Dungeon Diver: Stealing A Monster’s Power

Chapter 711

The 5 Great Demon Families are bound together in an alliance to rule the Upper Realm.

It is their family loyalty and strict hierarchy that keeps them from betraying one another and focused on advancing for the good of their family branches.

To ensure these strict rules and regulations are followed, all Demons within the major Royal Branches have their avatars connected to a central interface monitored by all of the family heads.

If any Demon dies, all the families will be notified, and the threat will be dealt with swiftly.

This is a well-kept secret. Only high-ranking 1st Class Lords, who have dealt with Demons in the past—tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of years ago, back when Demons didn't have as much power in certain zones of the Upper Realm—are aware of it.

While the average Lord in the crowds of the Volterra District feels as though their show was stopped right before the best part, the Human and Ogre putting on this display know very well that if they were to end this match by killing these Demons, they would be in far more trouble than they can handle right now.

–

In the center of the Citadel, Andras, the Noble Vermillion Demon stationed to watch over this Citadel, curses loudly while pacing back and forth even faster.

Ember's voice echoes out through the hologram at the front of his massive room, and Andras hears the words echoed for millions of Lords to hear.

"Is that all? You Demons challenged me. A 5th Class human... Forced me to accept your terms... -And you were beaten this badly just because I purchased a few Avatar upgrades..."

Ember walks closer to the mutilated, melting avatar at the back of the room, shaking his head.

Torvak speaks at the same time while stepping a heavy foot onto the remains of the chest of the Demon in his room.

"Out of respect for the Vermillion Family Head, we won't kill these runts. For the strong to bully the weak is cowardly. The Ogre Conglomeration will do business with any race that gives us a deal, and I will gladly challenge anyone who believes we have wronged them. However, this is the last duel I shall accept on such baseless shallow claims."

The Ogre steps off the avatar and kicks it aside, looking up to the ceiling of the dueling room.

Ember takes a similar stance, as they know exactly who is watching.

–

The Citadel Lord yells out with rage, but he didn't receive this position for his strength alone.

Andras Vermillion is a very intelligent tactical Noble Demon. He understands that the opponents he is dealing with know knowledge from an era before he was brought to the Upper Realm just 18,000 years ago to follow the family head.

An utter defeat like this is quite an embarrassment, but it can still be salvaged.

Their family head has not been notified, so everything that has occurred here is still contained on a local level. Only the Ellipsia Citadel knows of this blunder.

The Demon opens up a few panels of his status to yell for some of his servants.

"Close the Citadel ports! I want all Fast Travel Orbs to and from this sky base halted until this matter is taken care of!"

As the Demon closes his status, he's faced with the fact that even though these two have caused him great trouble and damaged his family name in front of millions of Lords, simultaneously, he should be thanking them.

If Ember and Torvak had killed both Demons then and there, the Vermillion Family name would have lessened in stature in the eyes of the other 4 Great Families.

Even the Family Head would most likely fire him from his post and replace the Ellipsia Citadel's Lord position with a strong 1st Class Demon being nurtured in the Grand Citadel, or possibly the new Noble Lord that is said to be arriving soon.

While it looks like a declaration of war on the outside, there are many layered meanings to this display. He believes the Ogre Conglomeration wants to make a deal before they're inevitably squeezed dry of resources. It is better to make a scene and take what they can get while they still have some influence in the city.

"An interesting tactic. You had a better hand than expected... I guess it's now my turn to make another move..." The Demon whispers in a room alone as both of the dueling counters for the first round hit 0, and the automatic system declares the Human and Ogre winners of their duels.

The dueling room's life support systems take the two Demons in, assessing their shattered avatars and damaged minds, administering the best stabilization treatment they can on-site. Their bodies are locked away in private holding rooms within the World Trade Palace.

The crowds around the Citadel erupt into cheers and chaos, quickly getting over the fact that the Demons weren't killed, and crafting their own theories as to why.

Public perception of the Demons has now been twisted. While they are still the most feared and dominant race, questions about how they even took control of this Citadel wander into people's minds.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Gossip from old Lords who remember when the Ogre Conglomeration was in power spreads fast, and the narrative of a Citadel War on the horizon becomes the main topic of concern.

The fact that a Human beat a Demon still interests some, but it is forgotten quickly as the invisible fire was nowhere near as flashy as the enormous Ogre's lightning strikes and greater form.

When the two walk out of their dueling pods, neither says a word to the crowds of interested customers as they walk back to the isolated room overlooking the district.

Torvak opens up his status as they overlook the streets filled with millions of Lords talking about them.

Ember stretches his arms and legs, then sits right back down in the chair, throwing his feet up on the empty table.

"Well, that went better than expected. I didn't have to go all out."

Torvak chuckles at Ember's words while reading thousands of transmissions coming in from business partners and high-value customers.

"I haven't fought like that in quite a while. The mandatory system linking avatars up here really does make the new generation rely on their command tech way too much. I almost feel bad for them."

Torvak then stops on two notifications and connects his status to the room's holographic system to show Ember.

He replies with a grin.

