Fire Mage-Chapter 665: Lord of Chaos

Chapter 665: Lord of Chaos

Noticing the sudden shift in Azgan’s eyes, the tavern lady cleared her throat and said,

"If you’re going to talk in riddles, do it in the VIP room at the back." She pointed toward the door on the left.

Azgan shot a cold glance at Charles before rising wordlessly from his seat and heading toward the door. Charles followed without saying anything.

As soon as Charles stepped into the room, the wooden door shut behind him with a quiet click, locking itself.

"Are you the irregular?" Azgan went straight to the point. The one in his place for the past two days had been a clone, and this was the first time he was seeing Charles in person. His gaze sharpened.

So he found me this quickly... I didn’t expect it.

Charles walked over to the round table at the center of the room and sat down. Then, he touched his face, shifting his appearance into that of a human.

Azgan stiffened, eyes wide with disbelief.

A human? No... A High-Human bloodline warlock. I’ve heard rumors they can shapeshift and even glimpse the future. That explains how he found me so fast.

"Are you a High Human?" Azgan asked, his interest piqued.

Charles gave a slight nod and conjured a small orb of eerie blackish flame, letting it swirl and dance above his palm.

Azgan’s pupils contracted.

That flame... it’s disturbingly familiar. Almost like Nyxen’s fire.

A Fire Mage... and a High Human Warlock. So, he’s walking the Class Gem Pathway... a Dual-Class Mystic. But why show so much of his hand already?

"You’re revealing too much," Azgan said coldly. "If I spoke a word of this, every demon in this stronghold would hunt you down."

A quiet chuckle escaped Charles.

"I once read a folk story about a war in this layer. They say a black sun appeared in the chaotic sky and annihilated every living being in its path. Ever heard of it?"

"Of course I have," Azgan said. He didn’t show it, but the memory of that catastrophe still sent a chill through him.

"But what does that have to do with this?"

Charles smiled slyly.

"This flame can grow to match that black sun... if I feed it the negative energy saturating this layer."

"Hmph. Do you think you’re on the same level as the Devil Crow?" Azgan scoffed. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"Of course not. But I’m not weak enough to be killed by a mere crow."

Before Azgan could respond, Charles leaned back and added,

"Besides, if I can’t show my real face to my future partner, I’m not worthy to work with you."

He paused for a moment, then asked,

"So, you’re connected to the Bone Tree, aren’t you?"

Azgan’s face betrayed nothing.

"How do you know that?"

So he really is the irregular I sensed days ago... but how much does he actually know?

Charles kept his tone neutral.

"I don’t just know about the Bone Tree. I know about the Ambers’ mages from the Human Stronghold, too."

Azgan’s mask slipped for a brief second.

What?! Only a handful know about my link to the Human leader. How the hell did he—?

"What’s your aim?" he asked cautiously.

"I want the Devil Crow’s ’Oath’ spell," Charles said plainly.

Azgan’s eyes narrowed.

"Are you serious? You think that cursed bird will just hand over its inheritance? Even if we capture it, it’ll blow itself up."

Charles took a deep breath.

"What if I told you I have a plan to lure it out—and seal it?"

Silence settled between them.

Azgan didn’t press for details. Instead, he asked,

"What do you want in return?"

"Not much. I want your help exploring a ruined site 200 kilometers north of the Human Fortress."

"200 kilometers?" Azgan frowned. "Isn’t that where the Devil Crow’s base is?"

"No. That’s far south. The place I’m looking for is an underground temple near the Human Settlement."

Azgan mulled it over, then reached into his pouch and pulled out a metallic badge bearing the symbol of a vertical eye. He tossed it to Charles.

Charles caught it, immediately sensing an odd, invisible power emanating from it.

Divine power... It feels familiar. That eye... wealth, fate... and love? No way...

His eyes sharpened.

Amber Church? Sasha... Her follower is tied to this demon? But the Church hasn’t even reached this layer yet... unless—Holem.

The thought annoyed him, but he decided to use the opportunity before dealing with the consequences.

