Chapter 128

Chapter 128
## Chapter 128: The Title of ‘Despair’

“…That appearance… is that truly you, Fifth Lord?”

“How many times must I repeat myself, caw?”

“That squawk certainly sounds like yours, Fifth Lord. But how is it that only your voice remains the same?”

Within the White King’s Hall.

The White King stared at me, his expression etched with pure bewilderment.

My physical form had shifted significantly after becoming the one who kindles the dark, yet that distinct ‘caw’ persisted. It likely stemmed from certain characteristics of the Corpse Crow merging into my new state. It was a detail we were bound to confront eventually.

“There is no necessity for you to understand, caw.”

“The longer I observe you, the more stunned I become. That shape… ugh. It is genuinely gruesome.”

His reaction mirrored that of the mutated rodents. If even the White King found my presence revolting, that settled the matter. With a look suggesting he’d witnessed a nightmare he’d rather forget, the White King shifted his eyes away.

“Why have you summoned me, caw?”

“Ah. The reason for your presence? That would be…”

In an instant, the White King’s demeanor turned profoundly grave. He then revealed the ‘purpose’ behind my summons.

“…The Death King has been seized by the Black King. It is possible… he has already met his end.”

The Title of ‘Despair’

For a moment, I questioned my own hearing. The Death King? That titan of a creature? Captured? Perhaps destroyed? The logic of how one who was already deceased could die again flickered through my thoughts, but the ‘death’ the White King referred to was clearly the cessation of existence—total erasure.

*—I shall look into the Black King’s goals. Furthermore, White King, you must realize the Fifth Lord stands apart from the other Lords. Unlike us, he possesses none of your ‘blessing.’*

The final memory of the Death King surfaced. It was during the time he acted as a buffer between the White King and myself. The White King had tried to manipulate a conflict between the Black King and me. I had naturally declined such a transparent plot, and the tension had spiked. That was when the Death King intervened.

Subsequently, the Death King departed from Kramdel to shadow the Black King’s actions.

*‘With his mastery over the restless dead, he should have been elusive if he remained cautious.’*

Nevertheless, a seed of skepticism remained. The Death King was a figure who claimed the title ‘King of the Deceased.’ It seemed improbable that someone who treated mortality as a craft would challenge the Black King without a safety net. Yet, he was taken. His very survival was now in doubt.

…He was the solitary individual in all of Kramdel with whom one could actually reason.

“Regardless, the Death King dispatched a final ‘dispatch’ to me. I have brought the other Lords together to gather your thoughts on it.”

Whatever the Death King had transmitted to the White King before his disappearance had to involve intelligence regarding the Black King. I was intrigued as well. If the White King ruled the north, the Black King held the south. However, the Black King was a ghost, rarely appearing in the open. Quests involving him were scarce, largely because the south was the most desolate of frontiers.

*‘The desert settlement of Paysalmer is situated within that southern territory.’*

Paysalmer, notorious for being a nightmare starting location, fell under that jurisdiction.

“…Fifth Lord, since you are here, the assembly can commence.”

A council between the White King and his subordinates. By this point, the news of my arrival had surely reached the others. One by one, the Lords began to filter into the entrance of the White King’s Hall.

“I offer my respects to the White King.”

The Great Earth Dragon was the first to show. The Colossal Dragon had adopted his draconic-humanoid shape, marching in with his signature prideful expression. His arrogance was consistent, but one detail stood out.

**[Lv. 13]**

…His power had scaled up. He had moved from level 12 to 13. Something had transpired during my absence. Noticing my attention, the Great Earth Dragon snapped his head toward me.

“What…?!”

He let out a sharp gasp of terror, his features contorted in shock.

“You look absolutely monstrous…!!”

…Precisely what I expected. But what was so repulsive? To my own eyes, I was merely a silhouette of a man wrapped in ‘ebony flames.’ Why did every creature in Kramdel recoil like this?

“…”

“I was informed the Fifth Lord had arrived. Where is he?”

Medusa and Gonggi made their entrance next. As they drew near the White King, they turned to inspect me. In that heartbeat:

*—…!!!*

“This is madness…!”

As predicted, they cried out in horror. Was my visage truly that appalling? Even the masters of the void hadn’t reacted with such intensity.

*‘All three of them have gained levels.’*

The level jump was more startling than their revulsion. All three Lords had climbed from 12 to 13. A single instance might be luck, but all three at once? That pointed to something deeper. There was a variable I was missing.

“I have never laid eyes on something so hideous.”

“Ugh. I have encountered many foul things over the centuries, but this surpasses them all.”

*—…*

The trio of Lords didn’t hold back their insults. Or perhaps, in the culture of monsters, ‘hideous’ served as a form of praise. Gonggi spoke up.

