I Ascend to the Divine Throne through Arcane Means

At this moment, Richie finally noticed the strangeness of the fog surrounding him.

He stopped walking and cautiously looked around.

And that fog seemed to carry a cold aura, slipping into his collar, which made him shiver involuntarily.

A trace of fear flashed through his eyes. He clenched his fists, took a deep breath, and once again started walking forward, quickening his pace.

The fog became thicker and thicker, transforming into an invisible wall in front of him, blocking his view.

What is happening?

Richie didn't understand why this was happening.

Could it be that those Evil God believers were planning to attack Lonely Mountain City again?

But it shouldn't be!

His Majesty Preston had just severely injured those Evil God believers, so how could they appear again in such a short time?

Moreover, even if there was an attack, it shouldn't target someone as ordinary as he is, just a plain Dwarf.

Except for his slightly noble status, he was no different from an ordinary Dwarf, not a target for those Evil God believers.

But in this bizarre situation, Richie couldn't figure out what was going on.

And for some reason, as the gray fog thickened, the fear in his heart became increasingly uncontrollable.

His heart pounded violently in his chest as if he were about to face an arch-nemesis.

He could sense something in the fog watching him, an eerie sensation, like countless cold eyes in the dark staring at his back.

Richie's steps began to falter, but he gritted his teeth, struggling to stay on course.

Suddenly, Richie stopped in place.

He found he was completely lost in the fog, as if he'd been transported to another world.

He could no longer find the way forward.

Richie did not run around randomly, nor did he shout loudly.

He knew that such actions would be pointless in this situation.

However, as a Golden Rank Warrior, Richie felt utterly powerless facing this circumstance.

At this point, a light noise came from in front of Richie, like someone sobbing quietly or maybe a beast whimpering.

His body froze instantly, his heart suddenly tightened, as if it would leap out of his throat.

He fixated his eyes intently on the direction of the sound, his hands unconsciously clenching into fists, palms sweaty.

The sound echoed in the silent fog, growing clearer and seemingly right next to his ear.

Richie's heart beat faster and faster, with an unstoppable, overwhelming feeling.

Furthermore, the gray fog was now slowly enveloping Richie, surrounding him.

This gray fog began seeping into Richie's body.

At this point, no matter how much Richie tried to maintain his sanity, the fear from the bottom of his heart could no longer be contained.

He pulled out a heavy hammer, swinging it frantically in all directions, calling out loud but got no response.

His actions became frenzied, and his expression was increasingly twisted.

However, it seemed to have no effect.

Thump thump~

Thump thump~

Thump!

Richie's heartbeat sped faster, becoming more violent, and his face flushed bright red.

"Ah!"

Finally, Richie couldn't bear the frantic throbbing of his heart and screamed miserably, his entire body collapsing into a puddle of dark gray sludge, writhing mindlessly in place.

...

At the edge of the gray fog, Lis and Kelleb stood watching Richie, engulfed by the mist.

Of course, if that monster was still "Richie."

Initially, Lis had led Kelleb toward Richie.

Kelleb thought Lis had something to discuss with Richie.

But he watched Lis use Space Magic to separate the space where Richie was from Lonely Mountain City, summoning the eerie gray mist to completely envelop Richie.

Kelleb initially wanted to ask.

He could see that Lis was up to no good with Richie but didn't know why Lis would do this.

But as the gray fog thickened, Kelleb witnessed Richie's erratic behavior.

He no longer wanted to question Lis.

Under the influence of the gray fog, Richie's reactions were entirely off.

Especially the last bout of madness, he wasn't at all like a Dwarf Minister, more like a beast completely devoid of reason.

If it were just that, Kelleb would only think Richie was being controlled by someone.

Possibly by those Evil God believers.

That's why Lis detected it.

But with Richie's final transformation, completely becoming a shadow monster, Kelleb couldn't contain his expression anymore.

Wasn't this the shadow monster he and Lis encountered in the Shadow Nest of Lonely Mountain City's cavern?

Richie is a shadow monster?

How is this possible!

Kelleb looked at Richie, transformed into a shadow monster, bewildered and speechless.

He remembered clearly; weren't these shadow monsters supposed to have no intelligence?

So why did it turn into Richie?

Kelleb felt his thoughts were a bit chaotic, not knowing how to react for the moment.

Had he been drinking with a shadow monster all this time?

Was Richie always a shadow monster, or was he replaced by these shadow monsters later?

He was a Legendary Strongman after all!

He never realized the Richie beside him was a shadow monster?

Thinking of this, Kelleb turned to look at Lis, who was carefully observing the shadow monster, feeling a bit emotional inside.

The gap between him and Lis seemed larger than he thought.

Thinking of having a shadow monster beside him sent a chill down his spine.

He wouldn't want to face a Shadow Nest assault alone.

Lis, next to him, paid no mind to Kelleb's anomaly, instead focusing all his attention on the "Richie" before him.

Seeing Richie at first glance, he sensed something peculiar.

There was a familiar aura on Richie, though extremely faint, it still made him uncomfortable.

After recalling briefly, he remembered where he'd encountered such a peculiar aura.

Shadow Nest!

This was the aura of the [Shadow Veil] Kent Holden!

Previously, Lis couldn't grasp the reason.

It seemed that the Evil God believers of the Shadow King were making too big a fuss in Lonely Mountain City.

Generally, Evil God believers' attacks served a purpose.

Even if they were mad, even if they were chaotic, they would still choose decisions favorable to themselves.

This time, the appearance and departure of the Shadow King believers and [Shadow Veil] Kent Holden seemed too trivial.

This awareness made Lis keep a closer watch.

Yet during this time, Lis found nothing.

But perhaps the area of activity for Dwarf Lisi was too narrow.

Upon realizing Richie's anomaly, Lis understood he had caught the tail of the Shadow King Evil God believers.

Unlike the shadow monsters during the previous Shadow Tide attack event, this one could escape the vigilance of legendary eyes and, disguised as a Dwarf, possessed intelligence.

If that were the case, then the Evil God believers' plot of the Shadow King would be massive.

Replacing one by one the high-levels of various extraordinary forces, even if they hadn't replaced many, succeeding in one or two would yield significant gains.

Even be pieces that could influence the big picture!

Honestly, Lis never expected the shadow monsters produced by the Shadow Nest could achieve this.

Not a single piece of information from his previous life leaked, so did the Shadow King Church's plot succeed?

Lis was unsure, but capturing this shadow monster Richie was the greatest success!

After pondering for a moment, Lis manipulated the surrounding gray fog, letting it all surge into Richie's body.

Richie's body froze, stopping all movement, remaining still in place.

This was his mastery of Shadow Power, which he poured entirely into Richie's body, attempting to control this shadow monster.