Shadow of the Beautiful World

Eastern Europe, Latvinia.

The situation in this small country, which is not worth mentioning in terms of land area and number of citizens, is as stable as ever. The current king, His Excellency Doom, has a governing group with quite strong executive power.

In addition, there are very few people in this country. After Lord Doom introduced the concept of omnic servants, in just a few years, the residents of Latvinia enjoyed the new life brought about by high technology.

Those jobs in the handicraft industry and the bottom of society are all undertaken by omnics, and the citizens of His Majesty Doom are used to participate in various jobs that are easier and more rewarding.

People's living standards have been greatly improved, the happiness index has exploded, the domestic order is extremely stable, and the crime rate is unbelievably low.

This place was a backward feudal country ten years ago, but now it has become one of the most livable places in the whole world.

And all this is due to the Supreme King.

Victor von Doom.

A monarch who seems to exist only in legends, a monarch who is almost never seen in public, a monarch who is like a ghost, but whose shadow covers the entire kingdom.

People pray to His Majesty Doom before going to sleep, and the king who lives in the castle accepts this reverence openly.

He is neither pedantic nor hypocritical.

He deserves all the praise.

As a teenager, he vowed to change the place where he was born, and now, he has done it, and he has done it better than ever.

On the mountainside of the highest mountain in Latvinia, in the ancient castle that has existed for hundreds of years.

Doom, who was wearing a green hood covering his cheeks, was standing on the terrace of the castle, looking at the country he ruled from here as usual.

The land of Latvinia is small, and Dum, who is a great wizard, can almost see the border at a glance.

Aww

A neighing sound rang out in the sky, awakening His Majesty Doom who was thinking about some problems.

He raised his head, under the hood, in the eye sockets of the silver-white iron mask, he saw a dark red raven passing through the clouds, circling just above his head.

Under the iron mask, Dum's expression changed slightly.

He raised his finger, and the apex of the iron gauntlet shone with magical light, like a lit candle, and a gap was opened in the defensive barrier around the castle.

The raven hovering in the sky neighed, folded its wings, and galloped towards Doom like a falling sharp arrow.

When approaching the terrace, the raven spread its wings, and in an elegant glide, it landed on the stone railing covered with green vines beside Doom.

The whole body of this raven is dark red, and every feather is vividly shaped by magic power, but it doesn't have a solid feeling, like a creation between reality and illusion.

This is a spirit body.

Doom had seen it more than once.

The raven on the rail tilted its head like a real bird, staring at Doom with its onyx eyes, and Doom looked at it.

After looking at each other for a few seconds, Dum chuckled, and his voice came out from under the iron mask, which seemed a bit husky.

He said:

The truce was almost broken, and the eternal battle between heaven and hell has entered an unpredictable stage. An all-out war involving several dimensions is imminent.

A few days ago, I heard from some summoned devils about something going on in hell.

A hell lord has fallen, and his two sons and daughters have inherited the throne. This is probably the first peaceful transfer of kingship in the history of hell, but it was presided over by another mysterious hell lord.

This incident happened so suddenly that it even affected the battle for the King of Hell that had already begun. Those hell lords who had been sharpening their knives stopped their invasion of the world...

I guess they weren't necessarily terrified, but they were definitely shocked by what you did.

Dum said in a tone of admiration or sarcasm:

You are really restless after death, Merlin, oh, maybe I should call you Your Majesty? Or Your Majesty the Maharaja?

In front of Doom, the raven Victor still maintained the posture of the bird with its head tilted. It seemed that it couldn't understand Doom's words at all.

That's okay too, it's a bird.

Although it has its own intelligence, it is still just a bird.

Um?

Seeing this scene, Dum narrowed his eyes in surprise.

what happened?

Could it be that Merlin's consciousness is not carried on this spirit body?

So what did he send this raven here for?

Snapped

The crackling sound of the mobile phone taking photos rang out in the palace behind Dum, and Merlin's weird laughter rang out at the same time.

I must post this photo on the Internet, the conversation between His Excellency Victor von Doom and a bird, who is so wise and mighty that the entire European magic world is terrified... There will definitely be a lot of people who will be criticized by you. The wizard who bullied me praised me.

After all, in the past few years, you have suppressed them very badly.

swish

Dum turned around. Under the thick green robe, both hands have been raised, and in the silver gauntlet, the light of the high-energy laser cannon is constantly gathering and dispersing, and maybe it will burst out in the next second. beam of light.

And in front of his eyes, at the boundary line where the sun shines on the terrace and separates the shadows in the palace, Merlin is standing there.

He was wearing a strange robe, with four corners scattered at the lower end of the robe, a long tail suspended in the air, and black belts hanging down from his shoulders.

This outfit reminded Dum of those ancient wizards.

Mysterious, obscure, and indescribably stable.

But Merlin's movements at this time were not steady. He clasped a newly released smartphone in his raised hand, and the wide cuffs were shaking on his arms, like wings.

how do you...

Under Doom's iron mask, his eyes gleamed unceremoniously, and he asked:

No, when did you come in?

About ten minutes ago.

Merlin put down the phone, and he said to Dum calmly:

Probably when you're standing on the terrace, thinking about what to do with Romanian vampires trying to invade your country...

Speaking of which, do those daring vampires really dare to enter your country? Don't they fear the majesty and power of His Majesty Doom?

Anywhere, any race, any civilization, there are idiots who think they are invincible, not to mention a group of aliens who just woke up from a long-term sleep?