“White King, who is this nightmare?”

“…That is the Fifth Lord.”

“…? Is the Fifth Lord not the Corpse Crow?”

“It is difficult to accept, but it is the truth.”

“…”

Gonggi went quiet, throwing a look my way. I let out a soft breath.

“I am the Fifth Lord, caw.”

“…That squawk confirms it, I suppose.”

“Hah. How did you end up in such a ghastly state…”

*—…*

Their eyes were filled with genuine pity. Now, even I was becoming fascinated. Just how terrible did I look to cause such a synchronized reaction?

—

Once the initial shock subsided, the White King moved to the core of the meeting.

“The reason for this gathering is this object, which the Death King provided.”

The Death King’s parting gift. He must have sent something tangible with his message. The White King reached into his robes and produced ‘it.’

“Do any of you recognize this?”

The chamber fell into a heavy silence. It was understandable. What the White King held wasn’t a standard tool. It appeared to be a ‘shard of bone’ from some entity. However, identifying the source from a mere ‘bone fragment’ was nearly impossible, especially since it was jagged and broken.

“…It does not appear to belong to the Death King.”

“Based on the girth, it originated from a massive creature.”

Those were the only insights Gonggi and the Great Earth Dragon could offer. The White King then focused on me.

“Fifth Lord. To whom do you believe this bone belongs?”

As if I’d have a clue. To normal eyes, it was just a bit of debris. Yet the White King seemed certain of its origin. The fact that he singled me out suggested he believed I possessed a unique recognition.

**[Bone Fragment of ???]**

Even for me, the truth remained hidden. The Great Sage’s insight failed to identify the source. I was prepared to deny any knowledge when—

*Thump! Thump!*

My pulse quickened violently. This wasn’t a natural reaction from my own heart, nor from the Eternal Lord’s heart. This… this sensation was vibrating from what had been absorbed into my core. Baal, and the shard of ruin. Suddenly, the indicators over the fragment shifted.

**[Bone Fragment of ‘Despair’]**

Upon seeing the name that replaced the unknown markers, I went rigid. ‘Despair.’ There was only one entity in existence that bore that moniker. I wasn’t sure where the Death King had found it, but… After a brief pause, I answered.

“It is a shard from the bone of the Four Calamities, ‘Despair,’ caw.”

“…As I suspected, you knew it.”

One of the four legendary beasts that had brought the world to the brink alongside Baal. Unlike Baal, however, it lacked a proper personal name. It was known only as ‘Despair.’

The White King continued with heavy gravity.

“Not long ago, ‘Baal’ was resurrected at the ‘Mount of the Aspirant.’ In response, the Black King dispatched ‘Lactusha’ to that location. The Death King, monitoring the Black King’s movements, delivered this fragment of Despair to me.”

The orc champion, Lactusha. He had been decimated by the revived Baal, and his fate remained a mystery. The White King was connecting the dots now.

“Does this strike any of you as random? The Black King is hunting the Four Calamities. He has already claimed Despair and sent Lactusha to secure Baal. His ambition is to bind these monsters to his will.”

Had the Black King truly attempted to awaken Baal at the mountain?

*‘I was the one who brought Baal back.’*

No, that couldn’t be right. The orc swordmaster Lactusha had intended to seize the White King’s daughter. He had made a grand show of it, aiming to trap the other Lords, but my interference with Baal had shattered his strategy. Naturally, I saw no reason to divulge that.

“The Four Calamities…!”

“But was it not reported that ‘Baal’ was ‘extinguished’?”

Rumors of Baal’s return would have reached Kramdel by now. They were also aware that Baal had been defeated. The White King gave a nod.

“The Black King did indeed wake Baal, but he failed to exert control. In the end, a frenzied Baal was unmade within the very void he summoned. The true mystery is ‘who’ managed to destroy Baal.”

“Could it be that the Four Calamities aren’t as invincible as the legends claim?”

The Great Earth Dragon proposed this theory. To most, the Calamities were mere myths. No living soul had actually fought those prehistoric terrors. But the White King dismissed the idea.

“The Four Calamities possess power equal to my own. Under the right conditions, they are capable of ending even my life.”

“…!”

The Lords stared at the White King in disbelief. Even the human hero ‘Wilhelm,’ despite besting him once, hadn’t been able to finish the White King. If the Calamities—if Baal himself—were that potent, who could have possibly slain him?

“Do you have a theory on who eliminated ‘Baal’?”

“Hmm.”

With that, the White King’s gaze drifted back to me. …Why was he focusing on me? Had he realized that Baal’s essence was now part of me?

