Awakening of the Arcane Overlord

'Did the Lord of the Dark destroy the souls?'

The chilling thought made Zevan lose his mind and his body turned cold. His heart pounded madly as fear engulfed him like a thick blanket. He stared at the imposter in horror only to find him grinning at him evilly as if he had read Zevan's mind.

Zevan's head spun and he had to hold himself from not crumbling. He wanted to cry desperately. He was too aggrieved, more than he had been when his men had died.

At least, they had the chance to reincarnate then. Now, with their souls destroyed, they would never reincarnate.

Zevan was filled with anger and he stormed off towards the imposter, his eyes blazing with fire. He just wanted to end the man who was the reason for their miseries, with the imposter being the first.

On seeing Zevan's strange actions, Elion frowned in contemplation. 'What is wrong with, Zevan? Why is he...'

His eyes rounded in disbelief when he noticed who his disciple was approaching. From his demeanor and body language, it did not seem he was going for a talk. It seemed like he wanted to confront the imposter directly and fight him head-on.

Elion trembled. It would do them no good if they confronted the imposter right now. The man was immensely powerful. He could end them all in a blink. 

Moreover, Elion was not certain how many would believe Zevan and him. Would they even trust them when they revealed the imposter's identity? For now, they had to endure.

'Zevan, stop your madness.' Elion stopped him before his disciple burst out.

However, Zevan did not listen to him. He continued to stride towards the imposter, who was looking at him with a wicked glint.

'Zevan, stop there right now. It is my order,' Elion berated him harshly, and this time, Zevan halted immediately as if someone had cast a spell on him.

"Master..." Zevan was aggrieved. He badly wanted to tear off the imposter's limbs and kill him. 

'Why are you agitated all of a sudden? What happened?' Elion softened his stance when he met his disciple's indignant eyes.

'Master, despite us succeeding in casting the Soul Avenge Spell, we will not be able to summon any souls. Not today, not tomorrow, not in the future,' Zevan revealed, his eyes red with anger. He had to use a lot of willpower to not defy his Master and end the imposter.

'Zevan, why are you speaking this way? What did you find out?' Elion became alert at once and he glanced at the imposter vigilantly.

'Master...' Zevan hesitated and clenched his fists.

'Zevan,' Elion warned him, forcing him to speak and the obedient disciple relented under pressure.

'Master, the Lord of the Dark has...has...has...," Zevan could not continue. He choked on his sobs as he mourned for the brave men. 'He has destroyed all the souls. They will never be returning.'

He somehow managed to convey the message after a long time. It had taken him a lot of energy and Zevan felt utterly drained. With dejected eyes, he looked at his Master who seemed to have lost his soul.

'Zevan, please tell me it is all a lie?' Elion begged as his eyes welled up.

When Zevan shook his head, Elion broke down completely.

Unlike Zevan who had withheld himself and controlled his emotions, Elion's reaction was drastic and he gained everyone's attention instantly.

"Elion, what happened?" King Harold, who was nearby, held him before he collapsed to the ground. "Why..."

"Your Majesty..." Elion shook his head as tears streamed down his face.

Harold was at a loss for words. Elion's reaction was so extreme that he could not comprehend what had happened. It was the first time he was witnessing the mighty man fall apart.

"Elion, what happened? You are scaring me."

Even King Darcy, King Thalor, and King Samael were flummoxed to see Elion cry.

Elion was known for his valor and power. He was one of the most revered men not just in Meadel but in the entire Azuvar. It came as a shock to everyone to see his strange actions.

"Your Majesty, we will never be able to summon the souls. They...they..." Elion stammered, having difficulty in speaking. His breath was stuck while his chest constricted in pain. "Their souls have been destroyed."

His words were like a thunderbolt. Not the kings but the entire crowd went silent. It took a few seconds to digest the truth, and once they did, they collapsed to the ground similarly.

King Harold was too stunned to speak a word and he stared at Elion in denial. "It cannot be. It cannot be. It cannot happen. Their souls cannot be destroyed. You are lying. You must be mistaken."

Shaking his head in denial, Harold tried to summon the souls again. However, irrespective of how many ever times he tried, there was no response. His calls went unanswered.

As time passed, Harold lost all hope. His body trembled and he dropped to his knees in despair. The truth was hard to believe but impossible to ignore.

His men, his brave men were gone. They were dead and had no chance of reincarnation. A mournful cry left his lips while tears of rage, sorrow, and hatred streamed down his face. 

The crowd's reaction was no less different from his, especially the ones who were related to the dead men. They did not stop sobbing as they lamented their fates.

A melancholic atmosphere fell on Meadel. Even the three kings were devastated. If they had any suspicions previously, it vanished completely. 

The Lord of the Dark was back. They could not point out anyone powerful who could destroy the souls other than him. It had to be him. 

Darcy glanced at the two other kings and a silent conversation ensued between them. They had to speak to the other kings. They needed their cooperation. Otherwise, it was impossible to defeat the Lord of the Dark. The situation was more perilous than they had thought.

"Father, please do not cry." Ignoring Zevan's resentful gaze, the fake Jarett kneeled beside King Harold. "The people of Meadel need you. You need to stay strong."

Zevan was livid. The imposter's fake concern made him want to chop him into pieces. But he held himself in while he gnashed his teeth silently.

However, Elion was not as calm as his disciple. He glowered hard at the imposter. Utterly irate, his anger got the best of him and he pounced on him as he howled, "You monster, I will kill you today!"