The light of the laser cannon in Doom's hand dimmed.

He looked at Merlin, and he said:

But what I'm more curious about than those worthless offal is, how did you read my mind? So, after resurrection, can you read mind again?

I listen with my ears.

Merlin pointed to his ear, he said:

Death can always bring about some changes, good or bad, probably because of my good luck, I have some new abilities.

Doom took a deep look at Merlin, and in the flash of light from his fingers, a magic that shielded his mind was cast on him.

In that dancing halo, he asked again:

How did you break through the castle's defensive magic? Why didn't I notice it?

I've said it all, I have some trivial new abilities.

Merlin raised his finger, and there was an orange light swaying like running water at the fingertips, and he looked at Doom amidst the vivid ripples.

He said:

Does this make you feel uneasy?

meeting!

Dum said frankly:

You can enter my castle without being discovered by me, which means you can launch an assassination without disturbing me. Maybe you can't kill me, but the officials in the castle will definitely not be spared.

My country will fall into chaos because of this. If I didn't know who you are, I would think that you have united with the group of vampires who are about to move, so as to subvert my country.

Dum said bluntly:

If you just want to show off your new abilities in front of me, then there is no doubt that you have chosen the wrong way, which will only make me more wary of you.

No no no.

With his hands behind his back, Merlin fluttered forward, and he said:

You are not afraid of my new ability, you just hate this kind of thing going out of control.

Dom, we may not be considered friends, but we have crossed paths, and I know exactly what kind of person you are...Super strong desire to control, domineering personality, hate all unexpected factors.

He glanced at Doom, and said:

Of course, there are also extraordinary wisdom and talent, tenacious character and extraordinary stubbornness, whether it is pursuing knowledge or vowing revenge.

You are a dangerous fellow.

Merlin flicked his fingers, and he said softly:

Most justice, axioms, and constraints are useless to you. The only reason why you follow the remaining rules is because those rules exist to benefit you.

You have many shortcomings, but your strengths are also outstanding.

Merlin floated to the terrace. He looked at the land under Doom's rule. He looked at the smiling and satisfied pedestrians on the streets. This land was filled with an atmosphere of happiness.

He nodded and said:

A guardian, protecting hundreds of thousands of people with his own power, not only brings them confidence, but also a better life. You are more worthy of the title of hero than those heroes who put on airs and fight for strength.

Hehe, I just accept this sudden compliment.

Behind Merlin, Doom sneered.

He said:

But other people don't seem to see it that way. Many people call me a terrorist. Last month, a dozen heroes sneaked into my country trying to arrest me...

Care what they do.

Merlin waved his hand, he said indifferently:

As you said, the world is full of idiots, cowards, and hypocrites whose existence is worth their death, a meaningless zero.

I believe you will not be the kind of person who cares about other people's opinions and lives for others... Well, let's get down to business.

Merlin turned to look at Doom, he said:

I'm here for two things.

explain!

Dum stood where he was, looking at Merlin expressionlessly.

The first thing, in the name of Mechanicus, I invite you to join a research.

Merlin pointed to the simple but powerful iron armor on Dum, and he said:

I need to use your super high attainments in the fusion of magic and technology to design a next-generation body for omnics, just like your armor, the product of the perfect fusion of magic and technology.

this?

Doom looked down at his armor, he shook his head:

It's far from perfect.

But in this respect, no one in this world is stronger than you.

Merlin says:

I have no choice, but as a reward, when my brothers and I attack Mephisto Hell, I will invite you to accompany me...to avenge that great devil and save your poor mother.

Doom blinked.

If someone else was talking about it here, he would just think he was talking nonsense.

But the fall of Maharaja Marduk added weight that could not be ignored to Merlin's words. The guy in front of him had already killed one Maharaja of Hell, and he could kill the second one.

Doom thought for a moment, then nodded.

make a deal.

And then the second thing...

There was a smile on Merlin's face. He leaned forward and looked at Dom in a scrutiny way. That look made Dom very uncomfortable.

It was as if all his secrets were invisible to this person in front of him.

What are you looking at?

Doom waved his robe rudely, the magic light was dancing, and the shaking magic power blocked Merlin's inspection.

Merlin withdrew his gaze, and didn't care about Doom's bad attitude. He spread his left hand, and between his fingers, a three-eye emblem was handed to Doom.

He looked at Doom, and he said:

A person like you should not be bound by the world. You have strength, ideals, and persistence. You should accomplish a greater cause.

I just went to your laboratory to see those forbidden magics and experiments on various forces. I know that you are pursuing the mysteries of the universe.

You're a king, but that's the least of your many identities... You can be a villain or a hero, but that's not enough to unlock your true potential.

You were born into a narrow world, but you don't have to stay here.

Merlin looked at Doom, and he said:

This is an invitation, but also a ladder, allowing you to touch the knowledge you long for but cannot reach, the key to a new world, and everything you want is in it.

Doom looked at the emblem being presented to him, but he didn't reach out to take it.

People like him will not be induced by emotional language.

He just looked at Merlin, waiting for him to tell his purpose, after realizing that Merlin was not what he used to be, that he had entered another sub-level, Doom still didn't panic or panic.

He is used to facing crises, he is also used to being calm, and he is even more used to never admitting defeat.

Facing Doom's gaze and his silent questioning, Merlin said softly:

The Throne of the Supreme Mage... Interested?