Ashmaw Valley still smoldered behind him.
Liam didn't look back.
He didn't need to.
The message from the system had said it all.
[Varkos the Betrayer has submitted]Loyalty: 53%Fear: 72%
[Your Cultivation Root deepens...]Sin Vein Codex – Stage 1: Heart of Hunger (29%)
As Liam crossed the obsidian bridge, boots scraping against cooling lava, the vampire maid remained two steps behind. She carried his black sword in both hands now—wrapped in chains and humming with a sound like whispering.
"Do you want to name the blade, Your Majesty?" she asked.
Liam raised a brow. "It has a name?"
"All cursed artifacts do," she replied softly. "You may not like it."
He took the sword, feeling the chill of its handle seep into his fingers. The runes along the blade pulsed, and then a voice echoed in his mind:
"Ugh. Finally. Thought you'd never unsheath me. What is this? A demon king who talks problems out? Pathetic."
Liam squinted. "You're sarcastic."
"I'm cursed. Sarcasm is my coping mechanism."
The vampire maid lowered her head. "Its name is Whinecleaver."
There was a long silence.
Liam pinched the bridge of his nose. "Of course it is."
"You got a problem with that, noodle-arm? I've slain six heroes, one archangel, and half a marriage. You'll be lucky if I don't explode your kidneys."
"I don't even know if I have kidneys anymore," Liam muttered.
The system dinged, mercifully interrupting.
[System Update: Shop Unlocked]Available Points: 1
✦ [Beginner Tier – Cultivation Boosters]✦ [Forbidden Spell Scrolls]✦ [Mystery Box (50% chance of regret)]✦ [Bonded Companion Slot – Locked]
Liam stared at the options. "Why is there always a Mystery Box?"
[System: It builds character.]
Whinecleaver chuckled. "Pick the box. Pick the box."
"No," Liam said. "We're going responsible."
He selected Cultivation Boosters, and immediately a vial appeared in his palm—dark crimson liquid swirling like stormclouds inside.
[You have consumed the Essence of Dread]Cultivation Speed +300% for 1 hourWarning: Side effects may include hallucinations, delusions of grandeur, and temporary demonic screaming.
"Of course."
Liam pocketed the vial.
"Back to the castle," he said. "We've delayed the prophecy. That means it'll start reacting."
The vampire maid tilted her head. "You believe it's… alive?"
"No. Worse." He looked up at the burning sky. "I think it's self-correcting."
He didn't explain further.
Because in the back of his mind, a memory surfaced.
Chapter 61.
The first Prophecy Surge.
Where reality itself began to warp.
Where fate tried to force the Hero's path… no matter the cost.
Far away, in the Holy Capital, a priest trembled as his prophecy scroll caught fire.
"The Demon King is off-script," he whispered.
The Hero clenched his fist, staring into the horizon.
"Then we burn the book."