Lord Styx’s POV — The afternoon sun beat down upon the Obsidian Palace, casting long, dark shadows across the cobblestone courtyards.
Having bidden farewell to Lord Cocytus and Lord Acheron at the gates, Lord Styx—known simply as Leo to those who knew him—adjusted his spectacles.
His destination was the southern wing of the outer palace grounds, a palace reserved for Abyssal Prince.
Specifically, it was where Prince Thalassos the Drowned and the delegation from the Abyss were preparing the escort and were to set out from there.
As Leo strode through the corridors, royal guards stationed along the perimeter snapped to attention, saluting the newly appointed member of the Inner Council.
Lord Styx nodded back, he was still getting used to the attention.
Not too long ago, he was fighting a flame devil and got his face burnt, he had an awakening of the talent of Lightning.
Now, he carried the direct will of King Kenius.
Reaching the Abyssal Palace, the air smelt different.
The mild breeze gave way to a strange, heavy air—a mixture of cold, damp sea mist and the pungent, lingering scent of sulfur and ash.
In the center of the plaza stood the prisoner transport.
It was a reinforced cage forged from iron, emeralds, rubies and obsidian, mounted atop a massive iron-wheeled wagon.
Inside sat Ex-Prince John.
Stripped of his powers during the trial, his mana flow had been completely severed by the Sword of Imminent Darkness.
John looked remarkably frail.
His prisoner garbs were tattered, and heavy chains wrapped around his wrists, ankles, and torso.
Wounds were closing up and healing from his shoulders, palms and legs, places that were pierced by dark chains when Kenius held him captive.
Yet, despite his physical state, his eyes remained opened, staring blankly at the floor of the cage with a strange calmness and zeal, like he knew what was to come.
Surrounding the transport were two distinct groups of warriors, one of fire, one of water.
On one side, stood the aquatic guards of Prince Thalassos—tall, lean warriors with blue-scaled skin, webbed hands, and glistening tridents forged from deep-sea coral and steel.
On the other side, warriors with crimson hides, curled horns, and smoldering embers rising from their shoulders—the fire-breathing devils of the subterranean Abyssal rifts.
At the front of the convoy, stood Prince Thalassos himself.
The Abyssal Prince was an imposing figure, clad in intricate dark-blue plate mail, which seemed to pulse with dark water mana.
His face was sharp and reptilian, with glowing golden eyes that turned toward Leo as he approached.
“Lord Styx,” Thalassos greeted.
His deep voice carrying a strange, gargling undertone like waves crashing against rocks.
“You are punctual.
The preparations are complete, and the prisoner is secured.” “Prince Thalassos,” Leo replied, stepping up to the transport and examining the iron bars.”Everything looks solid.
How is he holding up?” Prince Thalassos glanced at the cage and snorted.
“He hasn’t uttered a single word since he was thrown into the cage.
No curses, no pleas.
Just silence.
A broken man, or one who is still clinging to empty delusions.” Leo narrowed his eyes, studying John’s motionless form.
“Don’t let your guard down.
A man like John spent decades plotting from the shadows.
Even without his magic, his mind is still dangerous.
King Kenius wishes for us to escort the prisoner safely and seal him in Tartarus, the deepest prison dungeon.” Turning back to the Abyssal Prince, Leo gestured toward the mixed contingent of aquatic warriors and crimson-skinned devils lining the convoy.
“I notice you brought a mixed guard of different species” Leo remarked.
“Us capital folks usually assume that the Abyss is just endless sea trenches and underwater ruins.” Thalassos let out a low rumble that sounded almost like laughter.
“Surface dwellers suffer from limited vision, Lord Styx.
They look at the ocean and think that water is all that exists below.
However, the Abyss is a vast subterranean realm of extreme dualities.
Below the ocean floor lie massive volcanic trenches, boiling hydrothermal vents, and subterranean magma lakes.
My sea-kin rule the deep waters, while the devil tribes rule the fiery rifts beneath.
Together, under the Crown’s mandate, we govern the depths.
