The Chimeric Ascension of Lyudmila Springfield

Chapter Seven: The Dark Lord of Tyranny’s Reincarnation

“Susize. Beccy. Reina. Murag. Yaekira.” I spoke the names of the five ghostly phantoms fearfully staring at the Dark Lord’s scorched state of being. It was slightly, but I saw a little bit of movement within those deep, dark flames engulfing her being. Murag started to speak, but his words were unknown for a few seconds until I learned the language.  

New Skill: [Arezzian Language] 

Arezzian? That’s an odd name.  

“This room... It was where that abominable monster killed Susize. The seeds she carried were doused by her blood. Over time this desolate, dark, despicable place was transformed into the utopia you see before you,” whispered Murag.  

I understood him perfectly. Internally, I marveled at how powerful [Scholar’s Tongue] could be in the right situation.  

He huffed, meeting my eyes while shaking his head. “Did you intend on this being your grave? You’ve read the tablets, so why did you continue to go through with breaking the seals that required our very lives?” 

“Yeah, I’ve read them, so what? I need the power the Dark Lord holds if I’m to accomplish my goals.” 

“But why?!” Yaekira whined. Her brown ears wiggled while her tail snapped in fury. Her eyes darted down to my legs. The disgust on her face was plainly visible. She crossed her arms over her exposed stomach, hiding it from my gaze even though I wasn’t staring at it. 

“You should know how dangerous the Dark Lord of Tyranny can be! She forced mothers to kill sons, fathers to suffocate daughters, and brothers to butcher sisters. She destroyed their bodies and spirits, then tightened her grip around their souls to feed them into the awful machine called war!!” shouted Reina. “She almost destroyed the world!” 

Disgusting gurgling came from Susize’s neck stump. Was it possible they forced her into the ritual seal after her death? 

“Does it look like I care? Hey, just how long does it take? She’s been burning for a few minutes. Besides, there’s nothing you can say to me that’ll make me regret my actions.” 

“WHY?!?!?! Don’t you know that freeing the Dark Lord would mean everything we had worked for—all of the years of planning, hoping, praying, and training—you're really just going to throw our hard work away?! And for you to do that while being a disgusting chimera? No... Just no!!!” Yaekira ranted, throwing a tantrum. My nonchalant tone irritated her. 

“Again... I don’t really care. If it pisses you off even more, I’ll gladly do it while looking like this. The five Soul Warriors of Lord Amos... Those who gave their lives to keep the Dark Lord sealed away... How ironic that the one to free her will do it while looking like you. Haha! It’s almost like it was fate, right?” My chuckles and laughs seemed to set them off, but I didn’t care. 

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“YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND!!!!! YOU’VE DOOMED THE WORLD!!!! Everyone will die... They’ll all die... And you’ll be responsible... It’ll be as if you went around and personally slit the throats of every innocent child. The five of us left behind loved ones! What about our descendants? They’re innocent! They don’t deserve to have that innocence tainted by the ravages of war!! Everyone deserves to live in peace, right? What about your loved ones? You have family, right? And friends? What would they think about this? Listen to their voices that reside in your heart? You can still stop this! You can still reverse your mistake!!!!” Reina was trying to appeal to a sense of righteousness or filial piety that she assumed I had, but her fierce glare gave away how empty her platitudes were. 

“Are you trying to guilt trip me by appealing to my affection for my loved ones? Hahaha!! You have no idea how hilariously misplaced that ridiculous bullshit sounds to me. If I listened to my ‘family’ I’d have committed suicide years ago. They never stopped telling me how worthless I was and egging me on to just off myself and do them and the world a favor.  

“Do you know how many times my parents tried abandoning me? Do you know how many times they actually succeeded in doing so? How it took weeks to get back home, and my reward was my so-called father’s fist to my face the second the police officers were out of sight? How many times has my ‘mother’ forced me to drink water from the toilet because she said the faucet water was too good for me?  How my ‘sister’ took great joy in stealing what little I managed to collect and keep from my parents? How many times have I literally had to scrounge for scraps in the garbage because my ‘family’ refused to actually give me any food? Or how about the ‘family bonding sessions,’ where they got together and beat me for being a failure in a meritocracy that demands excellence because one of them was stressed? Or how about how it was a mercy when they finally decided to just ignore my existence and pretend I wasn’t around, since at least then they weren’t actively making my life a living hell? They broke me.  

