The large gates shook violently from the hit from the other side. It was only a question of time before the Ents shattered the gates. King Roan Min Aston looked with an blank gaze at the wall, trying to understand how his enemies could be so powerful. For hundreds of years, he ruled supreme and dealt with many Dungeons that challenged his reign. Killed all of them and gained their riches and mana. But his time had finally come.

"Can you rush the respawn of the other Scions, Master?" Tristan asked quietly.

"I already did that four hours ago..." He sighed. "But it only changed their respawn time from a week to a day. I doubt we will hold another twenty hours..."

"I see..." Tristan took a deeper breath and drew his sword.

The doors held the attackers for another five minutes before they dented and began to rip from their hinges. The almighty squall of two-story-tall, metal doors ripping echoed in the chamber but his freshly respawned mages and archers began shooting through the gap at their targets. The enemies weren't waiting, led by the Ents, the forces of Freya va'Theon poured into the room like a merciless tide. His Werewolves took the brunt of their fury but even their enhanced self-healing abilities couldn't stop the brute force of the Beast and the unbelievable weapons of the Korreds and Hobgoblins. They were crushed under the blows of Ents who, seemingly, attacked on their own but that was just a bait to break his defensive formations. He wished to be able to strike his enemies with the magic of a true Necromancer but Roan was powerless. He could use his presence or mana pressure but he still couldn't use true spells. In the tunnel's darkness leading to his Inner Sanctum, he noticed two spots of bright blue light.

The eyes of the Fenrir.

However, before the monstrous wolf could enter the Inner Sanctum, a piece of darkness itself parted from the deep shadows of the corridor. A Black Lion walked majestically and tossed aside the elite Werewolf as if it were a rag doll. The apparent Lion Scion was graceful and silent while his claws cut into pieces anything that tried to stop it. Turning to the other side of the room, Roan gasped crisply as he noticed something he never expected to see: a fully evolved Cave Kobold Mage... A being of legends even for the Dungeons, a denizen called a Dragonewt. She was as tall as a Human and looked more like one than an oversized bipedal lizard. She had the gentle and friendly face of a young woman, with her short, blue hair the same shade as her scales, falling loose on her shoulders. Her dragon-like wings and fairly long tail were covered in light blue scales. They helped her balance herself as she gracefully dodged spells but Roan was sure she could also fly. She sent a flurry of spells that hit eight Vampire Mages simultaneously, making room for a large Ent to join the attackers' line. Ten arrows came flying from the shadows and hit the Skeleton Archers, shattering their skulls. A large Hobgoblin King walked in with an impressive bow in his hands. Only then, when Roan fully recognised the power of the four scions, did Thor and Balin enter his Inner Sanctum.

That was the moment that Tristan chose to dash towards the Fenrir. The Vampire Knight was so fast that his movements blurred, leaving an afterimage. He grinned as he launched a killing blow at the large wolf's right eye. He was the fastest fencer in Falcia and the oldest Scion of his master. His power had to be sufficient to slay that particular enemy. Tristan jumped in the air over the Black Lion who, surprisingly, completely ignored him. He thrust his weapon, anticipating the death of the Fenrir, but he was denied. His long sword harmlessly bounced off Balin's shield. The Korred Scion wasn't waiting for Tristan to collect his thoughts and bashed him with his shield. Tristan felt the explosion of pain and his left arm went limp. In an instant, Balin was upon him with his warhammer crackling with blue lightning. With an effort supported by the painful cry, Tristan used his broken arm and avoided being smashed by the hammer.

The impact cracked the ground and sent hundreds of sharp pieces of stone flying. They hit the Vampire in the face before he could cover himself. A dozen tiny but painful cuts made it difficult for Tristan to focus but he activated his healing abilities. Balin wasn't giving Tristan any breathing room. He swung his hammer, always staying in contact with Tristan. Balin controlled the duel, not giving him a chance to cast a significant spell. His broken arm healed very slowly but Tristan knew the duel would be long over before it was usable. Tristan regretted his reckless attack that opened this fight...

"It's over." Balin declared the moment Tristan felt a cold wall at his back.

