"Haaa!" The Dark King shouted while waving his blade, hitting the humanoid rock. But the latter had gradually learned about his unique power. So, he created another layer of rock on top of his current body before punching the Dark King's blade.
"Kh." The Dark King might be powerful, but it didn't reflect the strength contained in that small body.
When the humanoid rock hit him with all his strength, the Dark King couldn't stop the punch.
The blade gradually reached his body along with the fist, blowing him to the ground.
*Bam!*
"Kh." The Dark King gritted his teeth while trying to raise his body as soon as possible. The spider had locked on him with that web, so if he didn't dodge immediately, he would be pinned to the ground as the web gradually melted him.
After avoiding the spider's web, the Dark King faced the chameleon and the fox. He struck the fox's sharp tail while kicking the chameleon.
Knowing that his kick would cause his body to be dyed, the chameleon stopped, barely avoiding the kick.
The Dark King used that chance to jump away, regaining some distance.
He took a deep breath while staring at these four monsters. The battle situation had been flipped multiple times. As of now, the four monsters had learned about his abilities, so it was hard to use them for the second time.
That was why he was at a disadvantage. Still, the Dark King felt something different in this battle.
Firstly, his perception became a bit better as if there was something enhancing his senses.
Despite fighting four King Class Monsters, he still sensed what had happened around him. It seemed that his wife and Rea managed to hold the unique monsters on their own.
In fact, his wife had been going all out in order to pressure the enemies. Unfortunately, Rea's Magic Power was running low. If this continued, she had to retreat after another fifteen minutes.
So, he had to finish the battle within fifteen minutes.
Unfortunately, he didn't know how to do it. The only way to defeat these four Kings within fifteen minutes was to become a Saint.
The Dark King felt like he was approaching that boundary. But the current pace was a bit too slow.
If he continued at this pace, he would be too late.
The Dark King took a deep breath. 'My Saint has told me that speeding up the progress needs enlightenment. But Theo has said that if you're already smart enough to figure it out, you don't need any enlightenment. After all, every day, you are getting enlightened… I guess I need one…'
The Dark King asked the question again. 'How will his Order and Authority affect the people around him?'
He tried to recount the memory with Theo and the Frost Saint.
The way Theo led his people flashed in his mind. When he visited, Theo treated his people equally despite the fact that there were Kings and Queens among them.
The Frost Saint had a different treatment for his people. The closer they were to him, the better the treatment was.
"Are they different?" The Dark King frowned before noticing something. 'Wait a minute…'
Before the Dark King could think more about it, the four King Class Monsters had attacked him again, preventing him from getting enlightenment.
The Dark King was struggling to stop them. Even though the fox was injured heavily, the spider had its legs cut, and the chameleon had one of its arms sliced, they still managed to corner him.
The Dark King dodging their attack became even more and more common. It would be easy to think the Dark King would be defeated sooner or later.
However, there was something different from the Dark King this time. He actually had a question in his mind to himself and his enemies.
The Dark King struck the humanoid rock with all his strength.
*Cling!*
Their clash caused a powerful shock wave that blew away everything around them. There were a few seconds of tranquility after this clash, allowing the Dark King to ask them.
"What do you think of the slime?"
"!!!" The humanoid rock was startled by that question.
That reaction was precisely what he needed. The Dark King couldn't help but make an awkward smile.
He felt a bit dejected and defeated, but this might be the only way.
'Haha. So, that's how it is. Now I can see it… It's truly about how they treat the people around them.
'Theo respects others whether they are humans or monsters. My Saint also respects them. However, Theo and my Saint don't admire the other party. They only admire their action and characters, not the people themselves.
'To think that the way to become a Saint means I have to abandon my belief…' The Dark King felt a bit sad.
He had followed the Dark King for so long. However, he felt he was being stuck at this level as if he had just reached his limit.
Sadly, that wasn't a limit.
Deep down in his heart, he actually admired the Frost Saint. He wanted to be like him and aspired to surpass him.
But he didn't realize that adoration actually turned into a question in his heart, causing doubt to appear.
'What if I become a Saint? Will we still be friends? Will we still have the same relationship? What if we become enemies after I become a Saint?'
That question had plagued his heart without him noticing. A part of him actually didn't want him to become a Saint because it would certainly cause a change in their relationship.
And Theo's question actually warned him of his doubt. The moment he reached the Authority Level, his power would definitely cause changes to his surroundings. And how did he want them to change?
'That's right. The only thing that lasts forever is a change. Instead of holding myself back because I don't want a change, I should become stronger to decide how it's gonna change instead…'
A smile appeared on the Dark King's face as the Order's Mark on his body suddenly released a black light, causing a powerful Magic Power fluctuation.
'It seems that I can't call you my Saint anymore… But this time, I'm going to stand beside you, old pal!'
