The battle was over in an instant, the gap between seventh order and third order could not be described with words

Damien simply glanced at them, and his will instantly crushed them to pieces

With a few seconds, the war party of Abyssal Headhunters lay dead in the mud, their beetle-shell armor shattered by raw force.

A scene that Damien didn't linger on too much, after all the noise of battle would attract bigger predators.

Instead he led Isabelle through the dense, fungal undergrowth until they found a natural alcove hidden behind a waterfall of thick, purple sludge.

The viscosity of the liquid blocked the scent of blood and dampened the sound of their breathing.

It was a grim sanctuary, but it was safe.

Isabelle sat on a mossy rock, glancing at Damien, her expression thoughtful.

"Master," she broke the silence. "Back when you wen to the surface and took over lyra's body"

She hesitated.

"can you do it again? I can't help but wonder how the others are doing."

Damien hearing this leaned against the damp cave wall, checking his System interface.

It was not that he didn't wonder about that too, it's just that there was never enough time to do it

After all according to the system, he should be able to do it anytime since his contract gem was upgraded, though without spending as much Dp as last time, he wont be as strong as before

"Indeed I should be able too, but taking over her body to talk might be a bit too much," Damien said.

Recalling the feeling of having a female body, Damien as a man wasn't too fond of it.

"However you siddenly gave me an idea!."

"If I can project my consciousness out... why can't I pull their consciousness in?"

Thinking of this without any hesitation, he opened the System Shop.

He still had a massive stockpile of Dungeon Points (DP) from the Surface War, nearly 2 Million points earned from defeating the Second Prince and his army.

Not only that but even after upgrading to the hollow kings authority, he still had over one and a half million points

The days of him having zero Dp had long since been behind him, so with this in mind, he began to relay his thoughts to the system

"System, is it possible to use the contract gem and my soul as the core to open up a space for contract gem holders to met?"

"Considering the fact that we're all already soul connected, they just need to project their soul into to the space when needed"

[Ding! Assesing user inquiry!]

[Calcuulating Dp cost!]

[Upgrade Available: The Roundtable of the Greedy King]

[Cost: 500,000 DP] [Description: Creates a shared mental subspace where the Host and Vassals can meet as astral projections.]

"Half a million," Damien winced. "Indeed an expensive function, however, it's worth it."

As someone who lived on the blue star, he knew information was worth more than steel.

In order to better prepare for the future he needed to coordinate his forces on the surface.

"Purchase," Damien ordered.

[System Notification: 500,000 DP Deducted.]

[Skill Created: The Roundtable of the Greedy King.]

Damien opened his eyes. They glowed with a regal, spectral violet light.

"Isabelle," Damien extended his hand. "Close your eyes. I have a surprise for you!."

Isabelle took his hand.

"Manifest."

…........

[The Round Table]

The sensation was like being pulled through a hook in her navel.

The smell of the purple sludge waterfall vanished. The humidity of the jungle disappeared.

Isabelle opened her eyes.

She was sitting in a high-backed chair made of velvet and shadow.

They were in a massive, circular chamber. The walls were made of swirling grey mist that showed vague glimpses of distant stars.

The floor was polished black marble, reflecting a nonexistent light source.

In the center of the room stood a colossal Round Table made of pure obsidian. A map of the entire continent was etched into the surface of the table, glowing with live mana lines.

Damien sat at the head of the table on a throne that seemed larger and darker than the others.

He was wearing a projection of royal robes woven from shadows.

"Welcome," Damien's voice boomed, echoing in the silent space.

"To my court."

Around the table, other chairs began to flicker into existence.

ZZZT.

The first figure appeared. He was adjusting his glasses, looking bewildered. He was covered in grey ash.

[Vassal: Alfred]

[Location: Eastern Wastelands]

"Young Master?" Alfred blinked, looking around the misty hall.

"You never cease to amazing me, the master and madam would be proud."

ZZZT.

The second figure materialized. She was wiping black blood from a dagger. Her shadow flickered violently behind her.

[Lyra]

[Location: The Ashen Belt]

"A mental space?" Lyra analyzed instantly, sheathing her weapon. "Incredible."

ZZZT.

The third figure slammed onto her chair, shivering slightly, snow clinging to her spectral fur.

[Leona]

[Location: The Frozen North]

"What!" Leona roared, standing up. "Young Master?! I missed you!"

ZZZT.

Two more figures appeared, Barnaby and Cipher, sitting together, looking like they had been pulled away from a mountain of paperwork.

The entire inner circle was here.

Watching everyone appear one by one, silence reigned for a moment. They stared at the figure at the head of the table.

Alfred was the first to move. He stood up and bowed deeply, ignoring all eyes.

"We felt your presence during the battle, Young Master," Alfred said, his voice trembling slightly.

"But seeing you... even like this... it's amazing."

"I told you he was too stubborn to die," Leona grinned, sitting back down and kicking her feet up onto the obsidian table.

"So? How is the Abyss? Is the weather nice?"

"Humid," Damien smirked behind his mask. "And full of things trying to eat me."

He tapped the table. The map on the surface zoomed in, showing the separation between the Abyss and the Surface.

"Listen closely," Damien commanded. His tone shifted from friendly to regal. The playful banter died instantly.

"I am currently in Layer 2. I have secured a path downward. But the deeper I go, the harder it will be to contact you."

He looked at Alfred.

"Status report."

"The Treaty is signed," Alfred reported efficiently.

"The Dwarves and Elves are uniting their tech. The Empire is in disarray, but Emperor Aurelius has locked down the capital. He is planning something."

"However that means he won't move for a long time," Lyra added. "with the current fear of Zero, most people are too hesitant to act."

"Good," Damien nodded. "

He looked at Leona.

"And the North?"

"Good," Leona smiled.

"Give me a month, and I'll have a legion of Beastkin ready to march."

Damien leaned back in his throne.

"Excellent."

He waved his hand. Two images appeared floating above the center of the table.

One was the Rat King Core (Tier 6). The other was the pile of Abyss Iron Chains he had looted from Sector Zero.

"I have these resources," Damien said, looking at his vassals.

He paused, looking at the one empty chair at the table.

"But I lack one thing. To survive the lower layers, I need gear that matches my growth. I have the materials... but I don't have a good Smith."

He looked at Alfred.

"Alfred. We have a friend in Ironforge who owes me a favor. It's time to collect."

Alfred's eyes lit up behind his glasses. "Prince Hephaestus?"

"Make him an offer he can't refuse," Damien grinned.

"Tell him I have metals that don't exist on the surface."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.