With a chilling smile, Ronnel's bloodstained teeth glinted, their crimson hue reflected vividly in Overlord's hollow, skeletal eyes. His strange question made Overlord hesitate.
"Miniature Rose? Momentary Epiphyllum? What are those? Weapons?"
Overlord, a denizen of the Dark Continent, was unfamiliar with these terms. He instinctively assumed they referred to biological weapons akin to the terrifying flora of his homeland.
"A weapon? That's not entirely wrong~" Ronnel spat blood onto the ground, wiping the corner of his mouth casually.
"One of them, Poor Man's Rose, is a marvel of simplicity. It's cheap to produce, easy to manufacture, and devastatingly effective. Its explosive force is immense, but its toxicity is the real killer—it's favored by small dictatorships looking to instill fear."
Ronnel's voice carried an unsettling nonchalance as he explained. Overlord, though deeply intrigued, felt his confusion mounting.
"The other one, however, is the opposite in many ways. Its explosive power is comparable, but it lacks the lethal toxicity. Its effects are short-lived, suitable for individual combat but impractical for large-scale warfare."
He continued, as though giving a lecture. "Because it's less useful on the battlefield and costs the same as the rose, its market performance was... underwhelming. Nations and buyers often dismiss it as overpriced and impractical."
"But," Ronnel added with a crooked grin, "that's precisely why it's still available, unlike the rose, which was banned under international sanctions. A market failure, but a blessing for me."
Overlord's skeletal frame trembled. He didn't understand Ronnel's words fully, but his unease grew stronger with each passing second.
Then, Ronnel raised his hand, and from his palm, a small, exquisite flower appeared. Its green and white petals were tinged with delicate red halos, while an amber calyx shone faintly in the dim light—a breathtaking vision.
But this was no ordinary flower. Upon closer inspection, it was clearly metallic. Its petals gleamed unnaturally, devoid of any floral fragrance or softness.
Overlord's bones creaked audibly as he recoiled. His instincts screamed danger. This feeling was far more ominous than when he had faced the blood-red cloth on Ronnel's hand atop the bone dragon Sigwumidi.
"What... what are you planning?" Overlord rasped, his hollow voice trembling with unease.
Ronnel smiled wider. "It's like a flash in the pan. A momentary blaze of power, as fleeting as it is devastating. Behold—"
He clenched the metal flower in his hand, and his voice rose with an almost cheerful tone.
"Momentary Epiphyllum!"
The words echoed like a death knell. Overlord watched in horror, unable to act. The instant Ronnel crushed the metallic flower, a brilliant white light erupted, engulfing everything in its path.
The undead bone demons, their skeletal mountains, and Ronnel himself were swallowed by the searing light. The world seemed to dissolve in an instant.
Far away, on a desolate island shrouded in eerie silence, strange khaki-yellow rocks jutted out of the barren landscape. At the center stood an ancient gate engraved with intricate patterns, exuding a weight of history that could crush the unprepared.
Within this gate lay peculiar structures—buildings that seemed abandoned, yet maintained an air of vigilance. The stillness was broken by a sudden, sharp voice.
"Hmm? Has the Seal been broken already? Not even a hundred years have passed. Could those bone-dwellers really have escaped?"
The voice spoke in a guttural language unfamiliar to the six continents. It grated like nails on a chalkboard, painful to hear, and more unsettling than words could describe.
As the voice echoed, faint winds stirred among the other buildings, muffling it entirely. Silence reclaimed the area, save for the occasional whispers carried on the wind.
"Let them leave if they've managed it. Those humans back then could barely contain them. It's only natural they'd slip free eventually."
The tone shifted, now laced with disdain. "Greed blinds them all. Humans, so desperate to reclaim treasures they abandoned, never learn. This world has its rules, and we are no exception. They'll find no solace here."
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