Surprised, the Vampire stumbled and fell on the ground. Before he knew it, Balin had put his large hammer on Tristan's chest and, with a kick, he disarmed him.

"No!" He tried to free himself but it was pointless. In horror, he watched the Fenrir walk towards King Roan Min Aston.

"We meet again, Thor of Avalon..." A grim voice of the Necromancer King of Falcia nearly drowned in the sound of the lost battle.

"Indeed, Roan Min Aston. I'm sorry but you can no longer be called a king." Thor sat in front of the Core and looked at him from above. "I'm here to tell you about the terms of your surrender. You can keep struggling but I don't think waiting for our forces to wipe out your denizens completely changes anything. You know you have lost."

"What terms? You have achieved an overwhelming victory. You have won. I have lost. You will kill me and take all my mana to your master."

"You have lost, indeed. But kill you? That was never my Lord and Lady's intention." Thor shook his head in amusement. "You will become a new vassal of my Lord instead. The Kingdom of Falcia will be re-established as another Mortal Kingdom but you won't be meddling in its politics. If your people are unable to create a country, their lands will be divided between Iceleon, Ebrus, and Metaka."

"I don't see any room for discussion about these terms here, only-"

"Because this is not a discussion." Thor interrupted him. "Time for discussion was when we first met. Back then, my Lord and Lady were open to your opinions, arguments, and ready to address your fears. Now it's time for you to listen. As you can see, you are talking with me, not with my Empress."

"How dare-"

"Silence!" The large Fenrir howled, silencing the entire room and making every remaining denizen of the Dungeon of Falcia realise their master was trapped. "You introduced yourself as a powerful King and, yet, you were able to delay our advance for five hours. Five hours. Now I sit in front of your throne because I don't like sitting on chairs. Should I destroy it for you so you understand that you lost completely?"

Thor's voice was cold and calm. Roan Min Aston dropped to his throne and lowered his head. He clenched his hands on the armrests but it wasn't enough to help him calm down. He gave a last desperate look at his denizens who loyally tried to get to him, only to perish in the attempt.

"No..."

"Excellent." Thor smiled as the fighting ceased in the room and the denizens of the Dungeon of Falcia reluctantly moved aside. "Will you surrender to my Lord and become his vassal or should I... Very well."

Thor slowly nodded and the forces under the command of Empress Freya left the chamber, leaving only the scions behind. The Korred took out a healing potion and splashed it on the Vampire.

"I know that you are angry and bitter but that will pass," The Black Lion said softly. "I know how my Lord was furious when he was subsumed."

"It took almost two weeks for my Lady to stop shouting." The Dragonewt chuckled. Her voice was gentle and refined. "But once you get used to it, it isn't bad. Lord Theon is a good ruler."

"Think of it as a new chapter in the story of your life, Roan Min Aston," Thor said encouragingly as the remaining Scions joined them.

•••

I sighed as I moved to the Dungeon of Falcia where Thor was waiting with the remaining Scions. I planned to leave it to Freya but she told me that she wasn't interested. My Dwarfess Queen was already occupied with planning another subjugation. Roan only managed to kill nine thousand of her soldiers so, in theory, she shouldn't need reinforcement. So far, a legion's worth of denizens was enough to subjugate a Dungeon. Roan put up a hell of a fight but, in the end, he was outclassed. Freya wanted to split her forces into three groups and send one of them to the Kingdom of Ebrus and deal with their aggressive Dungeon...

"I guess I should call you my Emperor..." Roan very reluctantly stood up from his throne and bowed with apprehension.

"I don't really care about titles, Roan, but I guess, you should." I shrugged indifferently. "To be honest, I wasn't going to visit you until next week or so. However, I decided otherwise only because you seemed to have a completely wrong idea."

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"About what?"

I put my hands behind me and made a short, self-guided tour of Roan's sanctum. I wasn't hurrying anywhere and took my time inspecting the strangely realistic wall paintings.

"Everything? During your last, let's call it a discussion with Freya, you were extremely preoccupied with Vestargo. Why?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"No!" I raised my hands on my sides and dropped them powerlessly on my sides with a muffled thud.

"I... What?"

