Bruce discreetly released the Dark Lord's Divine Might. With a clear, crisp ring, its intimidating force descended on Amaya alone.
Amaya froze in midair, then slammed heavily into the ground. The illusory forms of the three magical creatures let out wails before dissipating into the air. The light around her gradually faded, and her aura settled.
Under the pressure of Divine Might, Amaya fell unconscious.
Bruce was a god now. Even if he had merely stolen that status, even if he could wield only a trace of divine power, he was still a god. The extraordinary powers of three magical creatures were nothing to worry about.
"Great Dark Lord, we beg your forgiveness. Please pardon her ignorance."
The leaders of Zambesi fell to their knees below the steps. The faithful bowed their heads without a word, terrified that the god might suddenly grow angry and destroy all of Zambesi. They could feel the Dark Lord's immense power, enough to annihilate them with ease.
"I shall not hold it against her."
Bruce spoke amiably. After all, he was not truly an evil god. He could not bring himself to utter vicious threats of slaughter, much less casually massacre cities or destroy nations.
"Nor shall you make things difficult for her."
He also wanted to see what hope this young woman could bring Zambesi after gaining such power. After all, its several thousand inhabitants were his faithful subjects, even if he was only an impostor god.
"Thank you for your mercy."
The leaders of Zambesi bowed again.
"Take Amaya away!"
At the leaders' command, two black-robed figures quickly stepped forward and carried her away.
Bruce nodded and continued.
"Grant her freedom. She is a warrior of Zambesi."
Balancing kindness with authority did not seem all that difficult.
"You are most merciful."
The leaders of Zambesi immediately offered their praise.
Inside the palace, Bruce sat high upon the long seat, quietly assessing his situation. He seemed to have successfully acquired the identity of Eris, the Dark Lord. For now, he could also wield the immense power Eris possessed as a god, though his movements were restricted.
Then where had the real Dark Lord Eris gone?
He knew little about what sort of god the Dark Lord Eris was.
I've impersonated such a powerful god. Hasn't he noticed me?
Or is this Dark Lord dead?
All sorts of questions ran through Bruce's mind as he deepened his understanding of this god's innate abilities. Only by learning more could he put the Dark Lord's power to good use.
The great god sat silently on the long seat, issuing no instructions. The faithful below dared not move either and could only wait patiently.
Suddenly, Bruce sensed that he was about to leave. An inexplicable force was pulling at him from behind.
"In one week, invoke my honored name."
Bruce planted the scepter against the tiled floor. Gray mist rose, and his figure gradually faded until he vanished from the throne.
"So this is the Dark Lord? This is a god!"
"So powerful, yet so merciful. Nothing like we imagined."
Below the steps, the leaders of Zambesi exchanged glances. Only after confirming that the god had left did they breathe sighs of relief. They had not dared look directly upon the Dark Lord's sacred countenance, but they could feel his immense power, as well as his tolerance and compassion.
Though he was the Dark Lord, he was a friendly, benevolent god.
"We must spread word of the Dark Lord's miracles."
"Gather all twelve of the chosen ones he mentioned. They are Zambesi's future!"
"Amaya, too."
In the basement of Wayne Manor.
Bruce's consciousness returned to his own body.
The madness and impulses within him had stopped churning, but his eyes still shone with disbelief. "What just happened?"
Fawcett looked at Bruce. The spreading red light had startled both him and Ghost, but nothing seemed amiss now.
Bruce ignored Fawcett's question and opened his Character Status Panel.
Name: Bruce Wayne Identity: None Spirituality: 91/70 (can be developed) Talent: Grand Trend Talent: Breakthrough Talent: Divine Might
A hint of delight appeared in Bruce's eyes. His spirituality had increased at an astonishing rate through his contact with the Dark Bible. He would soon have another innate ability within reach.
Moreover, the information about the Flekent Couple's murder had disappeared from Grand Trend's notifications. He had not noticed that before. When looking at his Character Status Panel, Bruce paid more attention to his innate abilities and spirituality value, merely skimming everything else.
The notification that Wayne Manor held a secret had also disappeared. That meant his opportunity was the Dark Bible-or perhaps the Dark Lord's identity. Either was possible.
In any case, the matter of the manor could be put to rest for now.
As Bruce navigated his Character Status Panel with his mind, he suddenly realized that he could swipe it sideways.
His intent became a sweeping finger, and a new page appeared before him.
It was another Character Status Panel.
The Character Status Panel of Eris, the Dark Lord.
However, this Character Status Panel was entirely gray. Clearly, he could not use the Dark Lord Eris's abilities, but he could still examine them.
In other words, even as Bruce, he could study the Dark Lord's innate abilities. Just as he had anticipated, this would allow him to use the Dark Lord's powers more quickly later.
"How much time has passed?"
Bruce asked carefully. The answer was that his body had remained rigid and motionless ever since the red light struck him, and quite some time had passed.
There had been no precise timekeeping, but it was roughly half an hour.
Bruce nodded. The timing was about right, and his body felt no discomfort.
It seemed that time remained synchronized during this transfer of identities. However much time passed in Zambesi, the same amount passed here. Bruce would actually have found it strange if the two were not synchronized.
As for Fawcett's question, Bruce did not give a clear account of what had happened. He merely said his consciousness had gone to a mysterious place, and he could not explain exactly what it was.
Some things still had to be kept secret.
"Are you familiar with this god, Eris, the Dark Lord?" Bruce asked.
As Bruce asked the question, Fawcett desperately wanted to cover his mouth, but his arms were too short. He could not reach him in time.
Never invoke a god's name in vain!
Fawcett was already on edge.
He was deeply worried about Bruce. Saying that name would draw the Dark Lord Eris's attention, and then the god's will would descend directly, killing Bruce-and Fawcett along with him.
As an Extraordinary from three hundred years ago and a Secret Prayer who frequently dealt with gods, Fawcett did know something about Eris, the Dark Lord. He was an evil god, and might not be as accommodating as Hozniya had been.
The name Eris, the Dark Lord, would certainly be familiar to the Night Watchers of the Goddess of the Night Church-perhaps even more renowned than Mondreton's. He had once been a demigod under the Goddess of Darkness, and was also one of the few gods who had broken away from the Goddess of the Night's divine system and successfully established his own.
Never invoke a god's name in vain!
Once a god's name was mentioned, it was certain to draw that god's attention.
Bruce had already violated this taboo once. Why wasn't he being more careful this time?
Yet the divine punishment Fawcett imagined never came. Bruce stood unharmed before him, and no powerful will appeared in the basement. There was not the slightest disturbance.
"That was close." Fawcett breathed a sigh of relief.
Although mentioning a god's name was extremely dangerous-the god might ignore it, take notice, or erase the speaker-the complete absence of a response could mean only one thing: this god was in an unstable state, or already dead.
As a Secret Prayer, Fawcett possessed extensive knowledge of gods. There were countless gods in this world: describable and indescribable, strong and weak. But how many could truly respond to the world promptly?
Far too many gods could barely protect themselves.
It seemed that Eris, the Dark Lord, was not in very good shape. After all, he had fought a great battle against the Goddess of the Night. It would have been difficult for him to emerge unscathed.
That was Fawcett's conjecture.
Once he had recovered from the fright, Fawcett told Bruce about some of the Dark Lord Eris's deeds, including his status as an evil god and his relationship with the Goddess of the Night.