Chapter 94: ⁹⁴The Altar At The Bottom Of The Dungeon

​Their footsteps echoed down the stone corridor that sloped steeply downward.

​Ethan led without hesitation, leaving the main gate of the Dungeon and the suspicious glares of the academy instructors far behind. To his left, Isolde’s navy-blue dress brushed softly against the dusty floor. To his right, Kaelia stepped vigilantly. The girl’s red-and-gold uniform was still rumpled from their struggle in the bedroom.

​The deeper they went, the more suffocating the air felt. The magical torches on the walls emitted a faint, weak bluish glow, failing to dispel the thick shadows in the corners of the corridor. The smell of wet earth, ancient minerals, and something far darker slowly crept into their lungs.

​"This isn’t a normal route." Kaelia rubbed her arms as goosebumps suddenly broke out on her skin. "I’ve memorized the upper Dungeon map. We’ve veered off way too far."

​Isolde turned her head toward the stone wall, her ice-blue eyes scanning the flow of mana. "You’re right. My Lord... we’ve passed the public area. Down here, the academy map no longer applies."

​"I know," Ethan replied flatly. "Just follow me."

​Ethan’s steps halted in front of a dead-end wall. The stone surface was covered in foul-smelling black moss and cracks born of age. However, right in the center, there was a faint circular engraving featuring five small seals.

​"A dead end?" Kaelia raised an eyebrow. "Are we lost?"

​"Shut up and watch," Ethan cut her off.

​The young man pulled the pitch-black iron key from his pocket. Without hesitation, he plunged the tip of the key right into the center of the seal.

​A second of silence passed. Then, a dense black glow seeped from the crevices of the stone.

​RUMBLE...!

​The ground vibrated violently. The stone wall split apart and opened inward like the giant jaws of a monster. Simultaneously, dark miasma spewed out, carrying a suffocating, humid wind.

​Kaelia coughed loudly, instinctively taking a step back. "Ugh! What is this smell? It feels like... a rotting corpse."

​"Get in," Ethan commanded with absolute authority, stepping through the dense mist.

​Kaelia clicked her tongue in annoyance. She swallowed hard, her throat suddenly dry, yet she still trailed behind. Isolde adjusted her glasses and followed in silence.

​The condition of this secret corridor was far worse. The floor was severely cracked, covered in thick black moss and fragments of ancient bones. Without magical torches, the pure illumination came from the glowing miasma on the walls. Reliefs of horned demons and leafless rose vines adorned the entire length of the hallway.

​"What is this place?" Kaelia whispered, narrowing her eyes. "A forbidden cult site?"

​Ethan ignored her, continuing to stride forward. However, inside his head, a low laugh echoed.

​"Descend deeper, My Lord," Asmodeus whispered, his voice wet with anticipation. "The altar awaits you. The lust you harvest tonight... its value will be multiplied."

​A very faint smirk formed at the corner of Ethan’s lips. This isn’t an ordinary ritual room.

​"Of course it isn’t," Asmodeus said arrogantly. "This was my very first worship chamber. Hundreds of years ago, this was where I first tasted the sins of humans begging for my power. Now... it’s your turn to claim it."

​GROOOAAARRR!

​A low growl that vibrated through their ribs suddenly exploded from the end of the corridor.

​Kaelia immediately widened her stance, her fists clenched. "Something’s coming!"

​The air around Isolde plummeted to the freezing point. "Allow me to handle it, My Lord."

​"No." Ethan held Isolde back by the shoulder. His eyes shifted to look at the red-haired girl beside him. "Let Kaelia handle it."

​Kaelia’s golden-yellow eyes widened. "Huh?! In a cramped space like this?"

​"Consider it a test." Ethan’s gaze turned cold. "Prove that you are useful."

​Isolde immediately stepped back in obedience. Kaelia snorted loudly, her ponytail swaying aggressively. Her noble pride was set ablaze by that condescending gaze.

​From behind the darkness, the figure of the monster leaped out.

​A Dire Wolf Alpha. It was the size of a pony, with black fur as coarse as wire and eyes glowing blood-red. Black saliva dripped from its fangs, hissing as it scorched the stone floor.

​The monster lunged like lightning.

​The battle broke out. Kaelia dodged nimbly, firing two consecutive fireballs. However, the mutant wolf burst through the flames without hesitation, delivering a lethal claw strike.

​SLASH!