"I just don't get it! You almost worship him but, for me, he is just a side quest." I shook my head as I sat on the summoned throne. "An annoying chore I have to attend to before focusing on important things. Oh, don't get me wrong. He is dangerous. But..."

Roan eyed me in stunned shock. With a loud snap of my fingers, I took both of us to the Starfall Fortress Dungeon. We were sitting on the roof of the Fortress during a siege. The artillery fire and the relentless rattling of CIWS emplacements tore the air in a deafening roar. The bugs were trying to reach the twenty metre tall walls of the Starfall Fortress while silent ranks of Legio Victrix waited. The air raid sirens and external speakers barking orders for the defenders were almost out of place. Four destroyers of the Royal Navy were hanging over the Dungeon in a flat, diamond formation, supporting the fortress defences. The bugs were coming from the distant forest, trampling the shredded carcasses of their crumbling to dust predecessors. Suddenly, a deep warhorn drowned all other sounds of the battlefield and the Titan strode into the battle, taller and mightier than the overwhelming walls of the fortress. Each step made the earth tremble and echo across a burnt wasteland that once was a verdant forest. The Titan raised its cannon arm that shone with cold and ominous blue light. With a low hum that shook even the bones of those close by, a lance of blue fire ripped a fiery path in the seemingly endless tide of bugs. When it hit the distant forest, an explosion shook the landscape and the battle was almost over.

I let Roan feel everything. I let him feel the massive influx of mana. But most importantly, I let him hear the vicious laughter of O'llina.

"Hahahaha! Come to me! Come to me, Vestargo and save me as you have promised!" She screamed and I wondered if she knew how insincere that sounded.

Avalon's Wrath blared his warhorn one more time and returned to his staging grounds behind the Starfall Fortress. Roan was watching the Titan in awed shock as it slowly walked, making the earth drum with each step. The former king of Falcia snapped from his shock once Avalon's Wrath stopped. He was looking around in panic, trying to understand where he was but, despite his internal, but unmistakable denial, he knew that everything around him was true. When it seemed that he had calmed down, a Battleship's strike group jumped into the Dungeon. HMS Valiant, followed by six destroyers, three on each side in a sharp V formation, swiftly left the premises and began raining fire on the distant forest.

I looked at Roan who stared at me with fear.

"But I am dangerous as well," I smirked which made him twitch in shock.

"Oh! My Lord!" O'llina's excited voice welcomed me. "And you must be a new guy... Welcome to the Starfall Fortress Dungeon where all bugs meet their end!"

I felt her enthusiasm spread across the premises.

"Good morning, O'llina. How are your hunts going lately?" I smiled towards the core, safely hidden in her Inner Sanctum in the fortress's throne room.

"Incredibly well, my Lord! Scion Galahad praised me a few times already for my quick progress with learning! I have also led an expedition team to establish the last radiant fort on the border with Vestargo's bug empire. Killing his minions feels so good!"

"What are you saying?!" Roan nervously grabbed the armrests of his throne.

"Huh?" The disbelief in her voice was amusing. "What do you mean? You see a bug and you kill it. Then you follow where they came from and burn their nests. What is so hard to follow?"

"But Vestargo is powerful!" Roan protested in a voice that suggested his impending mental breakdown.

There was a moment of silence before she started laughing. After a few embarrassing minutes for Roan, O'llina chuckled a few last times and took a deep calming breath.

"Compared to you? He is. Compared to our Lord? Not so much." She said, amused.

To accent her words even more, the distant warships fired a few missiles that arced in the sky and, moments later, they reached their destinations. Another chain of explosions marred the horizon, akin to rising suns, before the sound waves and tremors reached the Starfall Fortress.

"I want to save as many people enslaved by Vestargo," I said as I stared into the distance. "There are countless people who suffer mistreatment, are violated, and are killed. I want to and I will put an end to it. Vestargo's grip over his lands has already lessened. He has lost too many of his precious Vespids and my agents can finally infiltrate the area. Maybe not the entirety of the Ancient Forest but, hopefully, enough of it. I will find him and, then, it will be over. Vestargo's Empire started to shake and soon it will start to crumble. Even if it takes me years or centuries, I will see it done."

"It's hard to believe..." Roan lowered his head.

"You lack the necessary perspective." I shrugged.

