What kind of death is most horrifying?
The answer varies depending on the person. So might find the idea of a lonely, unnoticed demise to be their greatest fear, while others might dread a slow and painful end.
For soone like Lorel, a scumbag who was rotten to the core, a fitting end would be one marked by brutality.
Giving him this kind of demise would be the choice of soone overwheld by emotions and driven by a thirst for revenge. And while it wouldn't be wrong to say that Val harbored similar desires to subject Lorel to such an end, he did not let his emotions override his common sense.
Assassinating Lorel in his sleep was a more strategic option than a brutal beatdown as the chance of success was absolute. After all, how could a person, deep in slumber, evade the hands of death?
On the other hand, a direct confrontation could give Lorel, an overly cautious individual, a chance to deploy unknown trump cards and possibly escape.
'Now that I have burned away the formations protecting him, let's get rid of him.'
The black fire that had disappeared after enveloping and destroying the formations reappeared. The target of the fire this ti was none other than the scumbag lying on the bed. The fire swiftly encompassed Lorel himself. The fire was rciless, rapidly consuming his flesh like a swarm of beasts.
Argh!
Lorel, awakened by the searing pain, let out a horrendous, shrill scream that echoed through the room.
The scream was abruptly cut short as the flas devoured him completely.
The man who had committed countless murders, who had orchestrated heinous rites, was now reduced to re ashes scattered on the bed. But the fire did not even spare those. In its relentless consumption, Lorel's entire existence was obliterated, reduced to nothingness.
The deed was done. The man who had killed the most innocent and helpless of people in the most brutal of ways was no more. The man who was a threat to Eliana was no longer alive.
With a casual wave of his hand, Val extinguished the flas, ensuring they did not spread further.
As he killed Lorel, a notification popped up in his vision. He focused on it. As he went through it, his eyes squinted in surprise.
[System Notification: You have eliminated Lorel, a cultist devoted to the Abyssal Entity known as Draugrath. For this act, you have been awarded 4000 EXP. Additionally, you have obtained an item: Veil of the Voidwalker. This unique artifact harbors the power to negate any single negative effect or remove the gaze of outer gods directed at you. It can be used only once, after which it will dissipate into the aether.]
'So it's a consumable item.'
He never expected to gain a windfall for assassinating a weakling. The range and effectiveness of the Veil of the Voidwalker were yet to be determined but considering the items given by the system were never faulty or normal, Val believed that this artifact would help him imnsely if he was ever haunted by creatures like the Unknown or the Naless!
'The thing about Lorel being a cultist is worriso.'
The existence of those who worshipped devils and other malevolent entities was not unknown to him, but the notion of soone revering a creature from the abyss was indeed a first. It brought a depth of darkness to his understanding of the world's hidden evils.
'It's more troubleso than it looks.'
Not to ntion, Lorel was an interdiate-level bloodline user. A study conducted by the Kingdom's Arcane Council revealed that out of 100 low-level bloodline users, only a handful of people have the chance to advance to the interdiate level. The mbers of this arcane council could either be court wizards or retired court wizards. They could also be the qualified descendants of either one of the two. So the information they provided was mostly true. Yet soone as rare as Lorel was worshipping sothing from the abyss.
Val pondered the implications of this discovery.
If Draugrath, an entity from the abyss, had cultists like Lorel—a level 4 bloodline user—it suggested that Draugrath might be on par with a demon god in terms of power and influence!
'This is problematic,' Val thought.
Why was it problematic? Well, it implied that an abyssal entity was aware of the existence of the kingdom. Add on to the fact that It was cultivating cultists, it beca certain it was planning an invasion.
Val clicked his tongue in displeasure. The danger presented by the unknown was avoided as Lucious's audience with the Queen bore significant fruit, putting the secret experints on the altar to a halt. It happened a few days after Val left for the expedition.
The Queen was ambitious but not foolish. After she went through the 'Diary,' the risk beca apparent. If the experints weren't put to a halt, the Unknown entity might invite itself to their ho, then they would all suffer. After all, they had no way to deal with it. So after a lengthy conversation with Lucious, the Queen decided to do what was best for her kingdom and herself. Of course, she hadn't given up on it. She had only paused it for now.
Anyway, that trouble was avoided. But a new trouble had popped up, displeasing Val. The Draugrath was eying the kingdom from the abyss!
'How many followers of Draugrath are laying low in the kingdom? Surely, Lorel can't be the only one.'
'Lorel's presence in the lower city suggests the cultist can bypass the widely used screening project to root out those possessed by devils and devil worshippers. They have been living among us.'
His mind then wandered to the possibility of other followers in the Northern Frontier.
How many were there? Were they connected to Lorel? Did they communicate or coordinate their sinister activities?
The prospect of such an organized network of abyssal worshippers was troubling. If they were indeed in close contact and aware of each other's plans, it could spell significant danger, not just for Val but for the entire frontier.
Val's gaze drifted towards the bedside table, becoming more pensive before he uttered,
"Let's just hope there's sothing about it in his diary."
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