"Looks like the High Orcs and Berserker Kings are already interested in reforming the alliance."

Torvak nods, continuing to scroll through the incoming messages.

"Yes... but the Wyverns haven't said a word. They're the cautious types."

Torvak's eyes reflexively turn down to Ember's palm, and his expression fills with curiosity, though he doesn't pry.

Ember replies.

"They're loyal but have been on the brink of extinction far too many times to join in matters like this until they're certain of victory. They'll come around after the next phase."

Ember's crimson eyes peer down to his palm as well, entertaining Torvak's gaze.

"This is from the help I said was on the way. Looks like he'll be making his way up here pretty soon..."

–

As these events shake the Citadel's culture to its very core, my entire being vibrates and processes copious amounts of divine threads. I'm fighting my own internal battle down below the clouds.

I watch the corpse of the Goblin King I just killed dissolve away, as the thick clouds of divine energy in the atmosphere tear through it like it never existed.

Without a soul to bind with the matter, the avatar breaks away as if it is just raw mana I'm standing on.

However, this is the least of my focus.

As my feet hit the hard black rocky ground, the immense amount of green threads within me still tears and churns away at my own flesh.

However, I feel much more able to fight back; and within just 10 minutes, I assimilate with all the power granted to me and the excess threads I exposed myself to while absorbing this power.

What took over an hour to adapt to while falling through the sky down here now only takes ten minutes; and I even feel lighter on my feet with far more divine energy in my core.

Memories of the Goblin King's Ether stores—at roughly 400 Low Quality Ether—and a far better understanding of how these avatars really work now flood into my mind.

My ether stores have risen by over 25x, and I have a clear-cut path through these Exile Zones to the Citadel that I've watched the Goblin King travel thousands of times in its life.

The ins and outs of many districts within the Citadel become crystal clear, and the knowledge of how dungeon contracts are formed and placed on worlds is the most mind-blowing part that sticks with me.

With all this comes the Goblin King's thousands of years of sorrow. When these emotions hit me, I push them to the back of my mind and come back to reality to see Ava's worried gaze staring at me from less than 10 meters away.

I look up and speak to her, watching the years that have gone by since the Goblin King bought her on the Exile slave market and stole her world replay in the back of my mind.

"You're... free... I guess."

It's quite odd to look at her now, with far more knowledge of her past and the very realm we stand in. Up until now she's been my guide, teaching me the ways of this strange world; but in an instant the roles have swapped.

I smile as her eyes of worry don't cease, but I raise my hand and wave it in front of her face while walking closer.

"Your world is fine, by the way. I got it right here if you want it back."

I stop about a meter in front of her, and she finally replies.

"H-how, how'd you do that? And what are you? Where did you really come from—I..."

I shrug.

"Put your hand out. I already told you everything. I fell from the sky because that Citadel wouldn't let me in past their automated defense protocol."

She raises her hand with a [0] on it, and I raise mine with [167] to press against her palm. Then I speak again.

"The only way I'll be able to transfer this is if you swear your loyalty to me. Not as a new Exile contract or anything, just as a follower, or better described, a Co-Lord. We're going to need to rewrite that Permanent Exile code on your avatar if you ever want to make it out of this zone."

Ava's eyes widen, as detailed memories of the Goblin King placing Exile contracts on countless Lords flash through my mind.

It works similarly to mind and body control buffs, like the Curse of the Lich King's or the Sun God's Curse Mark, but is manually registered into each avatar. The only way to break it would be fulfilling the contract and receiving a new avatar; or in this case, I believe rewriting the permanent buff is possible if I replace it with a stronger one.

Ava replies.

"If that is truly possible... I... swear my loyalty—"

As she says these words, I open up my purple barrier again, exposing myself to the pressure outside, and mimic the vivid feelings the Goblin King shared with me when his avatar would transfer worlds through its token to others on the free market high up in the sky.

A notification rings in my ears, confirming a new link of loyalty, while the new perk I earned allows me to co-own a world with any Lord that swears their loyalty to me.

Her palm lights up with [1] as I transfer the 3rd Class world this Goblin King took from her. My palm flickers down to [166], and back to [167] once the link of loyalty is formed.

Her eyes widen, and for the brief second that our skin is touching, I feel joy and thankfulness rippling through; but I soon fall to my knees, writhing in agony from exposing myself to the pressure of the outside again.

Ten minutes pass, and my mental state becomes clear again after absorbing even more green threads forcefully thrust into my core.

"Looks like it worked..."

My head turns back in the direction of the base camp, where many goblins are knocked out cold from the pressure of our fight that ended over 20 minutes ago. Others are starting to wake up and struggle to stand to their feet.

Ava looks at me with a concerned expression again, as two times now I've fallen unconscious for many minutes in pain, done the impossible by stealing worlds from a Lord I killed, used unique avatar commands, and exhibited many other odd tendencies and words that don't add up.

She's equally enamored and confused, but I point to the base camp of green domes.

"I'll explain things later... Come on, let's check on your mining squad then get out of here. We have to move fast before the owner of this Exile Plot realizes I killed the Lord Renting 4 of his Zones..."