aturato

Becoming the Dark Lord - Chapter 82

Added 2025-06-01 23:02:01 +0000 UTC

The flames roared, devouring the trees with a savage hunger, while the smoke swallowed the stars, turning the night sky blood red.

He stood at the heart of it—

A titan orc wrapped in muscle and firelight. Nearly four meters tall, skin carved with scarred symbols that looked more like ancient curses than warpaint.

“YOU WILL DIE HERE!” His voice cracked the air like thunder.

[Morvat, Orc General – Lvl ??]

From the treeline, the forest erupted. Orcs—feral, frenzied—poured in like demons vomiting from the inferno behind them.

Luke. Charlie. Allison.

Weapons drawn.

Stances ready.

The General grinned. A predator among prey. He reached into his inventory—two colossal swords emerged, steel grinding with weight and finality.

And in that moment, Luke felt it. Something inside him snapped awake. A dark aura bled from his skin, curling upward like living smoke.

[Demonic Blade Dance] Activated.

The kukris in his hands vibrated. Starving.

The General moved.

THOOM. THOOM. THOOM.

Every step a quake. Behind him, the horde surged.

Luke lunged first. Charlie and Allison weren’t far behind—

But Luke was faster. Much faster.

His body moved like it knew this rhythm. Every step, every breath, was lethal intention.

He activated—

[Assassin’s Mark]

The world dimmed.

Only one thing remained lit: the outline of Morvat. The mark pulsed like a heartbeat. Even with his eyes closed, Luke could feel it—every breath. Every twitch. Every weakness.

Then—he dove deeper.

[Demonic Perception] Activated.

The night welcomed him.

And the scream that followed tore through the dark like a blade:

“AAARGH!”

Luke vanished. Only a smear of black mist remained. Afterimages bloomed behind him—trailing like ghosts on strings.

The dance had begun.

He spun. Slid. Leapt. Kukris flashed in fluid arcs.

He wove through orcs like a whisper through tall grass—silent. Beautiful. Deadly.

A symphony of blood.

Before the orcs could even react—they fell. One after another.

Then—

CLAAAAANG!

Steel screamed.

The General intercepted him. Swords collided. Shockwaves blasted outward.

Luke didn’t stop.

He was a blur of blades, weaving through bodies. He was everywhere.

Charlie held the right flank, Allison the left—

But Luke...

He danced with death.

[Afterimage Activated]

Another Luke appeared—

A shadow twin, mimicking his movements in perfect delay.

Now two of them danced. Blade met flesh. Orc after orc dropped, their screams drowned beneath the song of steel.

Morvat roared.

THUD!

He struck.

Luke’s body launched through trees like a broken arrow, slamming into a thick trunk.

But before the General could follow—

Allison appeared.

SHUNK!

Her sword pierced Morvat’s shoulder. Ice exploded outward, crawling violently across his arm.

And then—

Charlie struck.

WHAM!

Iron Fist.

The blow staggered him. She spun, followed with a sweeping double-slash.

Morvat bellowed in fury—

Vanished. A brutal dash. A blur.

But Luke was already there.

CLANG! CLANG!

Blades screamed again.

Morvat spun. Kicked.

Luke flew—

But caught himself midair, planted a foot against a tree, and launched back.

SLASH!

His kukri tore across Morvat’s chest.

The beast reeled—crashing against another tree.

And for the first time—

He bled.

The General roared. Vanished again.

The air cracked where he passed.

Luke moved on instinct—

They both spun.

Their kicks collided—

Like two thunderbolts clashing midair.

Luke hit the dirt. Rolled.

Morvat crashed down like a meteor.

BOOOOOM!

Fire exploded outward, devouring the earth in waves. A crater opened beneath their feet from the sheer force of the impact. The ground shook like the world itself was unraveling.

And from within the smoke—Luke emerged.

Kukris flashing.

SWISH. SLASH. SWISH.

Strike. Slice. Strike.

Demonic precision.

The General roared, turning wildly, trying to keep up—but now… Luke was dancing alone.

Allison hadn’t moved. Her katana was still sheathed. She inhaled slowly. A stream of frost drifted from her lips.

And then—SHING.

A dash of silver light.

She drew the blade in a single, radiant motion—a living line. A flying slash.

SLAAAAASH!

The arc carved through everything in front of her. The General took the hit head-on, sent hurtling into a tree. The trunk snapped clean in half.

Before he could recover—Charlie arrived.

[Spectral Charge] engaged.

No sword. Only two fists wrapped in death.

WHAAAAAM!

A thunderclap detonated in the burning forest.

Luke descended right after—a shadow falling from the trees.

He landed like a blade from the heavens.

SHLASH!

A deep, clean cut across the General’s shoulder. The beast screamed in pain.

Charlie spun—[Whirlwind Strike] activated.

WHOOOSH!

A spiral of force hurled nearby orcs like dry leaves in a storm.

The General stabbed both swords into the ground.

FWWWWOOSH!

Twin lines of fire tore toward Luke—

But he was already airborne.

[Arachnid Leap] activated.

His legs launched him high. He spun in midair, a dark cyclone—

And came down like judgment.

SLAAAAAAAASH!

A devastating blow across the General’s chest.

[Bleed – Continuous] applied.

Charlie returned, now wielding her Orc-Slaying Sword.

[Spectral Charge]. A single strike. Her blade sank deep between his ribs.

Allison followed, falling from above—a meteor of frost.

SLASH!

She landed, rolled, then unleashed a barrage of freezing blasts.

