The Conquerors Path Chapter 1000 - 998-Corrupted.

"Nia, are you okay!?"

Leonardo yelled while gripping Nia tightly, her form appearing utterly unconscious, as the other five fellows began stirring slowly, letting out groans from their spots on the floor. I witnessed the entire scene, my straightforward yet wild scheme erupting in my head while my steps echoed through the cavern, snapping everyone's attention straight back to me.

Before long, I stepped into sight at the location, clad head to toe in black, resembling the typical shadowy killer dispatched to drag someone into endless night.

"My... my... I didn’t expect such a reaction when I broke the tablet. Guess I got lucky."

My murmured words slipped out, instantly twisting the faces of those clustered nearby into grim scowls.

"Who are you?"

Leonardo demanded with a piercing stare. At that point, exhaustion weighed on him heavily, his breaths coming in gasps amid some backlash effects, leaving him visibly strained. I noted the sight with a grin, casually circling and flipping the daggers between my fingers before answering.

"Oh... just a passing by person, coming to take a look when I got the job to take some people out. Never expected to get lucky to find a historic world hidden somewhere like this~"

The mocking tone in my whisper only deepened the ugliness on their faces. A soft, radiant glow bloomed around Leonardo's frame as Durandal materialized in his grasp, his scowl matching the intensifying, warping force emanating from him that grew denser by the second.

Reflecting on that, I merely flicked my wrist, and in an instant, Leonardo vanished only to slam hard against the cavern wall, his body writhing and grunting in pain on the ground, the blade vanishing after the brutal impact, as I grinned and spun the dagger once more.

"Not bad, that’s quite some power."

I commented while advancing, my murderous aura flooding the area overwhelmingly, yet even as I focused on that, a hushed phrase escaped my lips, striking directly at Leonardo.

"Looks like Sir Austin’s payment was quite good. I am having fun."

My statement froze Leonardo in shock, his face twisting with intense fury and disbelief as he bellowed.

"Austin sent you!?"

He roared with raw rage and a sense of betrayal, prompting my smirk in return. The remaining guys huddled closer, shaking noticeably, and I responded to them.

"Yup, and none of you are going to escape from here to tell anyone a thing."

With those words, I swung my dagger in a casual arc, moving at speeds no one could track, and in that swift motion alone, the heads of the five clustered men dropped clean off. They were Leonardo's companions in a sense. The gruesome display turned Leonardo's eyes bloodshot, brimming with profound loathing and wrath.

"I WILL KILL YOU!!"

He exploded in fury, his gaze blazing with sheer hatred, no doubt about it. Just as I prepared to strike him down, a pure silver-white radiance unfurled, the shattered tablet fragments seemingly awakening. In a flash, it enveloped Leonardo, shielding him completely, his cries echoing out.

"NO!... not just me, take her too!"

Leonardo hollered, catching me off guard, so I reacted swiftly.

"You are not going anywhere!"

I bellowed while lunging, but my strike rebounded uselessly, and before another attempt could land, Leonardo got pulled away to who-knows-where. Of course, I actually knew the destination, but I played it off as ignorance. Gradually, his figure dissolved from view, and I observed the whole vanishing act. In moments, only silence remained in the cave with me, alongside some corpses and a guy disguised as a woman pretending to be out cold.

Thus, I grinned and approached one of the rock formations resembling a chair, settling down. "Nia's" body stayed sprawled on the floor as I, still smiling, allowed my disguise to dissolve, revealing my true appearance while I addressed her.

"Come on, 007, you are better than this."

At the sound of my regular voice, 007's form shuddered, his panicked look shifting to something more composed and steady as he abruptly bolted upright, his face utterly relaxed before he moved to clamp down on a tooth hiding a lethal poison.

"Ah!... nah... nah... You ain’t going down that fast."

I said with a grin, seizing control over his whole body, which locked rigid. There he remained, seated stiffly on the ground, immobile, his gaze overflowing with utter hopelessness as he stared at me. Witnessing my dominance up close, he grasped the truth. I wielded total authority over his existence and destiny.

"It’s a mystery indeed. You were on the path to a great future, came to work for me, working for me, a great life was ahead of you, yet you suddenly threw it all away by betraying me. I wonder why."

I remarked, even though I already knew the cause. I simply wanted to hear it straight from him. So, I handed him the chance to explain.

"Do anything stupid and let’s say, death will be better, all right?"

I warned with a smile, and in his quaking fear, 007 nodded. From the instant I showed up, I noticed the transformation inside him. His loyalties had realigned, and that wasn't trivial.

"Leonardo... he saved me... he doesn’t deserve what you are going to give him."

007 uttered in a tense voice, clearly fully swayed by Leonardo, which I had anticipated but not quite this rapidly. My thoughts raced as I realized this historic world carried deeper purpose.

Such a historic realm demanded choosing a path guided by one's convictions, and I comprehended its intent perfectly. Plenty of folks surrounded Leonardo to keep him in check, not only from my influence, yet all had swiftly succumbed to his charisma and exceptional traits, so unlike this grim, spiteful realm. As I mentioned, fortune truly aids in these situations.

I gave 007 a sly grin, him still grounded and eyeing me.

"So how much did you tell him?"

My question made 007 tense up as a sudden urge to stay silent gripped him. I laughed at the fresh wave of devotion surging through him, pondering briefly. For my upcoming moves, ending him would be simple, but wasteful. Now, he had genuinely earned Leonardo's friendship and allegiance, and offing him to deliver his head would shatter Leonardo deeply. Far better to repurpose him.

With that, I rose from my perch, turbulent energy churning visibly around me at full force, and for the first time, I let the emerging corruption show openly before him. Dense crimson power coiled and lusts shaped around it, laced with subtle violet flickers. The instant 007 beheld it, reason fled him, and I spotted the terrifying dread in his eyes toward the destined leader against corruption, now steeped in illogical depths of it.

Quickly, I loomed above 007, my gaze glowing with corrupt red as I pressed my palms to his features, his stare locked on me in profound desperation while I smirked.

"Don’t worry, 007, you will only become more useful for me."

With that declaration, crimson radiance erupted from me, swirling and thrusting as it began invading 007's form via every opening—nostrils, eyes, ears, and mouth. His frame quaked violently as the force seeped in, burrowing not only into his flesh but his very spirit, reshaping him at the core.

I retreated a pace to observe the process. As I noted, reluctance to employ it doesn't mean I avoid it with foes. It's a standard alteration technique, not boosting my strength significantly, but effective when needed.

I watched the faint, soothing silver glow resist briefly, yet it crumbled in under a second, corrupting even the newly forged bond of devotion into something warped, leaving only the blood-red void.

At last, the ordeal ended with 007 collapsing to the floor, his eyes flashing red momentarily before normalizing. He appeared unchanged overall. Well, still in female attire, but you understand.

So I grinned at the transformation as 007 dropped to his knees immediately.

"Master."

His tone rang with total reverence, for now, to him, I embodied his deity, the origin of his downfall. And I sensed the twisted cravings churning inside 007, eager to unleash.

I smirked while saying.

"So, what and all did you tell our dear pure-hearted hero?"

In response, 007 spoke freely without pause.