Dark Lord

Gregory and his army, built on a bubble of paper notes, vanished completely into the sands and history of Colchis like dew under the blazing sun. All they left behind were a few absurd tales for idle tavern patrons to chew over, a battlefield outside Ralte littered with waste paper and scattered wreckage, a chaotic power vacuum, and a rapidly expanding neighbor named Vladimir.

Just as Zhou Beichen had predicted, after cleanly eliminating Gregory and "mercifully" absorbing most of his remaining troops still capable of fighting, Vladimir the "oriole" did not immediately turn his greedy gaze toward the nearby Earthly Heaven. His interests—or rather, his ambitions—were clearly far grander and more pragmatic.

Intelligence streamed into Ralte's administrative hall through the Lackeys' network like snowflakes. Every sign showed that Vladimir was pouring his newly consolidated military force and his unfathomable political skill into another neighbor—the Archbishop Lot, who occupied the wealthy western mining regions and trade routes.

"Archbishop Vladimir does not seem particularly interested in us." Lavoisier sorted through the latest border reports, his tone carrying a trace of incredulous relief but even more deep concern. "His main forces are moving west, and the border clashes with Lot are rapidly escalating into all-out war. Only symbolic surveillance troops and a few light cavalry patrols remain along our border."

Zhou Beichen stared at the thick arrows on the map representing Vladimir's forces as they continuously devoured territory to the west. There was no hint of ease on his face. His fingers tapped against the map of Lot's diocese, famed for its minerals and trade, with deep reserves of wealth but military strength generally considered slightly inferior to Gregory's and Vladimir's.

"It is not that he has no interest in us," Zhou Beichen said coldly. "He thinks this bone can be left for later. Once he digests Gregory's inheritance, then swallows Lot's even fatter piece of meat, he can come back with overwhelming force and crush us as easily as a bug. That is called... strategic patience."

He paused, and an extremely complicated expression appeared on his face, mixed with disgust, vigilance, and a trace of... reluctant admiration.

"But I have to admit, the old bastard is dark enough and shameless enough." Zhou Beichen clicked his tongue, as if evaluating some legendary business tycoon. "He is ruthless, and his table manners... well, he probably thinks they are 'elegant.' He knows how to kill with a borrowed knife, how to loot a burning house, and, more importantly, how to endure and choose his targets. That is the kind of person who becomes a big boss."

The term "big boss" carried the complicated emotion from his previous life: contempt for capital predators, coupled with an unwilling acknowledgment of their capability. To some extent, Vladimir's logic even made him, a stock trader, feel a strange sense of familiarity—people like this had practically filled his life in his previous world.

Lorgar stood to one side and listened in silence. He did not particularly agree with terms like "dark" and "shameless," but he understood his father's acknowledgment of Vladimir's strategic vision and efficiency. It made him realize even more clearly that they were no longer facing an idiot like Gregory, blinded by his desires, but a far more dangerous and difficult enemy.

The situation was indeed much better than when the Covenant Church coalition had massed at their borders. At the very least, they had gained precious breathing room. But both Zhou Beichen and Lorgar knew this was only the brief calm before the storm. Once Vladimir truly succeeded in annexing Lot and consolidating the western resources, an unprecedented, unified, powerful northern force would stand at their gates, and Earthly Heaven would face true annihilation.

"We cannot sit by and watch Vladimir become the sole dominant power." Zhou Beichen's gaze sharpened. "We have to find a way to make trouble for him, to delay or even disrupt his annexation of Lot."

Lavoisier proposed diplomatic mediation, attempting to contact Lot and express Earthly Heaven's "concern" for maintaining the regional balance. But everyone knew that with the mainstream Covenant Church still viewing them as heretics, the chance of such mediation succeeding was negligible.

The Lackeys also began trying to infiltrate Lot's side, providing intelligence on Vladimir's troop movements or spreading rumors about his ambition and cruelty, hoping to strengthen Lot's will and effectiveness in resisting.

Yet Vladimir's advance was steady enough to suffocate. His army was like a precise war machine, advancing step by step and constantly squeezing Lot's living space. Lot's forces retreated again and again, losing one important mine and town after another. Every sign suggested that Lot's destruction was merely a matter of time. Anxiety began spreading among Earthly Heaven's upper ranks.

Just as Zhou Beichen racked his brains trying to find an effective opening to break this unfavorable situation, even beginning to devise more radical and riskier plans—

A sudden change occurred without warning.

At first, there were chaotic reports from the western front. Vladimir's army, which had been advancing triumphantly, encountered fierce resistance from Lot's forces in a critical region called Rusted Canyon. That itself was not strange. What was strange was what followed.

According to fleeing Vladimir soldiers and merchants fortunate enough to escape, Lot's army seemed to have changed overnight. They were no longer merely relying on fortifications and familiarity with the terrain to defend themselves. Instead... they had become insane and powerful.

The reports were incoherent, filled with terror and incomprehensible details:

"They... they are not afraid of death! They keep charging even with green pus flowing from their wounds!"

"Their weapons... their weapons are glowing! Not holy light, but that kind of... sickening, multicolored dark glow!"

"I saw a Lot soldier get a spear through the chest. He actually pulled it out, then turned around and... tore our captain in half!"

"And... and some of the enemies' bodies transformed, growing extra limbs... or mouths!"

"Our men... our men were fighting, then suddenly started killing each other, or hacking madly at thin air... They went insane! They all went insane!"

Vladimir's army, once disciplined and high in morale, suffered an unprecedented, near-total rout before this enemy that had suddenly become strange and terrifying. It was not merely a tactical defeat, but a complete collapse of morale. The soldiers were ruled by incomprehensible fear and began fleeing in organized units. There were even horrifying incidents where entire squads defected on the battlefield and turned their weapons on their own men.

Vladimir's victorious advance came to an abrupt halt, replaced by a humiliating retreat and a difficult effort to contain the losses. He not only lost most of the Lot territory he had previously occupied, but even his own established border towns were threatened by those "mutated" Lot soldiers and on the verge of collapse.

When the news reached Ralte, Zhou Beichen and everyone aware of it fell into enormous shock and confusion.

"Green pus? Mutated limbs? Mental breakdown?" Zhou Beichen frowned deeply at the intelligence report personally compiled by Gray Rat. "What the fuck is this? Where did Lot get biological weapons? Or is it some kind of technology we do not know about?"

He instinctively rejected the irrational, reality-defiling aura that seeped from those descriptions. It was completely beyond his understanding, whether financial warfare, psychological warfare, or conventional military conflict.

Lorgar's reaction was even more direct. As he heard those descriptions, an intensely strong discomfort and disgust flashed through his violet eyes, as if he had smelled something utterly filthy from the depths of his soul. His nature, which pursued pure order and sanctity, instinctively rejected such chaotic, twisted power.

"Father," Lorgar said with rare gravity, "this is absolutely not any power known to the Covenant Church. These descriptions... make me feel... extremely uneasy."

The sudden upheaval disrupted all of Zhou Beichen's calculations. Vladimir's threat had temporarily eased, but a more bizarre and uncontrollable threat had abruptly risen in the west.

"We must find out exactly what happened." Zhou Beichen rose to his feet, his eyes sharp. "If Lot has truly mastered some dangerous power we do not understand, then it will not only threaten Vladimir. Sooner or later, it will fall on us as well."

He looked at Lorgar. "The intelligence from the Lackeys is no longer enough. We need to see it with our own eyes and judge it for ourselves."