"What?" Damien's voice cracked with genuine shock. "Why? How did this... How did you all even become a Dungeon Rex?"
Albert's smile was sad, resigned. "Well... magic is complicated, is it not? I will let Celdia explain." He paused, his golden eyes meeting Damien's. "But I want you to know....no one here holds any ill will toward you. We all highly respect and admire you. It is simply..." He gestured vaguely at himself, at the heroes around him. "Our situation."
He stepped back, and Celdia moved forward. Her jade eyes were ancient, carrying the weight of millennia, and her voice was soft but clear.
"There is one... entity. Someone very powerful, hidden behind great veils and shadows. Even Ouranos, the Lord of Light, Antares, and you...the Shadow Monarch....are unaware of him." She paused, letting the words sink in. "We do not know what he is either. All we know is that he is human. But ancient. He developed a magic that allowed him to live forever... and to revive the dead."
She gestured at the heroes surrounding them.
"That is us."
Damien's brow furrowed. "He revived you?"
"He made a habit of it. Collecting us." Celdia's voice carried a note of bitter acceptance. "Whenever a hero died, he would freeze them using my Garden. And when he needed them, he would revive them." She met Damien's eyes. "Like he has done with us."
"If that is the case..." Damien's voice trailed off, the realization dawning. "Does that mean you are..."
Before he could finish, Celdia nodded.
"Yes. All of us are under his control." She raised a hand before he could speak. "Not completely....as you can see, we can talk and converse with you freely. But we cannot deny the urge."
"The urge?" Damien asked, his voice wary.
Albert stepped forward, his expression pained. "The urge to kill you." He swallowed hard. "A long and deep desire that is taking over everything we represent. A strong want to end your life."
A small tear slipped from Albert's left eye, tracing a path down his cheek.
"I... I desire to kill you more than I want to see Ais. That is wrong. Very wrong."
He wiped the tear away, forcing a smile back onto his face.
"So, dear Shadow Monarch. God King of Orario. Greatest adventurer of all time. Please." His voice was steady, but his eyes were pleading. "Kill us."
Damien's chest tightened. "Can I not heal you? Save you from his mind control? My shadows....they can sever divine control."
Celdia shook her head. "Your shadows can sever divine control. We are not technically being controlled. That is what makes him dangerous." She paused, searching for the right words. "The revival allows him to rewrite one aspect of us. And that aspect was you. He wrote you into us when he revived us from the ice. He wrote that your death is our desire."
She met his eyes, her gaze unwavering.
"It is simply impossible to heal us."
Damien's jaw tightened. He looked at the heroes around him...legends, all of them. Fianna, the Pallum knight. Fulland, the white-haired knight. Dine, the water spirit. A hundred heroes, each one powerful beyond measure, each one trapped in a prison of their own flesh.
"What about Ais?" he asked, his voice quieter now. "My impression was that she was a part of this place. That she got lost."
Celdia's expression softened. "Yes. Ais was one of us. She was frozen alive...by me." She paused, her voice carrying the weight of guilt. "When Albert died, I had to save us all from the Black Dragon. That is why I created the Garden. I died in making it. The only ones left were Ais and her mother...Aria."
She looked at Albert, then back at Damien.
"Aria gave up her life to preserve the spark of life left in Ais. And so she lived, until the day the Garden deemed it safe for her. We did not decide that. Nor was Ais ever a part of his plans...The Unknown never even knew she was here....It is my greatest pride that I....That my garden has kept her safe.....and.....an honor for us...to see she has followed our footsteps...and finally defeated the one eyed black dragon..." Her voice softened. "We are happy....That she is safe."
Damien turned to Albert. "Then... do you want to see her? Before..."
Before he could finish, Albert shook his head.
"No. Not really." His voice was firm, but there was a tremor beneath it. "My daughter holds a great image of me. I do not want to tarnish that. I do not want her to know... or to think that I... that my corpse and honor were tarnished.....that i was reduced....To a mere pawn...I don't much care about my image to the world....But.....Remembering her little smile....that's all i need...Seeing her cry won't do me...Or her....Any good"
He met Damien's eyes.
"So please. Do not bother. You honor us more by killing us."
Damien was silent for a long moment. He looked at Albert—the legendary hero, the Mercenary King, the Sword Champion. He looked at the tear that had fallen from his eye. He looked at the hundred heroes who stood around him, each one waiting, each one desiring death.
"I see," he said finally. "I understand."
His twin short swords materialized in his hands, the blades gleaming with dark light.
"I will free you all."
Every hero around him readied their weapons. Swords were drawn. Spears were leveled. Bows were raised. The garden, once peaceful, became a battlefield.
"Do not hold back, hero," Albert said, his voice carrying the weight of command. "For you face the might of the Legion of Heroes. We all desire that honorable death. So each of us... will be going all out."
Damien nodded, his expression grim.
"I will not."
He raised his blades.
"Now. Shall we?"
/*\
If you Like this story! Check out my other story ! Sukuna in DC! And Fate/Dc Universe: The Master
AND
If you wish to read more or simply support me just because ? than check out my patréon at
"https://www.patréon.com/Riadooo"
You can Get Access to 3 More Chapters OR 7 More Chapters if you want !