Titus hesitated for a moment before grasping Zeke's hand. Zeke then reached out with his other hand and covered Titus's Blood Eye.
Titus tensed, expecting something to happen, but nothing out of the ordinary occurred.
"What is this?"
A short while later, Zeke removed the hand from Titus's forehead, but nothing had changed.
"What the hell? This guy's just bluffing for no reason..."
But at that moment, Titus sensed something was wrong.
His body was now tightly bound by chains, leaving him unable to rise from the chair.
Titus struggled against the restraints, desperate to break free.
"Mmph! Mmph! Mmph!"
With his mouth sealed once more, he could only let out muffled sounds of frustration. Then the area around Titus darkened, and suddenly a tall set of stairs appeared, leading up to a massive throne.
Bound and helpless, Titus could only look up at the throne.
He noticed someone seated upon it and examined the figure closely.
A man wrapped in bandages from head to toe, with disheveled hair hanging loose.
The malevolent power radiating from the man made Titus feel like his body was being torn apart.
"Ugh..."
Just gazing at the being on the throne felt like it would drive him mad.
His mind flooded with depraved thoughts, and a wave of madness welled up from his heart.
But then the bandaged man slowly opened his eyes.
The evil being's red eyes flashed as he spoke to Titus, bound to the chair.
[I sense the faint power of our kin within you.]
In that instant, a third eye appeared on the man's forehead, visible through the bandages.
The red eye on his forehead was no mere tattoo or emblem—it was a real eye.
Upon seeing it, Titus realized he faced a legendary being.
Titus regarded the man on the throne with awe and fear.
'This is the true master of Shambhala, the king of all Third-Eye Clan members, the ruler of all that is profane.' Blood King Caligula.
The owner of the power he had sought to reclaim now stood before him.
Caligula, seated on the throne, looked down at Titus and said,
[For a lowly collateral branch not even worthy of being called kin, your latent potential is at least passable.]
Caligula's third eye began to emit a blood-red glow.
As Titus met its gaze, he felt excruciating pain, as if his forehead were being seared by fire.
"Ugh..."
Through this connection, Caligula sought to infiltrate Titus's flesh and escape Zeke's inner world.
He addressed Titus,
[I shall awaken the power within you. Fear not—embrace it!]
Tss tss tss—
The Blood Eye on Titus's forehead deepened in color, its pupil beginning to move on its own as if it were a living eye.
"Guh!"
Titus felt as though his brain was about to burn away from the forceful intrusion of the Blood King's power.
His potential had not even fully awakened before his brain seemed on the verge of melting.
[Your brain is of no use to me. I shall infuse my soul into your awakened body and craft a faithful puppet. Your mission is to free me from this damned immortal.]
Rumble rumble—
Titus's body began to tremble violently.
Even as Titus shook uncontrollably, Caligula continued pouring his power into him without pause.
It was then, as the Blood Eye on Titus's forehead flickered with light—
"Enough. That's far enough."
Zeke, who had appeared beside Titus at some point, raised the Holy Sword Ascalon and pointed it at Caligula.
Wooong!
A will of light emanated from Ascalon, blocking Caligula's malevolent power.
Titus, who had been trembling violently, slumped limply against the chair, still bound.
Caligula, seated on the throne, ground his teeth as he glared at Zeke, who had suddenly appeared.
[Zeke Draker, you hateful immortal. Interfering with me again.] Zeke clicked his tongue as he looked at Caligula.
"For a soul that's been reduced to mere absorption, you've still got quite the mouth on you."
Zeke slowly ascended the stairs toward Caligula.
Caligula, still seated on the throne, spoke in a flustered tone.
[Even if you devoured my soul, my mind as the great king of Shambhala shall never fade. One day, I will claim your body.]
Despite being absorbed by Zeke, Caligula's soul had maintained its ego, occupying one corner of the inner world.
Zeke shook his head as he regarded Caligula.
"You fool. I could shatter your ego at any moment. Why do you think I left you in a corner of my inner world?"
He reached the top of the stairs and stood before the throne, glaring at Caligula.
At that moment, the Holy Sword Ascalon vanished from Zeke's hand, and shadows rippled from his body.
The shadows coalesced into a form, manifesting the Shadow Sword Caladbolg, which had fused with the Shadow Armor.
"I was waiting until I could turn your evil soul into a Shadow Spirit."
With those words, black shadows rose from Caladbolg, which Zeke aimed at Caligula.
Zeke's authority, Shadow King, slowly advanced toward Caligula's soul.
"The moment you opened your power to awaken Titus's potential, I grasped all your abilities. Thanks to that, I can now fully control the power of the Blood King." Caligula realized that encountering Titus had ultimately been Zeke's scheme.
He snarled viciously at Zeke.
[...You, you bastard!]
"Now is the perfect moment to turn you into a Shadow Spirit."
The shadows flowing from Caladbolg rippled and enveloped Caligula on the throne.
"Kraaaah!"
Caligula thrashed to escape the shadows, but this was Zeke's inner world.
He had endured thus far, clinging to his ego, but escaping this place had been impossible from the start.
Soon the shadows crawling over his body completely devoured Caligula.
Rumble rumble rumble!
The shadows that had consumed the master of Shambhala blazed upward like flames, swelling in size and spreading in all directions.
A moment later, the shadowy flames subsided, taking on a single form.
A message appeared before Zeke's eyes.
[The evil soul of Caligula, king of the fallen Third-Eye Clan, has transformed into a Shadow Spirit.]
