Lord of Cinder in American Comics

Grant looked at Julia and realized that the woman in front of him was waiting for his answer, which would determine his life or death. Julia's hand was already on her weapon, Darkmoon.

Grant had witnessed the conflict between Yulia and Obek before. Even the god-like dean of the magic academy had difficulty subduing the woman in front of him in a short time. Thinking of this, Grant instantly gave up resisting.

Hydra had taught him loyalty and devotion, but another side of Grant's nature clashed with Hydra's darkness, and the disparity in power was too great for Grant to even consider resistance.

"My lord, Hydra's task for me is to record magical learning materials, as well as everything that happens at the Dragon Academy..."

Grant obediently explained his task and took out his phone, handing it to Yulia as a sign of submission.

Grant's cooperation caused Yulia to release her weapon, but she did not answer Grant's phone. Since Cortana, the goddess of the internet, came into existence, no information could escape her control.

This obedience spared Grant's life. Julia said, "Keep your mission in mind. Convey the power displayed by the Dragon Academy and Constantine to your superiors, and make them understand that the King of Souls is the greatest being! Understand?"

"Yes, sir! I will obey your orders! However, when will my notes be reviewed by you? You see, the secrets of Dragon Academy's magic have already been..."

Yulia felt comfortable with Grant's cooperation, and she didn't mind chatting with him a bit more.

Yulia said, "The secret of magic has always been in the hands of that cunning Obek. The curse of knowledge is not so easy to remove. You know, the sages of the Great Archives have a famous saying: 'Everything you see is a curse.'"

"Trying to learn magic on your own without guidance? Dream on! Even Constantine needs a mentor..."

Yulia immediately shut her mouth, only mentioning Constantine's words, but the murderous intent that followed made Grant hold his breath.

Grant stood on his tiptoes, not daring to look away for even a moment, and pretended not to hear Julia's last words, saying, "Then, my lord, is there any other instruction?"

"You know what you're supposed to do, don't let me down..."

Yulia didn't utter a single word about the consequences of her threats, but her words instilled a strange fear, as if death were constantly lurking around you, yet you couldn't predict its arrival.

Grant mustered his courage and tentatively asked, "Sir, what should I do if I need help?"

Yulia glanced at Grant and said, "The Soul Eater will provide you with military support. As for yourself, you'd better use your brain... Oh, and to prevent any unforeseen circumstances... teach him a lesson first!"

Julia's first words were addressed to Grant, while the second half was spoken to the Soul Eater behind him.

Grant turned around in horror, only to find the warriors behind him, known as Soul Eaters, reaching out their hands to him.

The Dementor's hand grabbed Grant's forehead, while red, fluffy substances seemed to float on the back of his hand.

[The Dark Hand: A unique technique of Londor, the Land of Souls, known as the legacy of the World Serpent. It can perform soul-draining techniques and also serve as a special shield; it cannot be wielded with both hands. Combat Art: Soul Drain. It embraces the opponent to steal their life force. Soul Drain can only be used on humans.]

The hand holding Grant's head slowly moved away from him, and a ball of white light also left Grant's body—that was Grant's own soul.

The Soul Eater pretended to stuff the soul into its mouth, feeling the soul tremble, and laughed heartily before putting the soul into Grant's body.

Grant, whose soul had returned to its place, suddenly took a deep breath and trembled as he dodged the two soul-devouring ghosts.

Grant had just seen himself detach from his body and then, through his soul's perspective, witnessed the terror of the two people before him. Their armor was clearly forged from the souls of vengeful spirits.

Hearing the armor's mournful cries in spirit form nearly drove Grant to madness, yet these soul-devouring ghosts could wear them on their bodies.

Grant distanced himself from the soul-devouring ghosts and carefully held onto his spellfire.

"Now you know who to pledge your allegiance to! Grant, no punishment, not even death, can compare to the torment of your soul..."

Julia's words echoed in Grant's ears, and he quickly turned around and bowed his head to Julia.

"Go down, Grant. I hope you can complete your mission. The King of Souls will grant you what you deserve, whether it be wealth, power, or longevity..."

"Yes. As you will, my lord. Thank you, great King of the Wandering Souls."

