Eastern Empire

Chapter 13 · The Eastern Empire

The Eastern Empire, as the oldest kingdom in this world, boasts the world's number one national strength. Its national philosophy is "strength is everything." The empire was founded and is ruled by Emperor Rudra Nam Ul Naska, whose power is so immense that it deters most Demon Lords from challenging him. Furthermore, a portion of the Demon Lords are secretly controlled by the Eastern Empire.

Moreover, the Eastern Empire has summoned a large number of Otherworld Transmigrators. The empire has thousands of them officially recognized, and with the fusion of magic and technology, its strength is rapidly expanding. The empire's Three Great Legions are the most prominent representation of this growth.

Dikas, the king of the Giant Rats, and Diri, who was captured by it, escaped from a certain laboratory under one of the Three Great Legions, the Monster Legion. This legion uses Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) technology brought by "Otherworlders" to control and modify powerful monsters, researching and synthesizing them to create various Artificial Hybrid Beasts.

Later, they even began collecting the bloodlines of powerful Ancient Heroes for analysis, combining and modifying them with those powerful monsters to create all sorts of incredibly powerful monsters.

Dikas, the Rat King, was an initial experimental failure. More than ten years ago, Dikas was just an ordinary Giant Rat when it was captured and became a low-level test subject. However, driven by its will to survive, Dikas endured round after round of cruel experiments, and its current body parts are all a result of modifications.

It is precisely because of these experiments that Dikas successfully evolved from a Lesser Demon to a Mid-tier Monster, the Ratman King. It was also given the name Dikas by an entity within the Monster Legion. However, after becoming a Mid-tier Monster, Dikas's potential had reached its limit.

Even with the modifications to its body, it could easily kill ordinary Mid-tier Monsters of the same level, but it was still considered a failure. To the Eastern Empire, any existence below an Upper Demon held no value.

Therefore, Dikas was abandoned. But just as it was about to be destroyed, Dikas, using its modified strength and the carelessness of the personnel tasked with its destruction, successfully escaped the laboratory and eventually arrived at Elirila, a small city on the very edge of the Eastern Empire.

After escaping here, Dikas successfully dominated all the Giant Rats in the sewers using the Ratman King's unique skill, "Racial Domination." However, fearing discovery and destruction by the laboratory, Dikas had been hiding deep within the sewers for over ten years, never daring to leave.

In the time that followed, Dikas quietly developed the Giant Rat tribe, building an immense underground kingdom. Driven by fear and a thirst for power, Dikas secretly arranged for a few ordinary rats, not even monsters, to live in the mountains far from the laboratory, observing and monitoring it.

And just recently, after nearly a decade, Dikas discovered another test subject who had escaped. With Dikas's covert assistance, this test subject successfully evaded pursuit and arrived at this border town of Elirila. This test subject was Diri.

"We are beings who share the same fate, both having escaped from that hell. We just want to survive, so please rest assured, I mean you no harm."

In the flickering light, Dikas, having finished its recollection, slowly extended an arm towards Diri, a faint smile on its rat-like face, as if looking at one of its own kind.

"So, my coming here was also your secret guidance, wasn't it?"

Diri did not take the offered arm, merely gazing calmly at Dikas's golden snake eyes. Although he was severely injured, it didn't mean his mind was impaired. If his mind were impaired, he wouldn't have been able to escape from that hell. By simply piecing together what happened during his escape and his experience of being captured shortly after arriving, Diri knew that this individual in front of him had been secretly helping him.

"Yes! It was indeed me secretly helping you. After all, we are both failures who escaped from that place. I believe you also understand how terrifying their power and methods are. So, when I saw you, I decided to save you, because we have a common enemy. If it were just me, I would eventually be found and destroyed too."

Facing Diri's questioning, Dikas did not conceal anything, openly admitting that it had secretly helped Diri escape and led him here.

"...I understand. Then, I'll rely on you for now."

Diri looked at the sincere Dikas in front of him, nodded after a few seconds of silence, indicating that he would stay here temporarily. He completely ignored the outstretched arm, as Diri's arm bones were completely shattered at the moment.

"Welcome aboard. May I ask another question?"

Dikas looked at its ignored arm and chuckled softly, showing no sign of humiliation. Instead, it looked at Diri even more gently, though a flicker of greed and desire flashed in its eyes.

"What question?"

Diri, who had just let his guard down slightly, turned and asked Dikas with a hint of wariness.

"Nothing much. I just want to know how far their experiments have progressed. After all, I've been gone for over ten years, and my knowledge of the situation there is from a long time ago. To avoid being found by them, I need new information."

Dikas said this while patting Diri's shoulder, acting as if it was entirely for their mutual benefit.

"I don't know. I'm just a failure, I don't understand much about the experimental progress. I only know that in recent years, a large number of residents from other countries have been secretly captured and turned into test subjects. I was one of them."

Diri shook his head, stating that he was just an ordinary test subject and didn't know much. Dikas, seeing this, didn't say anything further. It simply waved its hand, signaling a Giant Rat to take Diri away and arrange for medicine and food to be given to him.

"Hahaha... Hahahahaha! After all these years, it's finally, finally here!"

Shortly after Diri left, Dikas laughed, its mouth splitting open to reveal sharp teeth stained with flecks of red flesh. Its snake eyes were filled with madness and greed. It raised its hands to its chest as if clutching something it had long desired, and its suppressed, frenzied laughter echoed throughout the room.

Beside Dikas, thousands of Giant Rats trembled, prostrating themselves on the ground with their heads buried deep in the soil before them.

A few minutes later, Dikas stopped laughing and returned to its previous demeanor. It crouched down, a gentle smile on its lips as it stroked the glossy black fur of a Giant Rat beside it. The rat being petted trembled even more violently.

"I don't know, but I can already smell that scent on you... the Bloodline of Ancient Heroes. How exciting!"

With that, Dikas opened its fanged mouth and swallowed the man-sized Giant Rat beside it whole. Amidst the chilling sound of chewing, Dikas returned to its throne. Even in death, the Giant Rat it had eaten dared not make a sound.