Chapter 2742: Story 2743: The Army Below

The woman’s voice echoed through the broken chamber.

“My sons... run.”

Ronan froze.

He knew that voice.

“Mother?”

The darkness below answered with a deafening roar.

The mountain split wider.

Stone platforms collapsed into the abyss.

Millions of dead hands clawed their way upward.

Aren stared into the darkness.

“They’re coming from everywhere.”

Elias stepped forward.

Black energy covered his arms.

“Then we’ll stop them.”

Kael grabbed him.

“No. You cannot fight that many.”

Elias pulled free.

“They are dead.”

Kael’s eyes hardened.

“Exactly.”

Aren suddenly pointed downward.

“Wait.”

Everyone looked at him.

The dead had stopped climbing.

Every corpse stood motionless.

Then, one by one, they turned toward Darian.

Their empty eyes began glowing violet.

Ronan tightened his grip on his sword.

“They’re looking at him.”

Darian stepped forward.

The dead dropped to their knees.

Thousands.

Then millions.

Their voices joined together.

“KING.”

Darian stared at them.

“I never asked for this.”

Aren whispered:

“They aren’t obeying you.”

Darian looked at him.

“Then who?”

Aren’s face became pale.

“They’re obeying what is inside you.”

Suddenly, the First King laughed.

Everyone turned.

The ancient ruler was still kneeling, but his eyes had changed.

His red glow was fading.

Something dark moved beneath his armor.

“You finally understand,” he said.

Ronan raised his sword.

“What did you put inside Darian?”

The First King smiled.

“Nothing.”

His body began cracking.

“I only awakened what was already there.”

Darian stepped backward.

Violet veins appeared across his hands.

“No...”

The creature beneath the mountain roared.

The sound shook the entire chamber.

Then its enormous hand reached upward.

It did not attack.

It pointed toward Darian.

The First King whispered:

“He is not its son.”

Silence.

Ronan looked at him.

“Then what is he?”

The First King looked directly into Darian’s eyes.

“He is its blood.”

Darian’s face went white.

Lyra immediately moved beside him.

“Don’t listen to him.”

But Darian couldn’t look away.

The First King continued.

“The creature beneath this mountain was divided long ago.”

Kael’s expression changed.

“You’re lying.”

“No.”

The First King smiled.

“The body was imprisoned.”

He pointed toward Darian.

“And the blood was hidden.”

Darian stared at his violet hands.

“That can’t be true.”

Kael lowered his head.

“Darian...”

Ronan turned toward him.

“You knew.”

Kael’s silence was answer enough.

Ronan’s voice became cold.

“How long?”

“Since the night the village burned.”

Lyra looked at Kael.

“You knew what Darian was?”

Kael nodded.

“I knew he carried something that should never have survived.”

Darian suddenly screamed.

Violet energy exploded from him.

The dead army rose.

Every corpse turned toward the surface.

The creature beneath the mountain began pulling itself free.

Its massive shoulders emerged from the abyss.

Ronan grabbed Darian.

“Fight it!”

Darian struggled.

“I am fighting!”

“No,” the First King whispered.

“You are awakening.”

The violet light surrounding Darian suddenly formed a crown above his head.

Aren stared.

“The Fourth Crown.”

Elias raised his weapon.

“Ronan...”

Ronan looked at his brothers.

All four bloods were glowing.

Red.

Black.

Silver.

Violet.

Then the woman’s voice returned.

But this time, she sounded terrified.

“Do not let the Fourth King open the gate.”

The crown descended toward Darian’s head.

And beneath the mountain...

something began knocking from the other side.