The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 463: Volume 9: Phantom of the Ancient Castle - 12: Entering the Path_2

Leon had fallen, and for the short term, it could not be reclaimed. Boninski, in effect, had lost his territory; his nobility was bound to be stripped sooner or later, and even if the kingdom had the intention to protect him to strike against Philip himself, he could not retain his title.

This act of willingly surrendering one’s land to the mob was entirely different from losing territory in a foreign war—it was unforgivable, and the kingdom dared not set such a precedent.

Yet the posture the kingdom had willfully adopted invited speculation, and the fact that Boninski dared to publicly challenge the authority of Duke Philip let the nobles of Cyprus taste a flavor they had never before encountered—as if the cork on a long-brewing bottle of wine had been pulled, releasing a faint, almost imperceptible fragrance. This fragrance was called royal power.

Of course, whether that cap could be tightly resealed depended on the measures employed by Duke Philip, the sole ruler of the Homer region.

Upon returning to Ugru, Komer went straight to his secret chamber almost immediately.

Avoiding the Magic Prohibitions and mechanisms he had set up, Komer entered the inner layer of his secret chamber—the most hidden laboratory of his, which was divided into three rooms. Apart from the innermost room used for his own Cultivation, the middle chamber was designated for the growth-stage zombie, and due to the special circumstances of this Light Mage, Komer also placed her in the last room of the secret chamber.

This secret chamber was located at the heart of the Eye of Darkness, as determined by Rebury and Newman, where the abundance of yin energy made it an excellent spot for the cultivation of Dark Magic Power. Komer, the castle owner and territorial Lord, unapologetically designated this area on the second floor as his private domain, while several Mages and Dark Knights also took over several rooms around the Eye of Darkness on the first floor for their own training experiments and rest.

The zombie lay quietly in a stone sarcophagus, with the lid already opened; its square face with slightly closed eyes, the brows slightly furrowed as if it had just experienced pain before suddenly losing its life, retained its original appearance. It seemed unaffected by the numerous battles it had fought, with only some damage to its garments, while its golden skin shimmered under the light. The strong Poison of Sappan Wood had penetrated every inch of its body, and not even becoming a zombie could dissipate it.

Komer had renamed this anonymous zombie, calling it Garam.

The word Garam, derived from the ancient Dhāraṇī language, meant "immortal god." Using this name for a zombie undoubtedly constituted the greatest blasphemy and insult to the gods in the ears of others, but Komer was indifferent to this, for he liked the name.

Komer gently touched Garam’s cold skin. Since entering Damarlinsk Castle, Komer had used this stone sarcophagus as the dwelling for the zombie, and the yin energy from the Eye of Darkness worked wonders for nurturing the zombie’s physique. Unwilling to bring it to Leon, Komer had hoped it would soak up as much of the Eye’s yin energy as possible to improve its constitution.

After carefully observing Garam’s condition, Komer left the room satisfied. He had been so busy with the transformation of the neighboring Light Mage that he had somewhat neglected the training of the zombie. Fortunately, with the Eye of Darkness at hand, he could use the time to enhance the physical transformation of Garam, so as to reduce resistance in the next phase of training.

Komer found himself increasingly caught in contradictions. The endless dominion of the Dark Sky was such that one could exhaust a lifetime of energy delving into it and still only glimpse its periphery. The growth of the zombie and the transformation of the Light Mage had already consumed much of his energy, on top of creating Magic-powered weapons for the Pirates and the mundane state affairs that left no time to spare, and just like that, a month had passed in his trip to Leon, truly leaving Komer feeling as if he were at his wit’s end.

Komer realized that his thoughts were gradually changing as well; he seemed to have become a fickle polyhedron.

When he felt success in the pursuit of Magic Heaven, that excitement and joy were irreplaceable by anything else. Sometimes, he even thought about giving up everything, just like Mihailovich and Rebury, dedicating all his energy to it and wandering in the ocean of the magic world, never to come ashore.

Yet, when he tasted the sweet nectar of secular power, he felt that perhaps this life was what he truly enjoyed deep inside: mellow wine, beautiful women, wealth. It seemed all the wonderful sensations came from power. Without power, even the pursuit of the Dark Sky might face more setbacks and obstacles.

These two things, seemingly contradictory, had an inevitable connection in some form, and even Komer was confused about how to choose between them. He could only take one step at a time, trying to maintain his balance as if walking a tightrope, until the day the rope broke.

The completely naked girl had not changed at all since his departure; her creamy white skin was smooth and sleek, and even her breathing was steady. The girl lying flat on the wooden platform with a perfectly harmonious body looked so relaxed and natural—a delight to the eyes!

Komer took a deep breath; it seemed his first experiment had no setbacks. She had successfully passed the initial phase of light sleep and entered the deep sleep phase. His psychic hypnosis was not very sophisticated, but powerful spiritual power had helped, and the next step would be the cleansing phase, which was the most critical.

To make this girl with her firm will completely forget everything deep in her heart was an extremely difficult process. A slight incaution could ruin everything. Most psychic mages failed at this hurdle, and now it was Komer’s turn to solve this difficult problem.

Komer dared not to be reckless; he needed to prepare more. This Light Mage was the Sanctuary Guardian of the Church of Light, and her will and mana were not something ordinary people could match. To erase the consciousness and beliefs rooted in her for decades while preserving her original mana and magic skills as much as possible was a challenge that other psychic mages wouldn’t dare to contemplate. But Komer wanted to challenge this problem and make her a true paragon against nature, a typical paragon.

Perhaps the only advantage was that Komer had dabbled in both Dark Magic and White Magic, and since receiving the magic power of Kennifer III, his progress in spiritual power was quite miraculous. Regarding his captivated prey, Komer had no need for any taboos; any magic means could be applied to her, which might be more conducive to bringing out his best skills.

After drifting over the girl’s body with an appreciative gaze for a long time, Komer finally took his eyes off her.

It must be said that there are reasons why the Church of Light could be overwhelmingly powerful in the mortal world of the central and northern parts of the Cang Mang Continent. Just from this Sanctuary Guardian’s performance, it can be seen that the upper echelons of the Church of Light have a high standard in both magic ability and talent. If such a Light Mage hadn’t accidentally inhaled the Madness Mist, specially designed for mages other than dark wizards, which caused a hindrance in her judgment, and had she not stumbled upon a group of elites from the Dark World, it would be difficult for anyone to turn her into the state she’s in now.

How many powerful individuals of this level there are in the Church of Light, Komer does not know. But he believes it will not be less than twenty. Just imagining what consequences would arise from an open confrontation with the Church of Light sends shivers down his spine.

Perhaps the emissary sent by the Great Mysterium Sect last time could stand toe-to-toe with this Light Mage. Remembering the shock brought by the chilling, verdant gleam in that emissary’s eyes, Komer had always been pondering whether the rumors that the Great Mysterium Sect was a remnant of the Dark Empire and the Dark Holy Church were true. Maybe when the time is right, he wouldn’t mind paying a visit to the lair of the Southern Great Mystery Church. There might be other unexpected gains.

Gently pulling over the velvet cloth, Komer re-covered the girl’s body, leaving only her delicate and tender face exposed. Sitting quietly beside the big chair next to the wooden platform, Komer fell into deep thought.