“There isn’t anyone out there who would miss me if I died, and a large number who would actively cheer for it. In fact, I’ve already died once. That bitch Meruria tossed me into the void, so death is something I’m already well acquainted with. 

“Basically, I have nothing to lose. Either I free this Dark Lord and she kills me, freeing me from this miserable existence and she’ll go on to destroy the world, or she joins me and we work together to destroy Cridia. I don’t give a fuck about your descendants. If they try to stop me, I’ll send them your way with a hole in their stomach, but they aren’t worth slaughtering if they stay out of it.” 

Suddenly, the magical energy the Dark Lord was crucified on was instantly swallowed by flames of the darkest night.  

And then it exploded, sending cascades of tiny fragments of white and black down to the ground, where they sizzled instantly in the soft green grass, but that wasn’t all.  

There was a woman—a youthful woman around the age of 25-30, that slowly descended amongst the falling debris. Her skin was light gray. Her hair, which came to her shoulder blades, lion-like tail, and lion-like ears were the same obsidian black as those powerful flames that seemingly threatened all of reality. The fur on her forearms and lower legs shared the same color as her hair. She turned towards me, staring with those deep silver eyes as her feet finally touched the warm grass. 

The tablets detailed a Lionfolk with blue and red fur, but that wasn’t what I saw. 

My eyes briefly scanned up and down, realizing the Dark Lord was completely naked. Her breasts were full and rich, yet smaller than mine. My nipples were pink, yet hers was a gentle light gray, matching her skin. And while I didn’t intend to stare at her crotch, I did notice she was nearly hairless. Her stomach was slim and toned, but not overly muscled like Yaekira or Murag. 

The Dark Lord of Tyranny turned back towards the five spirits and scoffed, then walked and knelt down on one leg in front of me, placing her arm across her chest as if she was a noble knight and I was her queen. Her piercing silver eyes never did look away. 

“My savior,” she spoke with a distinctively feminine voice, yet it was a tad deeper than I thought and contained remnants of great power. “I used the last of my strength to summon your soul from the void after sensing your incredible fury, but I did not transform you into a chimera. That is beyond my ken. However, I exploited the flaw in the seal after I killed Susize to make you a body from the cowering warriors you see behind me. Amos’s Holy Mana flows through your body, and that allowed you to break the seals. If you’ll permit me, my savior, I will follow you on your path of revenge.” 

She’s speaking Arezzian.  

“How will we leave? I don’t see any sort of exit,” I replied. The Dark Lord stood and pointed behind her. 

“This is not the dungeon’s original form. The very nature of one is to be ever-changing. I do not know when it happened, but the safe rooms detailed in the tablets closed around my seal to create a loop with no entrance. If you wish to leave, you must conquer it.” 

“How do I do that?” I figured I knew the answer. If freeing her wasn’t the way, then I probably had to kill those spirits. Each one, barring the headless High Elf, had removed those fearful expressions and replaced them with one that was ready for battle. 

“The dungeon morphed to keep anyone from reaching me, and it has two goals. One is my freedom, which you have expertly accomplished. The other is to exorcise their spirits. The teleportation circle will appear after that.” 

“DON’T LISTEN TO HER LIES!!!” screamed Murag as the Dark Lord turned around and stood in front of me. Her tail was sharply lashing from left to right, yet I knew she was smiling. I walked forward to stand beside her, which I didn’t think she expected.  

“Look, I have my revenge I need to get to. The only way I can do that is by leaving.” Murag scowled and lowered his head, his teeth-colored tusks aimed at me. It seemed he was about to charge at me like a raging bull. Before he could, the headless High Elf specter ran between us and held out her arms. Energy gathered around her neck, and I was soon staring at the original owner of my new head. There was great strain on her face, though, so whatever she just did took a lot out of her. 

