Chapter 84: The Death of the Bat King

Ethan walked through the stone door and entered the chamber.

The Bat King hung upside down above the pools of blood, its red eyes fixed on the two intruders.

"So, you actually have the courage to come here," it said. "I have to commend you for that, human. Most would have fled after seeing what happened to the Waykeeper."

Aria stared at the Bat King.

It can talk?

She turned to Ethan and whispered, "Since when could dungeon monsters talk?"

"Maybe someone forcibly awakened its intelligence," Ethan replied. "Or it gained consciousness through some other means."

The Bat King let out a low laugh.

"Interesting. You’re not even surprised that I can speak."

"Should I be?"

"You’re either very confident or very stupid to stand before me like this."

"Maybe a little of both." Ethan glanced at the glowing markings on the floor. "But I’m more interested in what you’re doing here."

"And why should I tell you anything?"

"Well, you’ve gathered all this blood and set up a formation. I doubt you’re doing it for fun."

The Bat King remained silent.

Ethan looked back at it.

"Let me guess. This has something to do with the Blood Monarch, doesn’t it?"

The Bat King’s expression changed.

"You know nothing about the Lord’s plans! And yet you dare to speak his name so casually?"

Ethan nodded. "So it’s really his doing. I was wondering who would go to such lengths to interfere with a dungeon."

The Bat King clicked its tongue. "You humans always think you understand things just because you’ve learned a few names."

Ethan ignored the insult.

Aria, however, had caught something important in their conversation.

"The Blood Monarch?" she muttered. "Where have I heard that name before?"

Ethan glanced at her. "The Blood Monarch is one of the Nine Abyssal Kings."

Aria’s eyes widened.

"Wait, what?! One of the Nine Abyssal Kings?"

She looked at the Bat King again, as if seeing it differently now.

The Abyss was a hostile realm that had threatened the human world for countless years. Its creatures had brought death and destruction wherever they appeared, and even after all this time, humanity had never been able to forget the danger they posed.

At the top of their hierarchy stood the Nine Abyssal Kings. Each was powerful enough to threaten an entire region. Their names were known throughout the human world, and the appearance of even one could bring disaster.

And the Blood Monarch was one of them.

Aria swallowed. "Why would someone like that get involved in a dungeon?"

"That’s what I’m trying to find out," Ethan replied.

Not just anyone could interfere with a dungeon. Even the Blood Monarch would have to pay a price to carry out an operation like this, and Ethan doubted it would be cheap.

"How much did he have to sacrifice to set all this up?" Ethan asked.

The Bat King’s wings twitched.

"You—"

"Never mind." Ethan shrugged. "You wouldn’t tell me anyway."

"Human, you have no idea what you’re talking about!"

"Maybe. But if the Blood Monarch could do whatever he wanted, he wouldn’t need you to collect blood in a dungeon."

"Watch your tongue! You have no right to speak of the Lord like that!"

Ethan turned his attention back to the Bat King.

"What exactly are you trying to bring here?"

The Bat King stared at him.

"You’ve asked enough questions, human. If you’re so eager to find out, then come and see for yourself."

As soon as it finished speaking, the blood in the pools stopped boiling.

A blood-red orb rose from the largest pool. Before the Bat King could react, a Shadow Wraith emerged from the shadows, grabbed the orb, and threw it toward Ethan.

The Bat King let out a sharp cry, destroying the Shadow Wraith, but Ethan had already caught the orb.

It was about the size of his palm. A red heart beat inside it, releasing waves of dark energy that made Aria uncomfortable just standing nearby.

She stared at the object in Ethan’s hand.

"All this trouble for an Essence Orb?"

Ethan examined it for a moment.

"Not just any Essence Orb. This is a special one."

Ethan didn’t explain further. He looked at the Bat King, whose expression had changed.

"Return it!" the monster roared.

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Why? Is it that important?"

"Give it back, human!"

The Bat King flapped its wings but didn’t attack. It kept its eyes on the orb, seemingly afraid that Ethan might destroy it.

Ethan had a rough idea of what was going on. The Bat King had gathered blood and prepared the formation, but it still needed something else. Perhaps it had asked its master for help, and the Blood Monarch had sent this Essence Orb.

Ethan raised his hand and summoned his Solar Elemental Legion.

"Solar Elementals."

Several Solar Elementals appeared around him and fired rays of fire at the Bat King.

The monster dodged the first few attacks before letting out a sharp cry. Several Shadow Wraiths broke apart, but the others kept coming while the Solar Elementals continued to attack.

"You fools!" the Bat King roared as the attacks surrounded it. "You can’t kill me! I’ll respawn when the dungeon resets!"

Before it could say anything else, another wave of fire hit it. The Bat King lost its grip on the ceiling and fell into the pool of blood below.

[You have defeated the Bat King!]

[You have gained 1,000 EXP!]

[You have obtained: Bat King’s Skill Scroll.]

Ethan glanced at the notifications, then turned to Aria.

"Let’s leave."

Aria nodded and quickly followed Ethan toward the exit portal. She had no intention of staying in that chamber a second longer than necessary.

Ethan had only taken a few steps when he heard a splash behind him.

He turned his head slightly.

The pool of blood was moving.

Before he could make sense of what was happening, the blood began to rise. It gathered in one place, forming a huge red hand that shot out of the pool and reached for him.