"And you lack a spine." O'llina mocked. "King Roan Min Aston of Falcia... I've heard about you. One of Vestargo's henchmen was advocating subjugating you a few weeks before Vestargo's forces were butchered by Emperor Theon's army."

"What?!" Roan's eyes went wide in panic.

"O'llina was enslaved by Vestargo," I explained without any emotion in my voice. "Now, she is one of my front-line commanders. One of the more talented and certainly most zealous ones. There is no room for Vestargo and his minions in her world."

"The Emperor graciously granted me the tools and means needed to save the world from the infestation of that obnoxious vermin." Her voice was thick with many emotions that varied from genuine gratitude to me and absolute hate for Vestargo.

"As I said, you lack perspective, Roan." I shrugged with a faint smile as I leaned back on my throne and straightened my legs. "You believe that some things are set in stone, that things in the world can't change. It's not true. Today my Empire is most probably the most powerful nation of Aderon but in the future? Who knows. I will work hard for it so it never loses its importance but I can't know for sure."

"I'm not sure if I follow..."

"Let's see..." I quickly reviewed his experiences to draw from something familiar for him. "You are like a group of promising adventurers. They fight, conquer the Dungeon's floors and, as they grow in power, they become famous. But no matter how powerful they are, once they are called by the king and tasked with an important quest, they find it grossly out of their scope. You are the same. All your life, you played, hidden in your Kingdom but, once we arrived, the reality overwhelmed you."

"You don't have to be worried. You will quickly catch up if you are willing to." O'llina laughed.

"I..." Roan stammered and slowly shook his head as he fell silent.

"See you later, O'llina." I smiled as I returned us to the Dungeon of Falcia.

I chuckled as I felt the panic of Roan's denizens who were surprised by his sudden disappearance. The crystallised core in the shape of a Human necromancer was visibly perturbed and shaken. I gave him time and I took a better look at his denizens. It was funny, honestly. We have so much in common and, yet, we were so different. As Dungeons, we both shared the Death affinity and, as men, we both called ourselves the Kings of Mortals. But... The differences were also clearly visible. Contrary to him, I knew that hiding wouldn't help me save anyone...

"Emperor Theon Avalon... I'm... Sorry." Roan Min Aston said with a humble voice and lowered head. "I was wrong but I was trying to keep my people safe."

"What happened, happened..." I said calmly. "There is no turning back."

"I know..." He slumped his head. "What's going to happen with Falcia?"

"It will become a Mortal's kingdom, Roan," I said and saw his grimace. I raised my hand in a calming gesture. "But, it won't happen overnight."

"Can you tell me more about your plans... My Lord?"

"For now, your people are not ready to become independent. They don't have the necessary knowledge to govern on their own. For the time being, you are going to resume your duties as their King. Your goal is to find talented people who can be educated as the future rulers of Falcia." I explained.

"So you don't want to add this land to your Empire?" He looked at me in growing shock.

"God, no..." I pulled the bridge of my nose. "Arcadia is enormous as it is... I'm also going to add the lands taken from the Ancient Forest to my Empire, but that's more out of spite than any real need. Besides, Falcia lies between Iceleon, Ebrus, and Metaka. Adding it to Arcadia would make governing it a pain in the ass. So... No."

"Ummm..."

"Don't be confused, Roan." I grinned. "You will remain my vassal and the rules of delving in you are going to change with time. More people will be required to delve into your halls if Falcians want to keep their living standards unchanged. But, that is going to change gradually, over the span of decades. Simply put, for now, you will be their king, and Falcia will be a vassal state of Arcadia that can self-govern. Once the promising people are properly educated, they will assume the throne and government. For a certain period, you will help them govern Falcia, as a Kingdom under the protectorate of Arcadia. Once your help is no longer needed, they will regain full independence."

"I understand, my Lord." Roan sighed. "I could have avoided all of that if I agreed to an alliance, couldn't I?"

"Indeed." I nodded. "But I think it is better for your people this way. They must face their reality if they want to grow and thrive..."

Roan pondered on the words of his strange master. After a while, he faintly smiled and looked at the Emperor.

"I'm looking forward to seeing the future you want to build..."

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