“No...” she said in a voice that matched my own. “I won’t allow you to ruin everything we worked for! On my status as the Princess of Vredi, the first chosen Soul Warrior of Holy Lord Amos, I will stop you here!!!” 

All at once, the five gathered mana in their hands, and the weapons they were buried with appeared for them to grasp.  

“These may not be our Soul Weapons, but our ceremonial weapons are just as powerful!” Susize shouted.  

“Hahahahaha!!!!!!” The Dark Lord broke into laughter. “Really, you think those toys can save you? My savior, {Mana Link} is an enchantment that links your mana to an object, allowing you to recall it from anywhere. You are created from their bodies. Concentrate and focus, Master. Claim those weapons as your own.” 

I nodded and held out a hand. Focusing hard, I thought about the gun Reina had pointed at us. In my mind, I ran an invisible hand over the sleek, silver barrel, rubbed the cherry wood grips, and cocked it back, loading a 9mm round inside the chamber.  

Something clicked, and my empty hand wasn’t so empty.  

“WHAT?! What did you do?!” Even if I had never touched a gun before, Scorpion’s Bite felt so familiar and comforting, and I wondered if it was Reina’s instincts flowing through my arms.  I grinned and looked it over while the Dark Lord congratulated me. Then I went a step farther and summoned the remaining weapons over to my side, grasping each one while storing them away in my mana, which came naturally to me.  

The Dark Lord observed the weaponless warriors and cracked her knuckles. Murag ran in front of Susize and held up his hands. While being wary of us, they hastily spoke strategy, but the Dark Lord just laughed once more. “My savior, give the command, and I will rupture these foolish souls from the cycle of reincarnation. Only mana belonging to Amos or those that created the seal can wipe them from this reality. I trust you know what to do.” 

“I do,” I said, summoning Murag’s warhammer. It was too heavy for me to comfortably wield with two hands, but the Dark Lord had no trouble hefting it over her shoulder. She walked forward, exclaiming that it was finally time to get her revenge. In a flash, she darted forward with surprising speed and brought the gratuitous heavy weapon down onto Murag. He held up both hands to block it, but the ruby red spikes pierced through his forearms, and he bled out crimson blood. 

Susize appeared from behind and tried to tackle the Dark Lord, yet the High Elf just phased through and fell to her stomach. 

“You don’t realize it, do you? My savior has broken the seal keeping your astral spirits tied to this world. If you want proof, look at the blood dripping down. When you die, you won’t even enter the cycle of reincarnation!” shouted the Dark Lord. She yanked her weapon back, slicing open Murag’s arms while spinning and slamming the warhammer onto Susize’s back. The princess yelped and cried, but Beccy’s, Reina’s, and Yaekira’s feeble punches and strikes were totally useless. 

I stood back and watched as the Dark Lord enacted her final revenge. Her movements were brutal and without care, and I was amazed by her raw power and intensity. She threw her warhammer at Beccy and knocked her to the ground. With black flames wrapped around her feet, she stomped forward and maliciously grinned at her prey. She lifted the warhammer and brought it down upon Beccy’s stomach, pulling away to allow her ghastly intestines to flow out on top of a river of blood. She cried out in a primal voice filled with so much pain. Her hands desperately tried to push her ghostly innards back inside her body, but it was to no avail. 

The Dark Lord began to strike Reina and Yaekira, who continued their fruitless endeavors with war cries. It didn’t matter how many times they tried to punch the Dark Lord because nothing would ever happen. Perhaps the Dark Lord sensed that because she went for their knees, breaking them with a single powerful slam of her warhammer. Then, one by one, she brought the wounded, weakened, battered spirits over to me and forced them to kneel.  

Susize glared at me with those big eyes. Water was already leaking down the sides as she begged me. “Please, don’t do this. You can’t do this! You can’t let her leave this place!” The Dark Lord, who was covered in blood from the brawl, walked and stood by me. 

“That’s exactly what I’m going to do. We’re going to leave here, and I’m going to kill Meruria and her shitty warriors. I won’t stop until I have her head on a fucking pike.” 