​"Kh!" Kaelia let out a muffled scream. The monster’s claws tore through the sleeve of her uniform, carving three gashes that gushed fresh blood. Her body flew back, her spine slamming into the stone wall. Her vision blurred slightly.

​Isolde almost stepped forward, but Ethan’s hand locked her in place.

​"Not yet," Ethan ordered.

​Hearing that, the last remnants of Kaelia’s pride exploded. She stood up, roughly wiping the blood from her arm. Pure hatred radiated from her eyes.

​"How dare you touch me, you ugly dog!" Kaelia roared.

​She drew her mutated magic to its absolute limit. The fire on her hands shifted from bright orange to a dark red, resembling boiling blood. With an explosive thrust beneath her feet, Kaelia shot forward like a comet. Her fist smashed squarely into the monster’s lower jaw.

​BOOM!

​The explosion of dark red fire incinerated half of the Dire Wolf’s face. The monster howled in agony in mid-air before crashing onto the floor and crumbling into blackish ash.

​Kaelia stood panting heavily. Sweat and blood dripped from her temples. Her knees trembled violently, but she had managed to bring down the Alpha all on her own. She turned to Ethan, her chin lifted slightly, demanding validation.

​Ethan walked past her, casting a brief glance at the monster’s ashes. "Good."

​A single word. Yet an arrogant smile instantly returned to grace Kaelia’s face. She straightened her back, ignoring the stinging pain in her arm, and fell back into line.

​The further they walked, the more suffocating the black miasma in the air became.

​"Master... the atmosphere here is unnatural," Isolde whispered while hugging herself. "I feel so cold... as if there is ice beneath my skin."

​"Cold?" Kaelia wiped the sweat from her neck. "Are you crazy? My chest is tight, and my heart has been pounding crazy fast this whole time. It’s hot in here."

​"That is your bodies’ response to pure miasma," Ethan explained without looking back. "This place reacts to the residual lust and fear within your mana circuits. Endure it a little longer."

​Their steps came to an end in front of a set of double doors made of solid stone.

​Engraved above it was a relief of a giant serpent coiling around a rose. A dark, ancient aura radiated strongly from its surface, forcing Kaelia and Isolde to hold their breath.

​"Here it is," Ethan muttered. He pressed his palm against the cold stone.

​CREAAAK.

​The double doors slid open inward automatically, welcoming back the true ruler.

​The room behind it was extraordinarily vast. The walls were made of polished black obsidian, reflecting the lingering light of the miasma. There was no dust. No moss. Time was frozen inside this worship chamber.

​In the center of the room rested a massive altar of pure marble, adorned with similar engravings of serpents and roses.

​Kaelia’s breathing grew heavier. "This place... is driving me crazy. My body feels so strange."

​"It’s the same for me," Isolde added softly. She took off her fogged-up glasses. Her ice-blue eyes now appeared droopy. "The mana inside my body is churning."

​Ethan walked up to the altar, tracing the stone engravings with his fingers. He turned around, gazing at the two women currently plagued by magical confusion and anticipation.

​His faint smirk widened. "Of course it is. Because tonight, the two of you are the offerings."

​Without preamble, Ethan stripped off his black shirt and tossed it onto the obsidian floor.

​The muscles of his torso were exposed, flaunting the scratches and bruises from previous battles. The moment his shirt was shed, reddish-black Sin Mana exploded from his pores, assimilating perfectly with the room’s miasma.

​That aura of dominance struck Isolde and Kaelia dead-on.

​"Strip off your clothes," Ethan commanded with absolute finality. His dark brown eyes had turned into a fierce crimson red.

​Isolde did not argue. With graceful movements, she unzipped her nightgown. The expensive fabric slid to the floor, exposing her pale skin. "Your will is my law, My Lord."

​Conversely, Kaelia took a step back. She covered her tattered uniform. "W-Wait! Here?! On top of that rock?! I’m not ready—"

​"I didn’t ask," Ethan interrupted.

​In a flash, he snatched Kaelia’s wrist, yanking her roughly until she bumped against his broad chest.

​"You are mine," Ethan whispered lethally. "And you will serve me atop this altar."

​Ethan tore away what remained of her red-and-gold uniform. Kaelia’s protests were silenced by a rough kiss that robbed her of whatever sanity remained. Ethan hoisted the girl’s body up and forcefully laid her down onto the cold altar, followed by Isolde who crawled up obediently.