Ice surged up his wounds, encasing them, slowing his movements.

The General let out a furious roar. Flames erupted from his skin in a nova of rage.

The horde surged forward. Orcs poured in—screaming, howling, berserk.

Luke moved like a wraith.

SLASH. SHNK. SHUNK.

A deadly rhythm. A killing storm.

The General rammed his swords into the earth again. Then he charged.

A red aura ignited around him like a wildfire. Waves of heat followed in his wake.

He grabbed two massive tree trunks—and hurled them like spears.

Luke barely dodged.

The General reclaimed his blades—but Luke was already activating:

[Demonic Blade Dance – Shadow Mimic]

A silhouette bloomed behind him. Black. Fluid. Deadly.

A second Luke—delayed by a breath—mirroring every move.

The two began to dance.

Luke kicked—his shadow kicked.

Luke slashed—his shadow slashed.

Two entities. One intent. Precision in echo.

The General stumbled—blocked one kukri—but not the second.

He couldn’t keep up.

Allison surged in low. A white streak along the earth.

SLASH!

A clean slice through his legs. Frost crept upward.

Charlie came from behind.

WHAM!

An iron fist drove into the General’s spine.

Luke and his mimic spun in. Twin kukris slashed in unison.

Fast. Relentless.

But then—the General stopped.

His aura swelled. Thicker. Heavier. Redder.

His eyes burned crimson. Fangs lengthened. Veins pulsed like molten cords beneath his skin.

Muscles bulged—so much they seemed on the verge of tearing.

Luke’s breath caught in his throat.

“...Berserker state.”

The General tilted his head back—

“AAARRRGHHHH!!”

The roar ripped through the forest.

Morvat charged—a mountain of fury in motion. The speed was inhuman for something that size.

The three scattered in different directions—CRAAAASH!

Dozens of trees fell like dominoes, crashing with thunderous force.

FWOOSH. FWOOSH. FWOOSH.

Fire spread with them, like flaming shrapnel tearing through the forest.

Then—BOOOOOM!

Morvat leapt. The impact cracked the earth like a meteor had landed. A crater opened beneath him. The shockwave launched them like broken dolls.

Charlie was thrown into the trees, snapping through branches. Allison slammed against a rock-strewn slope. Luke hit the ground hard—knees first, lungs crushed, muscles ablaze.

He tried to reactivate his Shadow Mimic—

But his mana bar blinked:

[Mana Points (MP): 68 / 480]

Empty.

He understood instantly. That power—that dance—was a double-edged blade. A berserker mode of his own.

But he didn't stop. Luke ran toward death anyway.

The General turned, still aflame, charging with insane fury. Luke’s instincts screamed. He dodged just in time.

WHOOSH!

A blade swept past his face. The wind alone cleaved a tree in half behind him.

“AAARGH!”

Luke stumbled back. Alone. Low on mana. Bleeding. He turned and ran.

Behind him, Charlie hoisted a fallen tree like it was nothing. Allison was moving in—not to kill, but to freeze. To weaken.

She struck and vanished. Each slice left behind frost that crawled across skin. Morvat’s joints began to lock, his limbs growing sluggish.

The General roared in frustration—

And then flung both his swords.

KRAAAANG!

The blades buried themselves in the ground, vibrating like war bells.

Morvat dropped to all fours.

“AAARGHH!!”

He charged like a beast, clawing through earth and stone.

Luke slid in from the side.

[Basic Dark Dash]

SLAAASH!

A clean cut across the ribs.

Morvat reeled, stumbled, but rose like an animal—and lunged. Again. Again. Again.

Luke ducked, slashed, dodged. The General fought like a rabid wolf—grabbing, thrashing, biting.

Luke slid low—and behind him, Allison came down from above.

SWOOSH!

A perfect arc. Her katana slammed into Morvat’s shoulder with all her weight.

CRACK.

The giant was thrown backward.

Then they heard it—Clang. Clang. Clang.

Footsteps. Heavy. Inevitable.

The sound they'd been waiting for.

The Midnight Warden.

He was coming.

“GO!” Allison shouted.

Luke stumbled to her side, limping, bleeding down his ribs. She turned, cutting through the orcs charging behind them—

KSHHH!

A storm of snow exploded, freezing them solid mid-charge.

They leapt. The massive log Charlie had brought smashed into the river. The current seized it like a hungry beast. The three of them jumped.

Bloodied. Burned. Exhausted. They clung to the log as it tore downstream.

Behind them, on the bank—Morvat watched.

His body shrank. The red aura dissipated, drifting away like ash on the wind. The berserker state was over. As was Luke’s shadow aura. Both had burned through everything.

Behind Morvat, the Midnight Warden descended. His blade cut down orcs like wheat.

Two. Five. Ten. No mercy. No hesitation.

Morvat didn’t move. He didn’t join the battle. He just watched—eyes glowing faintly. He paced along the bank like a wolf licking its wounds.
Not defeated. Just patient.

Then—he grabbed a tree. And hurled it like a spear.

BOOM!

Charlie shattered it mid-air.

CRAAACK!

Splinters flew.

Another. Another. Each one destroyed before it could reach them.

Then Morvat stopped. Raised his arms. And bellowed:

“YOU CAN COME FOR THAT MECHANISM AS MANY TIMES AS YOU WANT!”

His voice carried on the wind, across burning trees and blackened soil.

“BUT KNOW THIS—”

“WE ARE LEGION.”

And from the treeline—they appeared.