There are also more monsters in the depths that even we do not disturb.
Also, the announcer at trial yesterday was an abyssal devil that came from our lands.” “Good to know,” Leo said.
“Means whatever comes our way down there, your guards ought to be prepared for it.” “Indeed,” Thalassos nodded.
“The path to the Abyssal Gateway will take us through the southern mountain pass—the Black Crags.
From there, we descend into the Great Rift, where the sea and the fiery depths meet.
My submersible transport awaits, at the coast to take us down to the trenches.” “Then let’s not waste daylight,” Leo said.
“Mount up.
We move.” The heavy wagon groaned as four massive, dark-scaled draft beasts, known as abyssal behemoths, that pulled the transport out through the gates of the Obsidian Palace.
Leo rode near the front on an armored horse, keeping an eye on the surrounding thoroughfares.
As the procession marched through the upper districts of the capital city, the contrast between King Kenius’s coronation and the current atmosphere was glaringly obvious.
The streets were lined with citizens—humans, undead, beastfolk, and lesser dark beings—but there was no cheering.
No flower petals were thrown.
Instead, a suffocating silence hung over the crowds.
Whispers and murmurs rippled through the onlookers like cold wind.
“Is that the former Prince?” “Look at him…
completely drained…” “The new King is ruthless.
First the mages…
now his own father…” “Keep your mouth shut!
Do you want the Royal Guards to drag you away too?” Leo heard the mutters clearly.
His grip tightened on his reins.
He knew why King Kenius had taken such extreme measures.
In a faction that fed on power, ambition and devious politics, weakness was an open invitation to civil war.
Kenius had decided he would rule by fear and authority in order to prevent the Dark Faction from destroying itself from within.
But at the sight of the frightened faces of the populace a weight settled in Leo’s chest.
“Being King really isn’t an easy job” Leo thought to himself.
Kenius is carrying a burden bigger than any of us realize.
Leaving the capital city behind, the convoy crossed the high roads and began their ascent toward the rugged terrain of the Black Crags.
The scenery shifted drastically.
The lush dark flora gave way to sharp jagged volcanic rocks, steep cliffs, and thick banks of sulfurous mountain fog.
Steam rose from deep fissures in the earth, hinting at the geothermal forces churning beneath the surface.
Geysers occasionally spout out hot water into the air, showing the earthen roils.
“Lord Styx” Prince Thalossa spoke.
“You know your title is a reference to the river that flows into the abyss, into our capital, Hades.” “Indeed, it seems our King has a fondness for the rivers of the abyss after all.”Leo replied.
“However, it seems we have 5 rivers.
The King is only looking for one more.
4 rivers, doesn’t have the same ring to it.” Thalossa was trying to make small talk with the new lord.
“I believe my King has a plan, including granting the honor of all 5 rivers to his chosen.” Leo smugly replied, believing in his friend and king.
Hours passed as the convoy navigated the mountain trails.
The air grew thinner and colder, punctuated by the occasional gust of hot, sulfur wind blowing up from the cracks and crevices.
‘Lightning Magic – Enhanced senses’ Leo maintained a steady perimeter sweep, using his lightning-attuned senses to monitor the surrounding cliffs, activated since they left the capital.
His dark talent allowed him to sense subtle static charges and mana fluctuations in the air, making him human radar for unexpected mana signatures.
Beside the transport, Prince Thalassos rode atop a scaled aquatic mount that slid smoothly on the ground, an aboleth.
“You seem uneasy, Lord Styx,” Thalassos noted, eyeing Leo.
“Just cautious,” Leo replied, keeping his eyes on the misty rocky ridges above.
“John had a lot of influence across the Human sector and noble houses.
A lot of people owed him favors, and a lot of radical hardliners believed in his vision for the Dark Faction.
I doubt all of his supporters vanished just because he lost his trial.” “If any fools attempt to disrupt a royal execution order, my warriors will feed them to the deep trench beasts,” Thalassos said coldly.
Before Leo could reply, a sudden, sharp prickle of static electricity buzzed against the back of his neck.
