Chapter 183: [Bonus chapter] Into the Nexus 2 [Bonus chapter for keeping me in top 20 powerstones/golden tickets]

Aldrich paused to stare at the Death Lord, noting the drastic changes to her.

One of her arms was completely gone, her robes hanging loosely around the area. One of her shining, emerald green draconic eyes was gone, covered over by a black eyepatch. Under the eyepatch, the hints of burned esh were visible.

One of the Death's Lord's black horns had been severed, crumbled down to the base. All of the damage she took, it seemed, was localized to her right side. The injuries stood in contrast to her regal robes, but she still proudly strutted about as if nothing was wrong at all, showing her shapely legs under the slit of her robes and putting out her chest with all the condence in the world. "..." Valera side eyed Aldrich with a narrow gaze. "What happened to you?" said Aldrich. "Oh, this?" The Death Lord looked down at her missing arm. "Nothing, really.

A sparring session with one of my Deathguard that turned a little intense." "Your First Deathguard, I assume? That's the only one that could injure you like this," said Aldrich.

Among the Death Lord's ve Deathguard, the number in the guard did not indicate strength. Volantis, for example, was fth, but at his peak, when he went on his warrior's journey to become stronger and obtained the [Hand of the Blood God], he became the second or third strongest.

But the First Deathguard was no doubt the undisputed strongest. Rella the God

Slayer was her name. She was the estranged daughter of a High God called

Rathos who was basically the equivalent of Zeus in Elden World, and in raw repower, she exceeded even the Death Lord with massive area of eect lightning barrages. "Rella does nd it dicult to control herself sometimes," nodded the Death

Lord. "But enough about my injuries, they hardly weaken me. How about I introduce you to the much-needed changes I made to this pitiable space that ignorant goddess deemed the 'Nexus?'" "You're weakened, you say?" said Aldrich. "Then what happens if I challenge you here and now? Do I have a chance to usurp your power all at once?" "Hoh? You would approach me like that? Challenge me to now?" The Death

Lord smiled, baring her many sharp, draconic teeth. "If taking down this snake is what you require-," Valera put her arm out to the side and stood rmly by Aldrich's side, her cross-shield materializing around her arm. "Then I will be happy to oblige, master." "Hm. I may be weakened, Death Walker, but you are being too condent just because you've received some power. Uncharacteristically condent," said the

Death Lord. "It was just a hypothetical," said Aldrich. "Heh, an interesting one to consider, my Death Walker, but patience. We will have our destined battle soon. And you're not at full strength either, though, are you?" said the Death Lord as she breathed out a ring of purple smoke that oated towards Aldrich's helm. It would have landed on his white dot eye before he batted the smoke out the way. "What did you do to my dear Volantis?

I allow him to serve you and he comes back like this. Poor thing." "He'll be ne soon," said Aldrich. He looked around. "Where are the rest of my units?" "Ah, they are resting in the Nexus," said the Death Lord. She waved her pipe, beckoning Aldrich forward. "Come, come! I am just dying to show you how much I have changed things for the better! Oh, I am already dead, but you understand what I mean."

The Death Lord strutted away, walking towards the imposing castle gate of the towering Necropolis.

Valera held her shield tight still, but Aldrich put his hand on her shoulder. "It's alright."

He started to follow the Death Lord. One thing he noted was that the Death Lord was actually not that good at hiding her expressions and emotions in the way that, say, Solomon Solar was. She was too expressive when her true appearance was laid bare like this.

She probably relied on her enormous full body armor covered her face to make her unreadable.

But Aldrich could tell she was not entirely comfortable with his questioning. It was in the way her eyes shifted, in the way her serpentine tongue itted out in a hint of displeasure, in the way her eye ever so slightly twitched, that he got the idea that she was not exactly telling the truth of her injuries.

Aldrich did not press on further in this matter, though. The Death Lord was probably never going to give him a straight answer, and so long as she did not pose a direct threat, he could tolerate her.

Valera nodded, her shield dematerializing. She gave the spot where Aldrich had touched a lingering, loving gaze, before quickly following behind Aldrich.

The Death Lord walked up to the bone decorated castle gate of the Necropolis and waved her hand in front of it. The door crackled with green magical energy, but it did not move. "Ugh. My magic is still not what it was," said the Death Lord. "I will just do this."

The Death Lord took her pipe between her ngers and cast a spell. "[Outer Mist

Phase]."

The smoke emanating from her pipe turned green, amplifying in mass into clouds that covered Aldrich and Valera. "You can aord to cast a 8th circle spell like this but not open a simple door?" said Aldrich. "You are quite critical of me today. I almost feel shy," said the Death Lord as she made a mock gesture to hide the low cut of the robes that barely hid her chest. "But alas, I am Lord of Death, and shame is not part of my being.

Now, take this warp with me to the Nexus. There, you may be reunited with the rest of your budding Legion." The Death Lord ashed a mischievous smile. "And quite the change to, well, everything in that accursed place ranging from that dreary old smith to those putrid divine waters to the shadowy mannequin of that disgusting light loving wench."