Dungeon King: The Hidden Ruler
Chapter 45: [Roots of Dominion 4] - Judge of Broken Oaths

Chapter 45: [Roots of Dominion 4] - Judge of Broken Oaths

The chain struck true. Bark cracked, splintered, and the glow in the Ironbark Seneschal’s chest flared brighter—not in pain, but recognition. It stumbled a half-step back, roots withdrawing as its casting arm hesitated.

Growth Denial Slam – Interrupted

The system chimed, confirming the stack reset.

"One opening bought," Raven said under his breath. "Let’s make it count."

The Phantom Seer circled wide, scattering spectral doppelgangers across the arena. The illusions weaved and danced through the segmented grid, buying time, confusing the boss’s line of sight. Duskrunner pounced from zone to zone, harassing but never overcommitting—like a predator testing for weakness.

Raven moved methodically. Without his buffs, it was like fighting with a dull knife. His chain lacked the added speed from his mask, and his armor’s passive resonance was nothing but dead weight. But he wasn’t trying to win with speed. He was building something else.

Control.

"Seer, double the Mirage. Stack one under its feet."

"Understood."

The Phantom Seer flicked a hand. One illusion shimmered into existence at the far edge, drawing the Seneschal’s next swing. Another appeared beneath the boss, standing motionless.

Raven watched closely.

The Seneschal struck the outer decoy—a clean miss.

But when it turned back, it hesitated. The illusion beneath its feet had disrupted its movement pattern. A faint pulse skipped in its core.

"It’s slowing. Learning."

He narrowed his eyes.

The boss slammed again.

Growth Denial Slam – Stack 1

Roots surged up, carving zones again. But this time, the timing was slightly off. Predictable.

Raven smirked. "Got you."

He dashed between zones, throwing a quick feint with his chain to bait the boss’s next action.

It worked. The Seneschal pivoted, bringing both gavels down on another decoy.

Interrupted

"Two resets," Raven muttered. "Keep him in the cycle. No growth. No slam."

He began guiding the team with short, sharp calls.

"Duskrunner, rotate left. Draw aggro. No charges. We can’t trigger Jealous Growth."

"Seer, anchor illusions at the edges. Box it in."

Jealous Growth, its next skill, was the real trap.

If any of them received a buff, the system would trigger a backlash—a damage-over-time effect scripted to bypass healing entirely. It wasn’t just about punishment. It was designed to collapse team rhythm, forcing one of the squad to peel off, revive a fallen teammate, and break the tempo.

The team fell into a pattern. Not overpowering the boss, but outmaneuvering it. Every slam was baited. Every phase shift was manipulated. Raven stayed just ahead of its cycle.

Soon, the Ironbark Seneschal’s movements grew sluggish. The light in its chest flickered.

HP: 12%

Duskrunner finally landed a solid hit across its flank, and Phantom Seer followed with a mirrored finisher—two shadows striking from opposite sides. The Seneschal stumbled, dropping to one knee.

HP: 8%

Raven raised his chain for the final blow—then stopped.

He stared at the boss.

The Seneschal screamed an eerie shout of rage, like a flood of a thousand voices overlapping in agony.

Its hands returned to its sides. Its head dipped, bark-face cracked and twitching.

Raven narrowed his eyes. "You’re mine, Seneschal."

The light in the bark-core pulsed slowly, like a heartbeat slowing in meditation. But then, the Seneschal moved.

It lunged.

Its arms swung wide in a full arc, gavels tearing through the ground. The floor cracked under the force—roots shot out like spears, stabbing through the fragmented stone. One quadrant of the arena split, dropping off into a shadowy chasm as loose rubble tumbled into the dark. Vines from above flickered like snapped cables, casting stuttering green light.

The arena wasn’t just shifting—it was collapsing, reacting.

The Vault wasn’t done judging. Roots exploded behind it, trying to create a shockwave of judgment.

Raven sprinted—zigzagging as debris flew past. He dropped low, using momentum to curve into a sliding turn just as a vine burst through where his torso had been. His boots skidded over cracked roots. Another vine lashed at him, and he kicked off a nearby stone to flip sideways.

He didn’t waste time. He spun his chain mid-run—the jagged blade-tip lifting in sync with his motion, angled forward like a strike poised to land.

With a grunt, he hurled it toward a root-bent column across the battlefield. It struck home with a hiss.

Raven yanked hard, the chain pulling taut—he flew through the air in a controlled arc, cloak whipping around him as the chain slung him over collapsing ground.

He landed behind the Seneschal.