[Having fully absorbed Caligula's soul and power, the title 'Blood King' is now fully activated.]
From within the blazing black flames emerged a Shadow Spirit with three eyes.
The specter of Caligula, dormant in Zeke's inner world, had become a Shadow Spirit. [Influenced by the authority 'Shadow King,' a powerful Shadow Spirit is born.]
[The Shadow Spirit rejects the authority of the Shadow King with unbelievable mental fortitude.]
Caligula, once the king of Shambhala, astonishingly resisted Zeke's authority even as a Shadow Spirit, refusing submission.
Zeke raised Caladbolg and pointed it at the Shadow Spirit Caligula.
"You're making things harder for yourself than they need to be."
With his resilient mind, Zeke could wield far greater power within his inner world.
Soon, following his will, the Shadow Armor enveloped his body, transforming into a shadow even larger and more imposing than Caligula's.
Rumble rumble rumble—
Zeke's shadow, now vast enough to fill the entire inner world, began to press down on Caligula.
"Kraaaargh!"
Caligula resisted to the end, trying to break free from Zeke, but it was futile.
Soon the shadowy haze coiling around his body began to take shape, wrapping Caligula in black bandages.
Rustle rustle—
Bound in black bandages, Caligula could no longer resist Zeke's authority.
[The Shadow Spirit 'Caligula' submits to the Shadow King.]
[Due to the high rank of the submitting Shadow Spirit, it transcends the limits of a Shadow Spirit.]
[The Shadow Spirit 'Caligula' becomes the Shadow Guardian Spirit 'Caligula' and is registered as the user's Guardian.]
Zeke was surprised by the message that Caligula had evolved from a Shadow Spirit to a Shadow Guardian Spirit.
'To evolve from spirit to guardian spirit due to its high rank. As expected, Caligula's soul is on a different level from ordinary wraiths.'
The form of Caligula, now a guardian spirit and Guardian, began to change.
Tss tss tss—
As the black bandages covering his face vanished, three red eyes were revealed. At the same time, his hair rose upward, transforming into blazing black flames.
Around the transformed Caligula's neck hung a necklace of 108 prayer beads, and he wore black kasaya robes.
Zeke realized that the attire resembled what Manna, a member of the High Table, had worn.
'Was there some connection between the Daera Sect's origins and Shambhala?'
Both Shambhala and the Daera Sect had vanished in the present day, so the exact details were unknown.
As Zeke pondered this, Caligula, now fully transformed into a Shadow Guardian Spirit, approached and knelt before him.
Thud!
Zeke looked at Caligula and said,
"Caligula. As a guardian spirit, will you pledge your unwavering loyalty to me?" Caligula, bowing to Zeke, spoke.
[Immortal one, bound to you, I am reborn as a new being. I, Caligula, shall fulfill my duty as a guardian spirit and protect you.]
With his soul itself now bound to Zeke, this was a stark contrast to his demeanor as the Blood King.
Satisfied with Caligula's oath, Zeke nodded approvingly.
"Good. I look forward to your future exploits." With that, Zeke snapped his fingers.
His inner world shattered into pieces.
*
"Huh!"
Titus, whose consciousness had faded, regained his senses.
Realizing he still held Zeke's hand, he recoiled in shock.
Zeke, with a relaxed expression, said to Titus,
"Well? Now do you know who I am?"
In that instant, a powerful surge of the Blood King's power emanated from Zeke's body.
Having fully assimilated Caligula's power, Zeke had essentially become the Blood King himself.
Feeling the true nature of that power, Titus paled and trembled. He immediately rose from his seat, knelt, and bowed his head to Zeke.
"I, Titus, a lowly descendant of the clan, greet the incarnation of the Blood King, pinnacle of all blood-flowing creations."
In the presence of Zeke, who possessed a purity and strength of Third-Eye power incomparable to his own, Titus could scarcely breathe.
Zeke looked at him and said,
"Titus, feel the power dwelling within you."
Only then did Titus, trembling in fear, notice the changes in himself.
"This is...?"
To seize Titus's body, Caligula had awakened his potential, elevating the power of the Blood Eye by several levels.
Feeling the Blood Eye, now incomparably stronger than before, Titus shuddered in awe.
"Ah, the grace of the king... I have received the true grace of the king!"
Zeke regarded Titus nonchalantly and said,
"There are only you and your sister among the Third-Eye Clan here, correct?"
Through Dragonʼs Wisdom, Zeke had also learned of his sister Yulina during the information scan.
Titus lifted his head and replied,
"Yes, my king."
"From what I read, your initial alliance with Narak was to reclaim the Blood King's power. Is that right?"
Titus nodded stiffly.
"Y-Yes. I beg your forgiveness for my ignorance and profane thoughts toward you, my king. Slay me!"
Zeke rose from his seat and said,
"What benefit would I gain from killing you over something so trivial?"
Zeke approached Titus, placed a hand on his shoulder, and said,
"Titus, can you pledge true loyalty to me?"
Titus looked up at Zeke with an expression of reverence and said,
"Of course, my king! Command me as you will."
Zeke nodded at Titus's words.
"Good. Then, Titus, you'll assist me with one task."
Zeke smirked at Titus's enthusiastic gaze, ready for anything.
*
Titus descended into the basement of the stone building alongside Yulina, who had pulled her hood low.
As they approached the entrance to the underground cave connected to the building, the Narak mages guarding it were startled by Titus's approach and asked,
"Wh-what brings you all the way here?"
Titus, with a cold expression, glared at the Narak mages and said,
"How dare you block my path. Step aside at once!"