Spiral of Madness: Ascension of the Villainous Dragon Prince-Chapter 103: The Desolate Empire [2]

"They eat ruins? Literally?" Zorba asked.

"Yeah," Louis nodded. "The ruins here aren’t just stone, Zorba. Can’t you feel it? Every single ruin is packed with densely concentrated negative energy, born from the suffering of those who perished in this vast Empire. The Ruin Eater feeds on those energies while devouring the ruins. The miasma inside is that processed dark energy. As it decays within the creature, the process generates heat, providing its power."

"...!" Zorba was amazed by Louis’s concise explanation of how an Entity functioned. "My lord, I had no idea you studied Entities so extensively."

"I had to if I wanted to one day hunt them down," Louis said. "And as a prince, I had access to vast amounts of information that was easily available. Anyway, more are coming."

"Huh?!"

Zorba’s eyes widened as four more Ruin Eaters began approaching from afar. Though they preferred ruins, they were not picky eaters and would gladly consume a human or two. Souls were the most delectable prize for any Entity or Grievance.

"You take care of two with your knights. I’ll handle the other two. Let’s do this quickly so we can advance faster. I want to reach the capital by the end of the day."

Louis mounted his flying sword and sped ahead, leaving Zorba behind. He reached one of the Ruin Eaters. Its monstrous head burst from the sands and began spiraling rapidly, flames blazing from deep within its throat. Louis dodged swiftly as a powerful cannon of blazing energy erupted—a tricky move that could easily catch overconfident opponents off guard.

"Let’s see... how should I take you down?"

Louis descended, leaping from his sword and seizing it as he fell hundreds of meters. The Ruin Eater sensed his immense Fantasium signature and opened its maw wide to swallow him whole. But Louis swung his sword downward, channeling his Sword Energy Aura.

"Ah, I guess I could use that."

Recalling someone he had trained diligently in his previous regression, Louis swiftly encased his blade in azure frost, blending the Element of Ice with Sword Energy.

"Glacial Sword Breathing."

"First Step – Icicle Blade."

SLASH!

His sword cut through the creature’s body but halted against the immensely tough stone plates. Louis wasn’t exerting full strength or energy, but that was fine for now.

"GRRRRR!"

The Ruin Eater thrashed wildly to dislodge him, but Louis held firm. He began freezing the monster’s entire body with his sword, drawing the ice back into the blade to make it grow larger. He swung again and again.

The Entity’s body froze and crumbled with each strike until it exploded completely. The clash of its inner heat and the encompassing ice filled the creature with steam, inflating it like a balloon midway through destruction before it burst.

BOOOM!

Louis landed lightly on his feet and glanced at the incoming Ruin Eater. His eyes remained focused as its massive jaws rushed toward him—wide enough to swallow an entire building. His sword gleamed, absorbing holy light essence from his soul, and then...

SLAAASH!

A devastating slash pierced through the Entity’s jaws, splitting its head apart and halting midway through the rest of its body. The creature exploded, frozen fragments of its miasmic blood—covered in flames and ice—rained across the desert.

Louis walked past the wreckage, collected the two Fantasium Cores along with the pair from the first one he killed, and returned to Zorba. The Necromancer was handling the first Ruin Eater with Hecatoncheires, while the rest of the knights overwhelmed the other.

These monsters stretched over twenty meters long—true behemoths. Though only Level 2, they took time to kill when fought by golems. Eventually, however, the knights prevailed. The golems raised their weapons in triumph.

"It is done, master," Zorba reported.

"Good. Let’s keep moving," Louis nodded. "The Crimson Shield Fortress is not too far from here."

Zorba raised two Ruin Eaters as zombies to test their durability, then marched alongside his army of knights. His eyes gleamed with fascination every time he looked at them, always whispering to himself how cool they were.

"We’re close. Zorba, get ready."

"Yes."

Zorba nodded as they approached the Crimson Shield Fortress—a large, ruined fortress city encircled by burning walls. At first it appeared empty and abandoned, but as they drew nearer, dozens of standing humanoid figures came into view: giant skeletons wreathed in constant flames, clad in rusty armor and capes of ashes and shadows.

"Undead?!" Zorba gasped, his smile brimming with fascination. "My lord, what exactly are they?!"

"Entities," Louis replied. "Ah, I didn’t tell you? The Desolate Empire is known for its Undead Soldiers. The two Area Bosses are powerful Liches as well."

"Oooohhh!" Zorba grew even more captivated by the Layer. "Amazing! It’s my first time seeing Undead in the wild!"

"You cannot control them, however, so don’t try to command them or show them any kindness," Louis warned. "Gravewalker, Necromancer, Pugilist, come out."

At the same time, Louis summoned his three Incarnations. The Gravewalker appeared behind him, eyes glowing bright red and ready for battle. The Pugilist blazed with excitement, metallic fists burning fiercely. And the Necromancer... manifested as a floating skeletal hand that merged with Louis, transforming into a pair of skeletal wings wreathed in ghostly flames. This allowed him to fly more easily and strike with greater force.

Technically, this transformation was a Cultivation Method tied to his Fake Dragon Heart. By using it, he could unify his powers and reshape himself into a dragon-like form. The more he developed these abilities alongside Incarnation Fusion, the greater his mastery over the Incarnations became—how they functioned and how they could alter shape once fused with his body.

"Pugilist, now that you can fight more effectively, take my left flank. Gravewalker, watch my back, alright?"

The two nodded. As they advanced, the Undead Soldiers—standing motionless—slowly stirred once they sensed the intruders.

And they moved with terrifying speed!

RUMBLE!

The ground cracked and scorched beneath them as the Soldiers sprinted forward at blazing velocities. Zorba and his knights were stunned, but Louis smiled faintly and took to the air with his skeletal wings.

"Good. You’re energetic. Let’s finish this quickly."

He summoned Gungnir in one hand and gripped his glass-like sword in the other. Unleashing both Spear and Sword Techniques, Louis surged past them. He dodged blazing weapons and fireballs while cutting, piercing, and crushing the Undead into fragments.

Each time one fell, it exploded in a burst of flames. Zorba watched in shock as the battlefield quickly ignited. In that single charge, Louis had slain at least twelve.

Zorba stood amazed, mouth agape at the incredible power Louis displayed. "Incredible! Amazing! So this is the true strength of Lord Louis!"

Yet while Zorba grew more fanatical, Louis felt a quiet annoyance—and deeper depression. "All this power came only after dying so many times... and losing so many of my people. It’s really frustrating how talentless I am..."

He furrowed his brows. Though the weight of those losses still pressed heavily on his heart, Louis refused to let it overwhelm him. He channeled his frustration into the monsters instead, determined to end this swiftly.

Roars echoed from below. The Undead raised their bows and unleashed hundreds of blazing arrows into the sky toward Louis. He evaded them fluidly and used the Pugilist’s fists and the Gravewalker to shield himself from the explosive barrage.

"How annoying. Shall I use some magic for a change?"

Louis was in no mood for games. He spread his hand. A magic circle formed and stacked rapidly upon itself—four identical copies merging into an unstable array that sparked with blue electricity.

"Icicle Rain!"

The circle shattered into over forty massive icicles. They plummeted toward the Undead, impaling dozens at once. Explosions of flame erupted as the ice shattered and detonated.

"Hah... nevertheless, this is fun!"

Louis laughed, his mood improving as he witnessed the sheer destruction he wrought. He rushed over the fortress and began firing super-concentrated Void Bullets—his Void Star Rain—bombarding the reserves and annihilating over forty more Entities.

"Hahaha...! Hahahahaha! It’s so much fun! Hahaha! Pfff... Hahahahaha!"