"Too slow," he whispered.

The chain flowed forward, strangling the Seneschal. As it wrapped around the construct’s chest, the daggered tip flared—its serrated edge locking into the bark like sharpened hooks sinking into armor.

The chain hissed with energy, coils flexing like muscle as it tightened.

Raven braced himself, arm extended as he dug his heels in. The chain jerked like it had a will of its own—responding not just to the command, but the resistance. A ripple of system energy pulsed outward.

The Seneschal’s head jerked upright, and its limbs strained against invisible weight. Its core flared, lines of ancient green runes flickering violently.

[ERROR: Subjugation Loop Conflict Detected]

[Attempting Override...]

The boss roared as the chain dug in further, dagger-edges burrowing deeper.

The system chimed again.

[Override in Progress – Integrity 82%... 64%... 49%...]

The bark split near its shoulder. Roots lashed in random patterns, as if trying to tear out the influence invading its system.

Raven gritted his teeth. "Come on... break already."

But Raven wasn’t stopping.

He stepped back, narrowing his stance.

"Come on," he muttered. "You’re running out of fight."

The ground beneath the Seneschal cracked with strain. The core pulsed violently—one last time—as if trying to self-destruct rather than be claimed.

For a moment, the entire chamber held its breath.

The Seneschal roared once more.

But then came stillness.

[Subjugation Resistance Failed – Bond Override Imposed]

Chains of spectral bark wrapped around its limbs, locking it mid-resistance. The glow in its chest faded to a slow pulse as the system completed the override.

[Subjugation Successful: Ironbark Seneschal is now a Ritual Summon]

[Form Stored – Elite Class Companion: Support / Control]

[New Passive: Rootwarden’s Cycle – Grants minor healing aura during stationary phases, and creates a 10% chance to AoE stun enemies every time a debuff is applied.]

The roots near the chamber’s heart began to withdraw, curling inward like vines bowing. The mist that had clung to the stone for the entire battle thinned, no longer pressing against their skin like judgment.

The talisman at Raven’s chest suddenly glowed brighter. It lifted slightly from his armor as tendrils of ambient mana, drawn from the chamber itself, coiled toward it like smoke sucked into a flame.

The bark-wrapped charm absorbed the energy in pulses, then dimmed. One-third of the talisman now shimmered with a faint purple glow, as if stained by the dungeon’s breath.

[Quest Progress Updated: Vault of the Rootbound – Buried Will, Unbroken Blood]

Main Objective: Complete the Trial of Growth within the Vault. (1/3)

Raven looked down at the talisman.

It was pulsing again. Just once.

Not with pressure.

The first boss has fallen, and one third of the amulet was filled by mana as a proof.

Raven took a long breath, eyes still fixed on the Seneschal, now bound in place by spectral chains. Spontaneously choosing to subjugate it instead of finishing it off might’ve been a mistake. Or maybe it wasn’t. He had no idea yet.

The spectral bindings pulsed once—then dissolved. His chain uncoiled from the construct’s chest on its own, as if released by unseen command, spiraling back through the air to wrap neatly around his arm. It didn’t hum. It didn’t glow. It simply returned—silent, obedient, waiting.

He paced a half step forward, studying the construct.

It stood like a monument—an armored tree-construct, bark-plated limbs shaped by ceremonial purpose. Its gavel-like arms hung at its sides. The glow from its chest pulsed faintly beneath layers of bark-carved ritual etchings.

An ancient combat steward, designed not to destroy, but to judge—to bind challengers to trials it could outlast.

A healer. A stunner.

Raven crossed his arms. "Maybe keeping you wasn’t the worst call after all."

The Seneschal’s eye sockets lit with dull green fire. It slowly turned its head to meet Raven’s gaze.

It bent one knee.

A creaking sound echoed as the bark-limbs shifted, and the Seneschal knelt, one gavel-arm resting across its chest in solemn submission.

"Axis confirmed," it said. "New directive required."

Its mask tilted slightly upward, empty sockets waiting.

"I am the echo of law carved in root and ash. Judgment was my oath. Now... it is yours."

A faint system ping followed.

[Bond Complete – Awaiting Tactical Designation]

Raven stared for a moment longer, then gave a short nod.

"Not bad," he murmured. "You’ll do."

The Seneschal remained kneeling, unmoving, awaiting command.

Raven’s chain slowly coiled back around his arm, the jagged edge and the knife tip rattling softly before settling against his wrist. No glow. No hum. Just steel and motion, waiting for the next command.

It didn’t pulse. It didn’t glow. But it felt—ready.