“That’s it! Chimera, you are recently born, so you’re weak and cannot assimilate our corpses. And by the time you do have enough strength to do so, we will have decomposed and returned as one to the great Mother Nature!” Reina exclaimed, finding her voice after being trounced. 

Remaining silent, I ignored her.  

“Agree to the following geas. You will do your natural duties and reseal the Dark Lord, and you will only kill Meruria and her Soul Warriors. Pledge your soul, and we will grant you the rest of our mana. We’ll willingly pass into the afterlife, content to not come back into the world of the living for the rest of eternity. That is how serious we are in preventing her from breaking free. Please, it is for the best! With our power combined, even Lord Amos will be unable to defeat you.” 

“Wait, so let me get this right. You’ll allow me to get my revenge, with your power, mind you, and you’re willing to just completely die for the rest of eternity, so the Dark Lord doesn’t escape?” All five nodded, then begged me that it was the correct choice. 

So, I thought it over for a few seconds. 

“You know what? I’m starting to feel like I won’t stop at Meruria. Maybe this world needs to go. Maybe it needs to burn to a crisp and cease to exist. So yeah, you just convinced me. Fuck the world and all that’s in it.” I summoned Reina’s gun, pressed it to her head after cocking it, and pulled the trigger. 

Bang! 

I killed a humanoid in cold blood. I could argue that the goblin was also a humanoid, but it wasn’t capable of proper communication. 

I used to think the weight of the trigger would be extremely heavy, but it was as light as a feather. Did a life weight that much? Why did it take so little effort to completely kill someone? 

I didn’t feel anything of it as her spirit slumped against the bloody ground.  

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU’RE GOING TO FUCKING DIE!!!!!!!!!!” Murag screamed. He raged against his broken legs, doing his best to even try to inch towards me, but I just adjusted my aim. I intended to kill him, but Beccy was the next to go. The back of her head exploded, and ghostly brain matter and thick crimson splashed the emerald grass around this slice of paradise.  

Yaekira’s crying was then silenced, and by then, I was feeling weak and lethargic. It seemed that only three bullets were enough to drain my mana by 60%, but the Dark Lord stabilized me by grabbing my shoulders. I hated being touched, but it was different this time... I turned my aim to Susize, who started to pray to Amos for safety and protection. Murag was desperately crawling towards me, even managing to reach my leg, yet even though I had his mana running through me, his semi-astral body was on the bare cusp of disappearing.  

There was literally nothing he could do to stop me from pulling the trigger, sending a bullet straight down through Susize’s head until it landed safely in her chest. Her prayer was silenced with a loud gunshot. Her lifeless spiritual body fell to the ground with a harsh thud, and there was just one more left. 

I felt even weaker than before with only 1/5th of my mana remaining. My breath became audible and hastened as sweat doused my brow. If the bar was filling it, it was as fast as a snail walked. 

The two Murags I saw within my hazy vision must’ve felt a whirlwind of emotions. “Please... Don’t do this... Do not let her out... She cannot be free to roam around the world because it’s in her very nature to bring devastation... Susize, Reina, Beccy, Yaekira, and I sacrificed so much... Please, find it in your heart—” 

His final pathetic wishes would go ignored as the sound of gunfire cut him off, erasing him from this world. His spirit dematerialized at the same time as the others, transforming into energy that simply vanished away. The blood covering the Dark Lord and the grass disappeared as well, removing any traces that they were even here. 

Well, their corpses remained. I guess they were telling the truth that their bodies would eventually decay into nothingness.  

“Shit...” I said, stumbling forward as the pistol fell from my hand. The Dark Lord appeared in front of me, catching my body and wrapping her hands around my back as she gently brought me to the ground.  

The fur on her arms… It’s so soft…and warm… 

“{Mana Link} is powerful for a reason, and it comes with a great cost. I’m surprised you were even able to fire five shots. Sleep well, Master, and recover your strength. I will watch over you,” she whispered, kneeling down beside me. 

Nearby, an explosion of light carved a rotating white circle into the ground. Obviously, that was how I was going to get out of here, but I couldn’t focus on it because sleepiness saw fit to snatch me away for a few hours.