As he stared at the badge, Azgan said,

"Put your spiritual imprint on it. A dragon friend gave me this—an Oath Token blessed by a Divine. It can save you from fate once and grant small fortunes when needed. Show it to the Human Settlement’s leader, and he’ll do everything he can to help you. But betray us, and you’ll suffer the consequences."

Tsk... That consequence is a love curse. A nasty one. Charles had no plans to betray them.

Besides, I can have the Shadow Princess erase my spiritual imprint using the Rebirth Domain spell. When someone dies, their imprint weakens drastically. Even a Rank-1 can wipe it clean with enough power.

With that thought, he imprinted his soul on the token in front of Azgan and slipped it into his pocket.

Then he said,

"I’ll give you two pieces of information about the Devil Crow. First, it has an egg. That might be its only weakness. Second, the Sealed Coffin I mentioned earlier—I believe it can be used to bind the Devil Crow."

Azgan fell silent.

An egg? The Devil Crow... lays eggs? No one’s ever heard of that, not even our Lord. Maybe it’s a key to its rebirth?

And the Sealed Coffin...?

Countless questions whirled in his head.

Around five millennia ago, a young prodigy emerged from the Edhen World and entered the Star Tombs Dungeon. Although Edhen World’s people had been exploring the Star Tombs since the first Arcane Era, none had made it past the Fourth Layer.

Back then, the dungeon’s ruler wasn’t the Devil Crow, but the Tree of Bones and Fleshes—also known as the Lord of Chaos. A unique Arch-Lich born of the Undead Plane, it wielded the power of Death and Corruption. Though it eventually rose to the status of a Divine being, its reign was short-lived after an unfortunate encounter with a Star Being.

In just two seconds, the Lord of Chaos’s divine kingdom and throne were obliterated—its very essence forcefully assimilated into the dungeon’s core.

The cruel irony? It became the boss of the Fourth Layer. Though granted the ability to resurrect endlessly within its domain, it had no autonomy. No will. Just eternal servitude.

Five thousand years ago, the young prodigy from Edhen confronted the Lord of Chaos and defeated it with ease. Then, using the Teleportation Circle, he became the first Edhen native to reach the Fifth Layer.

Normally, the Lord of Chaos would have resurrected within six months to resume its duties. But this time, something unprecedented happened.

A black sun suddenly appeared in the Fourth Layer’s sky, blotting out the Chaos Sun. It absorbed all evil and malevolent emotions in the area, and then exploded—killing countless beings from various races.

The survivors became slaves, bound by Sacred Oath Contracts to a devilish entity.

That entity was none other than Devil Crow—Lord Nyxen.

By the time the Lord of Chaos resurrected, the entire layer had already fallen under Nyxen’s dominion.

More disturbing still, the Devil Crow had seized control of the Teleportation Circle and ruled the layer with an iron grip.

Even the Layer’s Guardian turned a blind eye.

Though the Lord of Chaos retained its resurrection ability, reclaiming power had become nearly impossible. Nyxen had amassed too many loyal subordinates.

From that day forward, the Lord of Chaos went into hiding, patiently waiting for the right opportunity to reclaim its throne—surviving only with the aid of a few loyal followers.

"If the Devil Crow truly laid an egg—or created it through some experiment—it must hold great significance. Truth be told, his base has already merged with his domain, doubling his strength. That strange oath-binding method of his... he enslaved demons and beings from other planes alike. He’s become almost invincible here."

"But what our Lord fears most is the Guardian. Though he acts neutral, the Devil Crow tampered with the Teleportation Circle—with the Guardian’s help. We need to rethink everything. Our initial plan to use humans to distract the Guardian was just a backup. From the beginning, the Lord of Chaos and his only ally, the Chaos Knight—my master—planned to face both the Guardian and Devil Crow head-on. Meanwhile, the Black Dragon race would keep the humans busy."

"It’s a reckless, suicidal mission. That’s why we’ve delayed it so many times. But if what this human says is true... we may finally have a real chance to turn the tables."