When Grant saw Julia waving, he couldn't wait to leave. The fear he felt made him want to stand in the sunlight to alleviate this futile struggle.

Just as Grant was leaving the mine, a man in knight's armor at the entrance asked him, "Excuse me, is this the location of Lady Julia of Londor? I am Anri from Astra, and this man next to me is Horace, my travel companion."

Although the woman's voice sounded gentle, and although her face was not visible despite being covered by armor, one could tell from her voice that she was a well-educated person.

But the thought that she had also come to find Julia sent a chill down Grant's spine. Pointing to the cave behind him, Grant didn't say a word.

"Thank you for your help. May a fire guide your journey. Oh? Are you also a child of the God Eater Elliridge?"

Grant did not answer Anri's question, but simply walked forward with his head covered, not daring to stay there for another moment.

Following Grant's directions, Anri entered the cave and met Yulia.

Anri knelt down before Yulia, took out the item she had brought, and said, "Lady Yulia, this is the covenant sword you asked me to fetch. I wonder what use it has for you..."

Chapter 298: The Shura Field

At Dragon Academy, Constantine is currently adjusting his staff; the weapon he's about to use must be in perfect condition.

The office door was pushed open, and Ivan walked in from outside.

Ivan, unconcerned about the oil stains on his clothes, casually wiped his hands on them and looked at Constantine, asking, "I've already prepared sixty fully automated armored vehicles. As long as the target is pre-programmed, they can automatically select their targets even without communication. I don't understand why you're being so cautious?"

Constantine gestured for Ivan to sit opposite him and said, "It's never wrong to be cautious. There are many smart people in this world, and even in conventional warfare, electronic warfare tactics are used. I don't deny your design, but you need to understand who the enemy is..."

"Stark!"

Ivan gritted his teeth and uttered Stark's name; now, the only Stark left was Tony.

Before being sealed away by Constantine, Ivan's father recounted the feud between his family and the Stark family. Although his account contained personal biases, it was not entirely wrong.

The Arc Reactor was a collaborative invention, but Ivan's father did not benefit from it; instead, he was exiled to Siberia for half his life.

This debt should naturally be attributed to Stark; it's simply a matter of the son paying for the father's sins.

Ivan came to Constantine only to confirm that the enemy was Stark, and besides, he wasn't the only Stark enemy in the Dragon Academy; there was also a brother and sister.

The fact that the brother and sister were Constantine's disciples made it even better for Ivan, as their shared hatred quickly united them.

During his break, Ivan made some small gadgets for the brother and sister, but only the white-haired brother was interested in his equipment, while the red-haired witch was focused on magic.

Ivan came to show Constantine his armored legion. Since arriving at the Dragon Academy, he has had all sorts of resources and equipment.

The unlimited use of materials and the generosity of the investor made Ivan a little uneasy. If Constantine had just taken a look, he wouldn't have received this invitation today.

"I think……"

Before Ivan could deliver the invitation, there was a knock on Constantine's door, preventing Ivan from finishing his sentence.

"Come in."

After receiving Constantine's permission, a woman in armor appeared at the door. Her short, gray hair contrasted sharply with her armor, giving her a unique and heroic appearance.

“My lord, it has been a long time. Anri of Astra is honored to see you again. Lady Julia asked me to bring you the Sword of the Covenant…”

Anri took out a wooden box and placed it on the table in front of Constantine. The box was inlaid with the special mark of Londor, and the golden patterns silently told of the preciousness of the items inside.

It's truly Yulia's style; she's got a real sense of ritual. Just now, when Anri brought the Covenant Sword, she was only holding it in her hand, but now, the Covenant Sword is placed inside this luxurious wooden box.

Constantine opened the wooden box, inside was the familiar equipment, a weapon covered in verdigris, except that a ring with runes had been cast onto the hilt, making it look like a weapon that could not be used in normal combat.

[The Covenant Sword: The ceremonial sword of Londor. It cannot be used as a weapon. It is said that after the covenant ceremony is completed, the true King of the Souls will be born. After the King of the Souls ascends the throne, this sword is used as the symbol of the King of Londor's Souls. Having been tempered by the First Flame, this ceremonial sword has acquired a special function. It is the king's weapon, containing boundless power, but the king does not need to fight personally.]

