Previously:
The Undead King raised a single finger towards the sky, black energy swirling at its tip.
He uttered the words;
"Finger of De…"
A thunderous surge of mana split the air, shattering the chant mid-cast.
The Undead King froze, bound by invisible force.
A man stepped forward, his aura radiating pride and defiance.
The ground cracked beneath his boots, as he walked.
"So this is Cebu City's finest battle mages?" he said with arrogance. "Trembling before the dead? Where's your Cebuano pride?"
He spat on the ground. "You all disgrace the title you wear."
The protectors of Visayas lowered their eyes, not from fear alone, but from the slow, humiliating understanding that his words were true.
A crow swooped low, its voice sharp and mocking.
"Hey, Sean. I don't remember ordering you to step onto the battlefield."
Sean glared up at the bird, realizing who it was. "Dani! You represent the entire Visayas Battle Mage and Magic Knights! You're our leader, you should be here giving orders! Not hiding behind that animal you're communing through!"
Jane whispered, half in awe, half in fear, "So that's Sean? They say he's the strongest tank in Visayas…
No, in the entire Philippines. But Dani beat him for the title of Three Region Island Kings Champion of Visayas. Their duel was televised nationwide."
Pilar swallowed hard in his thought "…So that's him?
Sean 'Mt.' Brawner;
Rank 2 in Cebu City
Rank 2 in Visayas
Rank 4 Nationwide
Just one rank shy from being a Three Region Island King."
Their awe turned brittle as the bindings Sean had placed on the Undead King slowly began to give way.
Sean's voice cracked. "Dani! He's breaking free! His restraints won't hold!"
Dani only laughed. "You think I don't know that?" He smirked. "What makes you think I didn't order every single one of my clan, including you to assist?"
He tilted his head. "And yet, here you are… playing hero."
Jane frowned. "Aren't you the honorable Dani? The one who always preaches teamwork?"
"Reel and Real are two different things," Dani sneered. "You think I didn't hear what you were plotting?"
Anton froze. "He heard us? But how? You're kilometers away!"
"Anton, Anton, Anton…" Dani's smile turned cold. "This is exactly why you'll never have a breakout year. You're weak."
Sean shouted, "Time's running out! The Undead King is breaking loose!"
"Please, sir Dani!" Jason begged. "Please help us, I have kids!"
Dani's eyes hardened. "Are they my kids? No? Then why should I care?"
He gestured, and a parrot swooped down, repeating Jason's voice in a mocking tone:
"Wait for the government to respond, blah blah while we wait, we'll miss our chance to loot! No way!"
Dani burst into hysterical laughter.
"Look at your face, it's priceless! All that fake kindness showing up a little too late."
His grin turned vicious.
"Hey, muscle brain," he said to Sean. "My plan was to purge every Battle Mage and Magic Knights disloyal to me… but since you're there, I guess you're going to be collateral."
Sean's presence turned vile
He said with a voice trembling with rage. "We shouldn't be loyal to you! We should be loyal to our country!"
Dani raised his head, chin high. His tone dropped to ice.
"Touching… but I don't speak your language Sean. I speak in conditions." He laughed ridiculously.
Dani raised his hand, eyes sweeping across Jane, Jason, Pilar, and Anton.
"Wear this."
The birds delivered thorned rose vines into their palms like living, pulsing with faint mana.
Jane realized they hadn't been given a choice, only time to pretend they had one.
Dani's voice softened, almost kind. "The rule is simple. Submit… or die. If even one of you refuses… well… none of you walk away."
The thoughts of the protectors of Visayas spiraled as their image of Dani shattered; none had ever imagined that a man bearing the highest honor of the Visayas, the Region Island King, could be so despicable.
Jane screamed, "You're insane! We only wanted to loot and you're playing with our lives!"
"They say you need a greater evil to fight evil," Dani said calmly. "You tried to steal from me. Now, I'll own you. Wear it and be a part of my legions." Dani laughed
Jason shouted, "Steal from you? We were planning to steal from the dungeon! We weren't…"
Dani cut him off, voice sharp as steel and loud.
"Everything you see belongs to me! And no one else!"
Jane's breath hitched "He's sick… twisted. He can't be human."
Anton's voice cracked. "Why us four? And not Sean?!"
Dani's laugh was cruel. "Who said I didn't enslave him?"
He sighed mockingly. "Anton, you idiot. With his build and mana, do you think enslaving him would be easy? Of course not. He could break free anytime…"
Then his grin widened.
"But his 'so called' daughter… Now, that's a different story."
Jane's thoughts trembled. "The media lied. He's not a hero. He's a monster wearing a smile. If this is what heroes look like… maybe the Undead King isn't the real monster."
"Clock's ticking," Dani smiled.
Jane asked "Why are you doing this?"
Dani chuckled. "Doing this? Oh, Jane… I'm maintaining balance."
He spread his arms clenching his fist, the vines around him pulsing with mana. "Lawfully evil, morally gray… whatever name you want to give it. If Sean went berserk, thousands would die. If you stole from the treasury, millions would starve."
His laughter filled the room. "So yes… I'll be the evil that keeps this country alive."
Then his tone dropped to ice. "What I do… is justice."
Then, from the shadows, a deep voice echoed through the dungeon.
"You are evil," the Lich said, its hollow eyes burning bright. "We may embody death, commanding the undead… but you... you embody evil. You toy with life itself!"
The air thickened. Mana roared.
"This ends now," Lich screamed.
The Undead King broke free.
"Cast it now," the Lich commanded;
and the world turned black.