​The ritual began.

​The moment their skin touched atop the worship stone, Sin Mana blanketed the altar like a living fog.

​Ding!

​A holographic screen exploded in Ethan’s retina.

​[God-Tier Altar of Lust Detected!]

[Ritual Catalyst Active.]

[Warning: All Lust Points from Subjugation in This Area Are Doubled (x2)!]

​A wild glint flashed in Ethan’s crimson eyes. He grabbed Isolde’s hips.

​"Look at me when you scream my name, Isolde," he whispered possessively.

​"A-Ahh! M-My Lord... Ethan...!" Isolde shrieked softly as the invasion of Sin Mana slammed into her neural circuits. The Ice Queen’s defenses shattered into dust.

​Beside her, Kaelia was given no respite.

​"Louder, Kaelia!" Ethan grabbed the girl’s chin. "Prove to me that you can endure against me!"

​"I-I... hnghh! Don’t look down on me! D-Damn it... ahh...!" Kaelia groaned incoherently. Tears of passion flowed from her eyes. The noble pride of the Ashford family melted away without a trace beneath the Demon King’s pressure.

​The marble altar resonated. The black miasma swirled wildly, absorbing the surging atmosphere of lust.

​On Isolde’s back, the rose Lust Brand expanded like living roots. Its color shifted to a deep pitch-black, adorned with glowing ice-blue veins that flared in tandem with her waves of pleasure. On Kaelia’s abdomen, her rose tattoo evolved into petals of dark red fire that blended with the deep shadows.

​"Don’t let it go to waste, My Lord!" Asmodeus cheered madly in his head. "Squeeze their souls dry!"

​The ritual knew no mercy. Isolde collapsed first. Her body was drenched in sweat, her eyes half-closed as her breath came in ragged gasps before she finally slumped unconscious.

​Yet Ethan did not stop.

​He continued moving over Isolde’s unresponsive body. The Ice Queen’s frame merely accepted every thrust like a submissive doll. Even so, short moans still escaped her parted lips. No longer sobs of pleasure, but hollow whimpers of someone whose sanity had been completely squeezed dry.

​"Nghh... My Lord... enough... I cannot... take more..." Isolde whimpered almost inaudibly.

​Yet Ethan kept plunging in, showing no mercy.

​Beside her, Kaelia tried to regain her consciousness. However, the moment she saw that sight—the already limp Isolde still being treated like that—her fear and passion blended into one.

​"Crazy... you’re a absolute monster..." Kaelia whispered in despair.

​Ethan merely turned his head, smirking fiercely. "You’re next."

​Kaelia’s body was dropped onto the altar beside Isolde. She struggled longer. Her physical strength was indeed higher than the Ice Queen’s. However, that only made her suffer longer. Kaelia’s turn became far more terrifying because she was forced to remain conscious until the final peak.

​"I-I... hate... you...!" Kaelia shrieked while gripping Ethan’s arm, her tears falling uncontrollably.

​"Hate or love, it doesn’t matter," Ethan replied. "What matters... is that you’re still mine."

​And when Kaelia could no longer form sentences, only chaotic whimpers could be heard. She passed out with her eyes rolling back, her body drenched in sweat and their bodily fluids.

​Even though both of them had collapsed, Ethan pushed himself beyond his limits, absorbing every last drop of energy until a massive explosion of Sin Mana swept through the room.

​The altar vibrated violently. The dense miasma in the air was greedily sucked into Ethan’s body.

​Ethan slumped down, sitting back against the edge of the altar. Sweat drenched his bare chest. His chest heaved rapidly. His muscles screamed in exhaustion.

​[Altar Ritual Completed!]

[Doubled Lust Points Acquired!]

[Massive Points Added to Shop Balance!]

​Ethan stared at his trembling palms. A hoarse laugh escaped his throat.

​"Hah... damn it," he chuckled softly. "This is the first time I’ve been truly exhausted."

​"Enjoy your fatigue, My Lord," Asmodeus replied with satisfaction. "That is the weight of carrying a crown upon a sea of sin."

​Atop the altar, Isolde and Kaelia slept in an overlapping position. Their evolved Lust Brands glowed softly, locking a soul bond that grew increasingly unbreakable.

​Ethan rested his head against the cold stone. His eyes stared up at the obsidian ceiling, where the demonic reliefs seemed to bow down, watching over the new ruler resting upon his throne.