH
The world returned back to normal.
Leader was scrambling as he emerged from the waves of Black Flames, his body singed. Steam rose off him as he made a huge leap, twisting in the air as he shook off the last of the fire.
"Black Dragonfire Beams." 11 more orbs formed. The stress on Dorian's soul was light at best, due to the advances he'd made. With more practice, he was confident he'd be able to up the number from 11 to an even higher amount, beyond his current limit.
"Fire."
WHOOSH
BOOM
Several more explosions rang out as spurts of black fire spread like a miasma, laser beams shooting through the air. By now, sparks and heat had stained the forest, a large fire starting to spread. Dorian's attacks had started a virtual forest fire, giving the area a hellish appearance.
"Arrrgh!" The younger Leader grunted in pain as he fell to the ground. One of Dorian's Dragonfire Beams had clipped his waist, injuring him in mid-air.
"Hup!"
THUD
Dorian grunted as he landed on the ground, cratering the earth just a couple of meters away from the enigmatic archer.
"Guiding Light!" A sword of molten light appeared in his hands.
"Moving Force!" Dorian's body hurtled forward like an unstoppable giant as he rushed at Leader, picking up speed.
To Leader's credit, the warrior managed to raise his bow and fire one last shot, imbued with his powerful King Class Aura. Even when he was at death's door, he refused to give up. Dorian could see a lot of the Leader he knew in the illusory figure.
WHOOSH
THWICK
Dorian split the arrow with his sword, causing it to melt into shreds as he landed right next to Leader. His power, his speed, everything about Dorian could no longer be compared to the him of old. A younger version of Leader, even at the King Class, was no match.
"Goodbye, old friend." Without a moment's pause, he thrust forward with his blade of light.
"Ulp!" The fake young Leader's face turned white as he looked at the burning blade. The bow he wielded fell from his grasp as the molten sword blasted through his heart, killing him instantly.
"Ugh." Dorian muttered as he saw this, twitching. The death and everything in this challenge was far too realistic. He stepped back away from the body, his hand waving as he dismissed the sword.
WHOOSH
"You have completed the Inheritance!" A voice echoed in his head as the world blurred.
In the back of his mind, he abruptly felt an odd, tickling sensation. Energy began to vibrate in and around his soul as a Baptism of the Laws of the Universe settled upon him, making his eyes flash.
The energy from this Baptism was strong and powerful, bending knee to nothing and no one. A myriad of lights flashed before him, incandescent and mighty.
He had successfully obtained the Law of Pride.
'That's 6 down… only 1 last Law to go. The Law of Envy.' As he warped away from the Inheritance, Dorian found himself standing back in the Castle of Pride. He was back on the stone stage, kneeling down just in front of the Array.
He blinked as he looked around, feeling the changes his soul was undergoing.
'I've obtained so many Demonic Laws, but not nearly as many Virtuous Laws…' He didn't have a way to force the Virtuous Laws to appear. They came mostly on their own, almost through chance it felt like, though his actions helped that out to some degree.
'I'll check my Status in a bit.' He decided, smiling slightly.
'First, let's grab the last Law. The final one, the Law of Envy.' He stood up.
"Great Demon Disciple!"
"Lord Obelisk!"
"Your Lordship!"
The members of the Demonic Council all bowed. Dorian nodded, giving off a stern and grateful air as he stepped forward.
"Prepare yourselves. I will unleash the 6th Seal and then we shall move on to the final outer castle." He began,
"The Demon Emperor will be set free soon!"
His words echoed in the air as he walked up to the Sealing Tube, stopping by it. He could see that all the members of the Demonic Council were ecstatic, swept up in a wave of excitement.
He smiled as he looked at the 6th Sealing Tube.
'All I need to do next is greet the last member of the Council after I get the Law of Envy and then head to the Central Castle!'
'This is all going perfectly! I've got this in the bag!'
.. .. .. .. .. .. ..
A short while later…
"You fools… This 'Great Demon Disciple' is not truly named Lord Obelisk…" The speaker's voice was harried, a masked man with crackling blue energy surrounding him.
A Shade known as Hallow.
"He is none other than the vile Lord Inigo!"
"Quickly! Strike him down!"
.