The moment the last trace of the black rot vanished from Grienfield's chest, the system windows erupted in a cascade of gold.
"[Congratulations! You have successfully fulfilled the Copy Condition, 'Help him undo his 'curse'']"
"[Notice: You have successfully copied the Exclusive Skill, 'Sea Dragon's Word' and the A-Rank Skill 'Water Lightning'!]"
"[Notice: The Copied Skills are being successfully added to the 'Memories of the World'!]"
I felt a new resonance in my throat and a crackle of static energy beneath my skin. Beside me, the King of the Naga let out a breath that sounded like a gale wind. He looked at his newly regrown arm, clenching and unclenching his fist in disbelief before turning toward me.
"!!?.. my deepest gratitude, Warrior of the Land!" Grienfield exclaimed. To my surprise, the massive Naga King lowered his head and bowed deeply.
Seeing a King bow wasn't exactly the reaction I had expected, but it was a sobering reminder of how close they had been to total extinction. If the [Demon King {Megicula}] was personally pulling the strings behind this conflict, it was a miracle the 'Dokryong Clan' hadn't been wiped off the map already. To be more precise, it was highly suspicious that they were still standing at all.
"The Honour is mine, King Dokryong," I replied, returning the gesture with a respectful bow of my own.
"Grrrr... As much as I would like to share my gratitude in a more grandiose manner, I believe right now isn't the time," Grienfield said, his voice regaining its royal bass as his gaze snapped toward the chaotic frontline.
"Those Nymera bastards! Siding with the evil beings! They have thrown away the pride of a Naga! Please forgive me for being rude, but without me in the battlefield, my people and your companions will be in danger!"
He was sharp. He had clearly realized that the {Demons} were the ones fueling this betrayal, and his concern for his men was genuine. He was right to worry; with those three commanders from the 'Nymera Warriors' exuding 'Demonic Energy', even Wilong and Leo would eventually be pushed to their limits.
"Please do not worry, King Dokryong. Allow me to lend you my assistance as well," I said, beginning to move toward the clash alongside the revitalized King.
"[Activating The Exclusive Skill, 'Domain of the Undead: Undead Summon' Lvl 1!]"
A thick, oily black mist began to roll across the seabed, swallowing the ruins of the palace. From the shadows of the fallen Naga warriors and the various dead sea creatures littering the zone, dark shapes began to rise. They were silhouettes of their former selves, extracted and reconstructed into shadowy forms that hummed with a cold, hollow power. Since I was the one anchoring the Skill, these shadow soldiers moved as an extension of my own will, surging forward to bolster the Dokryong line.
These soldiers were effectively immortal. As long as I continued to funnel my energy into them, they would regenerate from any wound. Originally, the [Undead Summon] would call forth army of skeleton just like the Litch's. But now that I possessed the energy 'Chaos', the Skill was becoming something else. A type of 'shadow' authority that belonged to a [Constellation] from a certain Nebula. If I were using standard 'Demonic Energy', this would have been basic necromancy, but 'Chaos' turned them into something far more persistent.
As we reached the edge of the fray, the disparity in power became obvious. The three 'Nymera' commanders were monsters in their own right. One was currently holding off both Wilong and Leo simultaneously, while another was systematically breaking through the defenses of Thorvek and his direct subordinates. The third commander, a female Naga, was simply watching from the rear, her eyes cold as she observed the Undead Soldiers and the healed Dokryong warriors. It was clear she was the leader.
"[Activating 'Eyes of Gluttony' Lvl 5!]"
"[Personal Information]"
- [Name: Giaya Nymera]
- [Age: 112 | Gender: Female | Sex: Experienced]
- [Class: Warrior - Spearman | Rank: S-Rank | Level: 37]
- [Species: Naga]
- [Stats: STR: 34 | AGI: 36 | VIT: 30 | HP: MAX | PER: 31 | Demonic Energy: 40]
- [Title: Dark Disciple]
- [Exclusive Skill: 'Eclipse Sanctuary']
- [Skills: 'Demonic Nymera's Technique' Lvl 9, 'Acursed Tail' Lvl 4, 'Dark Armour' Lvl 8, 'Corrosion Wave' Lvl 8, 'Venom Strike' Lvl 8, 'Roots of the Deep Sea' Lvl 7, etc.]
- [Item: 'Dokryong's Divine Spear' (Corrupted)]
[Copy Condition: Giaya Nymera firmly believes that being a 'Dark Disciple' of a {Demon King} is the only way to solve all her problems. You will be able to copy her Exclusive Skill or one of her Skills if you can prove to her that there are better ways to deal with her problems without being a 'Dark Disciple' of a {Demon King}.]
The wording of that condition was almost mocking. It didn't explicitly state what "problems" drove her to seek out a {Demon King}, but given the political bloodbath between the clans, I could more or less fill in the blanks. It felt less like a quest and more like I was being asked to stage an intervention with a very sharp blade.
More interesting was her title: 'Dark Disciple'. I remembered back on the 2nd Floor when a Mid-Floor Demon had offered me that very same position. This was my first time encountering an actual 'Dark Disciple' now that the Tower had become reality.
Then my eyes landed on the weapon she was holding. It was the 'Dokryong's Divine Spear' that Thorvek had been desperately searching for, but it was currently sporting a 'Corrupted' Status. This made things messy. Even if I managed to pry the artifact from her cold hands, the corruption would prevent it from serving as the 'Clear Condition' for the Floor. Without a [Priest] Class and their [Purifying] Skills, that spear was just a cursed piece of metal.