Building An Empire Starting From The Labor Camp In Exile-Chapter 63: Plans

"It is done," Atrox heard the demon’s voice, distant like a faraway chant.

"Congratulations on being the new Lord of the Eternal Pyre. I hope we meet again in a more favorable environment. I will leave you a gift, and you’ll owe me no debt for it."

Then like the absence of the sun, the presence vanished. Atrox made moves to stand, to lift his head and watched the strange demon depart but his body won’t listen —his body felt like mud. But inside, he was raging. His essence was slowly returning to its place. Yet now, he had fewer sub-essences in his core. Before, there were five; now there were only three, and he felt their absence like a gnawing hunger.

The remaining essences were:

- Infernal Fire

- Pactbinding

- Infernal Imprisonment

The other two—Shadowforge Creation and Nightmare—had been transferred to Tiber and Slya. Essentially, Atrox was now their construct, the source of their new powers.

’I have to get the other inheritance as soon as possible’ he thought. ’They better be worth it, or I swear I’ll tear them limb from lim...’

His thoughts slowed as he fell into darkness.

---

The demon with hair of white fire stood in his castle, inside his small study, hunched over, his eyes on his hand where an essence of crimson, black, blue, and more colors gathered, swirling together. It was Atrox’s essence that had drawn him there. He had gathered it before it disappeared into Hell and drawn others with it.

He didn’t want that, not yet.

He mixed his own essence into it, pouring white flames that twisted into Atrox’s. Then he began to chant, each word like a giant hammer striking the world. The blows were mere ripples to the vast expanse of existence.

When he finished, nothing remained of the two essences.

"There, this will shield his essence from leaking every time he uses the power. A successor of the Crimson One. Hehehe, this one looks like he’ll cause trouble for that old man. But he’s still a youngling, quick to die. Still, he’s got the Crimson Moon fused with the Infernal Dominion."

He smiled.

"Are things going to be fun again? Things have been rather dull these past years. Hehehehe."

---

Atrox opened his eyes to a dull pain behind them, and for the first time, Slya wasn’t looming over him. He grunted, rolled over, and sat up. His eyes fell on a red leather-bound book beside him.

There were no words or pictures on the cover, but without even opening it, he knew it was a book on techniques—on the powers he had and even the two he had transferred. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

He picked it up and flipped through it gently. Indeed, it was a book of techniques, though only for what Atrox considered "basics," suitable only for the Knight rank at most.

"At least this will save me time experimenting and searching for techniques."

Tiber groaned beside him, slowly opening his eyes. They were black as ink, giving his face a deep, melancholy air. He tried to sit up, failed, and flopped back down.

"I feel like I’ve been dragged through the dirt."

Atrox didn’t answer, continuing to read the book.

Soon, Slya woke up. She and Tiber gasped and shouted when they discovered they could now use essence. They looked at Atrox as if he were the best thing since ale during the dry seasons.

For his part, Atrox tried not to let the loss of two abilities—abilities he hadn’t even had a chance to use—show on his face.

"I want to try something," Slya declared suddenly. She raised her hand, and shadows pooled together into a ball that bubbled gently. She grinned. "Do you know how long I’ve been trying to do this?"

In response, Atrox snapped his book shut and asked, "When you think of the source of your power, like the construct within you, what do you see?"

They exchanged glances before Tiber frowned. "I see a red moon, like the one outside."

Slya nodded."That’s right. What does it mean? It’s...you, right?"

’Maybe’ Atrox thought, then nodded. "Yes."

They fell into silence until Atrox took a deep breath and said. "You two know what I want: to sweep through the Eternal Skies. But first, we have to tackle the flatlands before climbing the mountain."

Tiber nodded, his eyes hooded. "I...when you mentioned your name. Your clan name..."

Atrox smiled. "That’s right. Sent away because of the Forbidden Mark, I’m in exile—expected to die here and..."

He briefly told them about his past.

Slya stared at him as if he’d changed again. "Wow. A young master of the Soryu Clan."

The Soryu Clan was one of the strongest clans in the Hinterlands.

Atrox shrugged. "We’ll come back to that. As I was saying, I want this whole land. Where do you think I should start?"

Tiber answered immediately. "Here, in the Borderlands. There’s a powerful force gathered around the Rifts, and if you can redirect it to your clan... I assume you want to be the Clan Leader."

Atrox nodded. "It’s a necessary step."

"Then you must become the undisputed leader of the Borderlands. Ensure the Rift is closed, then head for your clan. This will serve as the foundation for your future armies... My Lord."

Atrox smiled, satisfied. He was already seeing the value of having Tiber as a subordinate. The question he’d asked had been a test of Tiber’s mind. "Do not call me Lord yet. You will know when the time comes. I will earn it with my own hands this time."

Tiber bowed.

"Then, to follow your plan, we must head to the second layer, build a team, and make a name for ourselves before venturing deeper into the Barrens," Atrox said.

He tapped the book lightly on his lap. "And we need to become powerful enough to maintain our name and our team. We’ll train a little longer before we leave. This ruin will serve us for a while yet."