86: Charlie, gradually becoming demonized

Charlie rode the Golden Rainbow Flame Divine Beast, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He didn't care at all, looking as if his soul had been snatched away.

"Why? Why? How did it come to this?" Charlie looked at his hands, which had turned black and were even covered in fine scales. He knew he was one step closer to becoming one of the Demon Race. Even the magic he was so proud of had merged with the power of the Demon Race, becoming one.

He used to hate the Demon Race the most, and had even led troops alongside Carlos to fight against them. Now, he had become a demon himself, turning into the very thing he loathed most. This was hard for him to accept for a moment, to the point where he didn't even realize the Golden Rainbow Flame Divine Beast had already reached the demon Lair.

"General, General, what's wrong with you? General!" A demon soldier asked in confusion as he looked at the dazed Charlie.

Seeing that Charlie didn't respond, several demon soldiers reached out to help him down to the ground. "Are you alright? General! Quick, quick, quick, take the General to the Abyssal Demon!" Several demon soldiers began to support Charlie, leading him toward the darkness deep within the Lair.

By the time Charlie regained consciousness, he was lying on the pitch-black Ink Dragon Reclining Bed. He howled in pain, "I don't want to! I don't want to! I don't want to become a demon!"

He roared frantically, rubbing his hands together in an attempt to forcefully scrape off those newly grown scales. Unfortunately, the scales were too hard, only making a clattering sound as they rubbed against each other.

"Report, General, the person you brought back has woken up!" A demon soldier appeared at Charlie's door and spoke respectfully.

"What?" Charlie leaped from the bed and walked quickly out of the room. However, when he reached the door to Carlos's room, he suddenly stopped.

He looked at his hands, not knowing how to face Carlos. While he was hesitating, Carlos's miserable screams came from inside.

"Father, what's wrong, Father?" Charlie rushed in and saw Carlos lying on the Ink Dragon Reclining Bed, howling in pain.

"Charlie, Charlie, you're here, Charlie. Charlie, where am I? Charlie!" Hearing Charlie's voice, Carlos's terrified expression slowly softened. However, it was pitch black here, and he couldn't see anything.

"Father, what's wrong? What's wrong with your eyes?" Charlie asked in confusion after seeing Carlos's reaction.

"Ah, my eyes, my eyes, I'm blind!" Carlos suddenly said in terror, yet he didn't feel any physical sensation of blindness.

"No, General, others cannot see things here because it is too dark!" The demon soldier who had followed them in explained to the two.

At that moment, Charlie finally remembered that only members of the Demon Race didn't need to light lamps. In the dark of night, they could move about as if it were broad daylight; their eyes could see perfectly clearly in the darkness.

This also proved that Charlie had moved one step further toward becoming a demon. Now, he too could see his surroundings clearly in the dark.

"Father, it's okay. It's just too dark here. There's nothing wrong with your eyes. Get some rest and recover from your injuries! I'll come see you again when I have time." At this moment, Charlie was incredibly grateful that the room was pitch black. Otherwise, he didn't know how Carlos would react if he saw the black scales appearing on Charlie's arms.

"Charlie, how did you get here? Where is Wei He? His people are still nearby!" Before Carlos had fainted, he had been surrounded by red alert soldiers, so he now thought Wei He's men were still in the vicinity and warned Charlie.

"It's alright, Father. We're safe now. We've escaped!" Charlie comforted Carlos.

"Good, good, go on then, attend to your business!" Carlos said slowly.

"Mhm, get some rest." After Charlie finished speaking, he turned and walked out of the room.

In the Grand Generals Mansion of Kongdi City, the soldiers who had searched for Carlos all day returned to the city looking disheveled. Several generals were reporting to Neme, while Wei He sat there lazily watching them discuss matters. After all, he was still a Lord of the Magic Empire; he had to keep up appearances before they officially fell out. Suddenly, everyone saw Rutgar walk in from outside.

"Grand General, Grand General, I encountered a strange person at the edge of the Dark Forest! He seemed to be from your Magic Empire!" Rutgar stared straight at Neme and walked directly toward her.

"What strange person? Don't talk nonsense!" Neme was already quite frustrated, and Rutgar's mysterious words only made her angrier.

"He really is someone from your Magic Empire, but then again, he doesn't seem like it. We fought with him, but he managed to escape!" Rutgar continued as he looked at Neme.

"You'd better explain yourself clearly. Otherwise, even as an ally, I won't be polite!" Neme felt that Rutgar was intentionally causing trouble. She had sent him to find Carlos, yet he went looking for some strange person.

"Oh, oh, he used one of your Magic Empire's Magic Arrays, but it was enveloped in the black energy of the Demon Race. Don't you think that's strange?" Seeing Neme's displeasure, Rutgar blurted everything out in one breath.

"What? That's impossible! Our Magic Empire's magic is never shared with outsiders. Even if it were, one would need the right aptitude. Magic isn't something just anyone can practice!" Neme didn't believe Rutgar at all, assuming he was just making things up.

Meanwhile, Wei He, who possessed the Gods Eye View, chuckled from the side. "Perhaps it's someone from the Magic Empire who defected! Don't you all agree?"

"What? What are you saying? It's one thing to be outspoken normally, but how can you say such a thing?"

"Lord, you must never say such things. What if His Majesty finds out?"

"Our Magic Empire has no traitors. We didn't have any in the past, we don't have any now, and we won't have any in the future!"

...Several mages who were usually on good terms with Wei He were also quite indignant upon hearing this. They quickly urged Wei He not to talk nonsense.

"Have you forgotten Charlie? Isn't he from the Magic Empire? He's still serving as a Grand General for the Demon Race right now!" As soon as Wei He's words fell, the entire hall fell into a deathly silence.

"Enough, you can't be certain that person was Charlie! Everyone is tired today. Go back and rest. Stay alert and prevent the Demon Race from launching a sneak attack!" Neme stopped the argument in time and dismissed everyone.

"Wei He, why did you say that just now?" Neme kept Wei He behind and was now staring straight at him, questioning him angrily, "Do you know something?"

"The person Rutgar met at the edge of the Dark Forest today was Charlie. My subordinates were also nearby at the time and had seen Charlie before. Furthermore, I have already found Carlos's location!" Wei He's words hit Neme like a bolt from the blue. Although they had encountered Charlie with the Demon Race before, it could have been explained as a temporary cooperation. But now, hearing the descriptions from Wei He and Rutgar, Charlie had already merged with the Demon Race.

"Is that so? Was it really Charlie? And where is Carlos's location?" A complex look flashed through Neme's eyes before she looked at Wei He calmly.

"Truly. That subordinate had attacked Riquan City before and has a vivid memory of Charlie!" Wei He's lie came easily. Although he was telling the truth, he couldn't reveal the existence of the Gods Eye View, so he could only claim it was a report from a subordinate.