Mana charges…
multiple spellcasters locking on from above!
“Ambush!” Leo roared, his voice booming across the canyon.
“Defensive positions!
Protect the carriage!” BOOM!
A series of high-tier fireballs and dark mana bolts rained down from the high rocky cliffs overhead, striking the lead guards and shattering the stone road.
Two Royal Guard horses shrieked as the explosive blasts threw them off the edge of the narrow path.
From the surrounding misty crags, dozens of figures clad in dark spellcaster robes and heavy steel armor leaped down, drawing enchanted blades and raising staff-weapons.
“Break the cage!” As a masked leader shouted from the ridge above.
“For Prince John!
Rescue the Master!” “Sleeper cells,” Thalassos snarled, drawing a massive two-handed coral trident from his back.
“How dare they!” Over thirty armed rebels swarmed the narrow mountain pass, throwing up blue barrier wards to divide the convoy and isolate the transport wagon.
“Devil Guards!
Form a line!
Burn them all!” a crimson-skinned Abyssal captain roared.
The fire-breathing devils stepped forward, opening their jaws and spewing streams of scorching hot fire into the rebels.
Several rebel knights screamed as the hellfire burned through their shields and armor, turning them into ash.
Meanwhile, Thalassos swung his trident in a wide arc, summoning swirling rings of high-pressure water from water vapors in the air, that sliced into a squad of enemies.
Leo didn’t hesitate.
He leapt off his steed, built up his mana into his legs, and slammed heavily onto the ground right in front of the transport wagon.
CRACK-BOOM!
Blue arcs of lightning erupted from Leo’s body, sweeping across the stone path in a blinding shockwave.
Three rebel swordsmen who were rushing toward the carriage doors were caught dead-center, their bodies blasted backward like ragdolls, their armor smoking and charred.
Leo drew his claws out, his weapon of choice, with his eyes glowing with electrical energy.
“If you want to reach the prisoner, you’ll have to go through me first!” Leo growled, his voice echoing with thunder.
From inside the cold-iron cage, Ex-Prince John slowly raised his head.
His hollow eyes watched the chaotic battle unfolding around him, but his expression remained unreadable.
He didn’t cheer for his rescuers, nor did he panic.
He simply watched, like a spectator observing a violent play.
A high-ranking rebel mage on the upper ridge pointed his staff directly at Leo, chanting a rapid incantation.
“Bind him!
He’s just one man!” Four dark mana chains shot out from the rocky wall, wrapping tightly around Leo’s arms and torso, pinning his chest.
“Got you!” the mage smirked.
Leo sneered beneath his spectacles.
“Is that the best you’ve got?” With a thunderous roar, Leo flexed his arms, sending a massive surge of high-voltage lightning coursing directly up the dark mana chains.
Lightning Magic – Electrical Burst The high-frequency electrical charge overloaded the magic spell, travelling straight back to the mage’s staff.
The staff detonated in the mage’s hands, taking his arm with it as he tumbled, screaming off the cliff edge.
Leo shattered the remaining dark links with brute physical force, stepping forward to slash through another enemy knight’s chest plate with a brutal horizontal hammer swing.
Despite the heavy losses, the rebels were relentless.
They fought with fanatical desperation, throwing themselves against the royal guards and Abyssal warriors without regard for their own lives.
“They’re buying time!” Thalassos shouted over the din of battle, impaling a rogue spellcaster through the neck with his trident.
“There are more beings gathering further up the ridge!” Leo wiped a splash of blood off his spectacles, looking up toward the mountain fog.
His lightning senses picked up even more magical signatures lurking in the crags ahead—stronger ones, holding heavy magical artifacts.
“This wasn’t just a random rescue attempt,” Leo said, his eyes darkening as he gripped his claw tight.
“They set up a full containment trap along this entire pass.” As the first wave of attackers began to falter under the combined might of Leo, Thalassos, and the Abyssal guards, a deep, eerie horn echoed from high up in the foggy mountains.
The first fight is now underway, to free John out of his prison.