Constantine looked at the weapon before him, his thoughts drifting back to the past. When he became the King of the Dark Ring, bearing the Dark Ring, he used this very sword to remove it from Anri.

In the previous description of the Covenant Sword, there was a line that read, "The companion's name is Anri, and she awaits the King in the deepest part of the shrine."

The original King of the Souls needed to obtain Anri's Dark Ring, which he did by using the Covenant Sword in a piercing ritual at the shrine in Anor Londo to remove Anri's Dark Ring.

In other words, Anri in front of him was his pre-arranged partner before he became the King of Ghosts.

Yulia specifically asked Anri to bring the Covenant Sword to see Constantine; the implied meaning behind this is self-evident.

The reason for going through Anri is that every time Yulia makes a suggestion to Constantine, she is given various excuses to deflect the question.

Back when Ash was still alone, he could use various excuses, such as reorganizing military equipment and adjusting the strength of various legions, to postpone such matters.

When Ash explained his Earth plan to the Dark Souls, Yulia was the first to agree.

In Yulia's mind, since the unified ash cannot take care of everything, can Constantine, as the King of the Wanderers, interfere in other matters?

The division of power among the Ashes actually strengthens Londor, allowing Julia to become second only to the Ash in power, while Ash and Geralt cannot openly intervene.

In a sense, this approach is a form of coercion against Constantine, forcing him to marry Anri.

Constantine sheathed the covenant sword, unsure how to address Anri before him. Anri was indeed his partner in terms of their relationship.

“Anri…you know…I…that…”

For a moment, Constantine was at a loss for words, unsure how to tell Anri.

Unexpectedly, Anri replied quite readily, "I understand, my lord. This is merely Lady Yulia's decision, and I will not interfere with your choice. I am your knight, your sword..."

Constantine sighed inwardly. Anri's words had given him plenty of face, but the truth was not what she meant.

If they truly obeyed every command of the King of Souls, they wouldn't say such things.

Ivan watched the two men speaking in cryptic terms. Constantine's hesitation and Anri's tactful expression made him instantly realize that there must be something fishy going on between them.

Ivan stood up from his chair, offering his seat and saying, "Ahem, I'll be leaving now. You guys keep chatting, and you can visit my lab sometime..."

After leaving Constantine, Ivan prepared to head towards Black Widow's place. He needed to tell Natasha about the fact that he and a woman were alone together in a room.

After making way for the patrolling Harland Knights, Ivan entered a small alley.

He pulled out his belt from his waist, twisted the buckle, and the belt turned into a long whip that crackled with electricity.

Ivan slammed the whip against the wall, leaving a burn mark, and whispered a warning into the darkness, "Come out! Don't make me do it!"

The electric sparks on the whip illuminated the darkness, but before Ivan could react, several unseen blades sliced ​​his weapon into pieces.

As if wary of something, the blade's chilling aura dissipated just before it touched Ivan, and Yulia emerged from the darkness.

Yulia pressed her hand on the darkness, as if she hadn't done anything just now.

With a hint of warning, Yulia said, "You'd better know what to say and what not to say!"

Ivan scoffed, ignoring Yulia's warning, and reached down to pull a piece of the Arc Reactor from his waist.

Crushing the outer shell of the arc reactor exposes a deep blue light to the air. The reactor's rotation speed increases rapidly, and the piercing shriek from impending overload signals its impending danger.

This suicidal move made Yulia stop in her tracks.

Ivan interpreted Yulia's pause as a concession, which emboldened him. Holding the arc reactor, he said, "Then I'd like to know what shouldn't be said!"

Yulia narrowed her eyes, her dark aura ready to strike at any moment, but she hesitated when she saw the Ark Reactor.

Taking a slight step back, Julia said, "Constantine is the chosen one of the King of the Souls of Londor. He is already bound to Londor, so don't let those naive humans get close to him..."

Sure enough, all the problems stemmed from Constantine. The female knight from earlier was sent by Julia, and Ivan instantly understood the trickery involved.

To capture a man, all you need is beauty, power, status, and money; no one can escape these four temptations.

During his time at the Dragon Academy, Ivan saw that Constantine had everything, but he never saw a woman constantly by his side.