Chapter 795: Overlord’s creations
Freya and Overlord traversed the underground labyrinth with deliberate calmness, their footsteps echoing softly off the damp stone walls. The air was thick with humidity, tinged by the acrid smell of decay and the lingering odor of spilled blood. Their eyes continuously scanned every corner and crevice, alert for any hidden threats.
Occasionally, their gazes sharpened simultaneously, and in a flash, they vanished into shadows, only to reappear moments later. In the interim, distant, agonized shrieks reverberated through the tunnels, marking the abrupt end of another Outcasted creature.
The duo showed no mercy; their approach was methodical and relentless. To Freya, these creatures represented nothing but mindless beasts driven solely by instinct to kill and consume. Their eradication did not trouble her conscience. To Overlord, morality was irrelevant; the Outcasted were merely obstacles to their strategic objective. Whether monsters or saints, obstacles had but one destiny: annihilation.
It did not take long before the pair reached the cavern’s core. Freya’s eyes narrowed, and her expression twisted with disgust at the horrifying scene before her. The cavern floor was littered with mutilated bodies, their forms grotesquely sprawled amidst pools of blood and entrails. Among the dead were disturbingly small corpses, clearly children who had met tragic ends at the hands of these depraved beings. Freya felt a surge of fury mingled with revulsion, her hand tightening instinctively around the hilt of her rusty, rune-etched sword.
Overlord’s expression remained entirely unaffected by the grim scene. His attention was singularly focused on the two monstrous entities dominating the heart of the chamber: Legendary Outcasted, towering over fifteen meters in height, their elongated limbs grotesquely muscular, claws and fangs glistening with fresh blood. Their eyes were filled with savage madness, glinting with primal fury as they fixed their gaze upon the intruders.
Freya stepped forward instinctively, ready to unleash righteous vengeance upon these abominations, but Overlord raised a hand, gently yet firmly halting her movement. He stepped forward alone, his demeanor unflinchingly calm. As he approached the enormous Outcasted, his eyes began to glow softly, an intricate flow of data streaming visibly within them.
The Legendary Outcasted paused momentarily, sensing something deeply unnatural about the approaching being, yet their inherent bloodlust quickly overwhelmed caution. They lunged, roaring furiously as their massive claws aimed to tear Overlord apart. However, the A.I. Chip Clone effortlessly dodged their frenzied attacks, slipping between their strikes with unnatural grace.
With a swift and precise motion, Overlord’s sword flashed once through each of their heads. Both Outcasted crashed heavily to the cavern floor, rolling briefly before coming to rest. They were still conscious, eyes wide with confusion and terror, yet unable to move even a single muscle.
Freya watched in astonishment. Being a Depravita herself, infused with a fragment of Vlad’s soul, she possessed profound combat instincts and memories, including familiarity with the workings of the A.I. Chip. "He scanned their neural pathways," she realized in awe, "then struck precisely to paralyze them without causing death."
This remarkable demonstration of combat skill left her momentarily speechless. She understood that, in computational power and reaction speed, Overlord occupied a unique tier, beyond even her considerable capabilities. Still, confusion lingered in her mind.
"Why didn’t you kill them?" Freya finally asked, her voice quiet but curious. She knew Overlord was indifferent to glory or recognition, driven purely by efficiency.
Overlord glanced briefly at her before calmly approaching the paralyzed Outcasted. "We need guardians for the tower," he explained simply.
Before Freya could inquire further, Overlord withdrew two small creatures from his spatial ring. Each larva was black and grotesque, adorned with vicious, thorn-like protrusions and fang-filled maws. At first, they appeared lifeless, but as Overlord channeled a stream of divine power into them, their tiny bodies trembled violently, and their jaws opened hungrily.
Freya recoiled instinctively, discomfort evident in her expression.
"These are genetic creations of mine," Overlord explained emotionlessly. Without elaborating, he carefully placed a larva onto each Outcasted’s skull, near the precise wounds inflicted earlier. Instantly, the larvae burrowed deeply into the creatures’ brains, eliciting violent tremors throughout their enormous bodies. Their eyes bulged, veins pulsing visibly beneath leathery skin. Had their vocal cords not been paralyzed, their screams of agony would have filled the cavern.
After several intense moments, the Outcasted ceased twitching and slowly rose to their feet. Freya instinctively tightened her grip on her sword, wary of a sudden attack. But her tension quickly dissipated as the two enormous beings bowed obediently before Overlord, their formerly vicious gazes now subdued and docile.
With a silent command from the A.I. Chip Clone, the Legendary Outcasted began methodically destroying every entrance to the cavern except one, which they took positions to guard. Their actions were precise and unhesitating.
"I call these creatures Roots of Obedience," Overlord stated calmly. "Currently, they can only control beings of limited intelligence, but I plan to evolve them further."
Freya stared in amazement and subtle apprehension. Overlord’s capabilities were astonishing; his consciousness evolved at a rate unparalleled even among the universe’s greatest prodigies. His divine avatar body continuously adapted and strengthened, and his disregard for morality or ethics in achieving his objectives was absolute. Freya recognized him as an unmatched ally, but she also knew that his allegiance was tenuous, dependent solely on the stability of a few lines of code. Should those safeguards ever fail, the consequences would be catastrophic.
Yet Freya dismissed these thoughts quickly. They had a mission to complete. With mutual understanding, the pair began their work in earnest, constructing the Silence Tower. Runes etched in luminous patterns took shape, intricate arrays harmonizing with precise geometry. As each component fell into place, the air hummed softly with suppressed power. Soon, the Maws of Darkness would be cloaked from detection, and their mission would advance another critical step toward isolating Exilon from the universe.
In this secluded, bloodstained chamber, Freya and Overlord continued their meticulous work, fully aware that their actions marked the beginning of a profound shift—one that would soon engulf Exilon as a whole.