“One fact is certain…”

Still pinning me with his stare, the White King spoke again.

“Fifth Lord Randolph. The Death King specifically requested that I pass this bone fragment to you.”

To me? Perhaps he felt a kinship because we both dealt in the currency of ‘death.’ The White King handed over the shard of Despair. …It felt as though the White King had left a thought unfinished.

“What is our strategy moving forward?”

When Gonggi inquired, the White King’s response was resolute.

“Conflict.”

Now that the Black King’s hidden agenda was exposed, there was no reason for restraint.

“The Black King has initiated hostilities against me, and I shall answer in kind.”

The White King allowed a thin smile.

“Each of you Lords shall ‘subjugate’ a city in the south. These will serve as our forward command posts. In my name as the White King, I will provide every resource you require.”

“Ah…!”

“At last!”

*—…!*

The Lords, with the exception of myself, were buzzing with anticipation. It was as if they had a personal grudge against the Black King. Subjugate a southern city, he said.

Gonggi eventually asked a cautious question.

“And if the Black King himself intervenes?”

“He will not. His focus is entirely on me. If I take the field, he will follow. But for now, he watches.”

“But White King, you are still in the process of healing…”

“Even without my ‘fangs,’ he lacks the power to slay me. Of course, if he manages to fully manifest ‘Despair,’ the situation changes, but I intend to conclude this before that happens.”

Despair was not yet active. It remained under seal. Had it been fully awakened—had he mastered it—the Black King would have struck long ago. The Death King had provided a vital lead. Because of that, the White King could finally initiate his campaign.

*‘What is the best move here?’*

To be honest, this didn’t strictly concern me. I had no beef with the Black King, and while the Death King and I were on good terms, we weren’t close. I was curious about ‘Despair,’ but I had no desire to get crushed between two warring giants.

“The cities designated as forward bases are the desert hub ‘Paysalmer,’ the Lake of Mortality ‘Rakan,’ the Subterranean Tunnel ‘Hartun,’ and the Arid Gale ‘Elsaldo.’”

…The issue was the names of the ‘cities’ he listed. Specifically, the desert city of Paysalmer. Isabella was still located there.

“Determine which city you will target by tomorrow. And…”

The White King looked at me once more.

“Fifth Lord. Can you spare some time?”

“You wish for me to make time, caw?”

“I do. There is someone I want you to meet.”

“Someone for me to meet, caw?”

Did the White King have a specific individual in mind? Likely because of the impending ‘war.’ Unlike the others, I had no power base within Kramdel. He probably thought I required subordinates to help manage things. But the White King’s next statement was entirely out of left field.

“I would like you to share a meal with my daughter, ‘Aria.’”

“…!!!”

“…!!!”

*—…!!!*

In this formal council of Lords. At the White King’s announcement, every Lord’s eyes widened in sheer shock.

Northern Sky Ice Sword.

The White King’s daughter, Aria. His only kin, the one being he prized above the world itself. This was not just a dinner invitation. None of the Lords present had ever been granted a meal with Aria. For the pragmatically minded White King to play his most precious card meant he valued the Fifth Lord’s potential even more highly. I could see no other explanation.

“Wh-White King, is this not a bit hasty?”

The Great Earth Dragon spoke up with urgency. His previous suggestion had been to trade Aria’s hand for the retrieval of the ‘fangs,’ but that had been mostly in jest. There was doubt whether the Fifth Lord could actually find the fangs, or if he was even powerful enough to ‘kill’ the White King. Mentioning it here seemed like a ploy to force the other Lords to respect the Fifth Lord’s status.

But the White King’s resolve was set.

“Previously, the Death King was the one assisting the Fifth Lord. With him gone, is there anyone in Kramdel capable of aiding the Fifth Lord in his war preparations?”

“Well… we could provide high-ranking officials…”

“Even so, he is a ‘Lord’ of great significance. Should his support not match his rank? Or, Great Earth Dragon, are you willing to halt your own plans to assist him?”

“…”

The Great Earth Dragon was silenced. The King was essentially assigning Aria to help the unaligned Fifth Lord prepare for the conflict. The other Lords had no intention of being helpful; they were too focused on securing their own glory in the war. And the White King couldn’t step in personally. That left only Aria.

“Is Lady Aria… available at this time?”

Gonggi asked with a hint of concern. Since her return from the Mount of the Aspirant, Aria had been evolving at an incredible pace. She had been in deep isolation, shunning contact to focus on her growth. The question was whether Aria would even agree to this arrangement.

The White King shook his head.

“It is already arranged. More importantly, focus on your chosen ‘cities’ for tomorrow’s conquest. We can no longer permit the Black King to act without consequence.”