Charlie had just severed an oni’s legs and pinned the writhing creature under her boot. From the top of one of the archer towers, Luke watched the battlefield. A moment later, Angie descended from the sky and landed beside him.

  “Unfortunately, some of the onis escaped,” she said.

  “I thought they wouldn’t make it through the poisonous mist, but they were resistant.”

  “The alchemists lost most of their advantage because of that same resistance,” Angie replied.

  “Yeah.”

  Luke grabbed an oni bow from the floor and slipped it into the sleeve of his haori. The one he had used earlier had shattered during the shot.

  “The spear I picked up is pretty useful. Better than my last one.”

  [Oni Soldier Spear (Uncommon)]: A spear crafted with a sturdy, battle-worn wooden shaft, its surface scarred by repeated use. The red-metal tip is heavy and sharpened to a brutal edge, forged from an alloy favored by oni warriors for its resilience and lethality. Designed for thrusting and piercing through flesh and armor alike, it carries a faint metallic sheen that hints at the countless battles it has seen.

  “And we gathered a lot of them.”

  At least they would no longer have to worry about her weapon breaking. Angie would have more than enough spears now.

  Luke’s attention drifted to the new Witch skill he had chosen at Level 25.

  [Telekinetic Pull (Rare)]: The Witch uses telekinetic force to draw to her hand any object she has previously touched, as long as it remains within the range of [Weak Telekinesis]. The pull is swift and precise, ideal for retrieving tools, light weapons, ingredients, or important items without closing the distance physically.

  My third telekinetic skill. Maybe a proper replacement for Magnetic Return, and for any weapon I decide to carry.

  He leapt from the tower and headed toward Charlie. They had wiped out most of the onis, and Luke had left the bulk of the finishing work to her so she could level faster. Even without killing all of them, she had advanced far more than he had.

  **The [Blood Death Knight] class of Princess Charlie has reached Level 63!

  **The [Blood Death Knight] class of Princess Charlie has reached Level 64!

  **The [Blood Death Knight] class of Princess Charlie has reached Level 65!

  [Charlie has unlocked a new Class Skill]

  **The [Black Ash Fighter] 2nd Class of Princess Charlie has reached Level 62!**

  **[Charlie has reached Level 52! Vampire (Rank E)] (+2 bonus point to all attributes, +7 free point)**

  **[Charlie has reached Level 53! Vampire (Rank E)] (+2 bonus point to all attributes, +7 free point)**

  **[Charlie has reached Level 54! Vampire (Rank E)] (+2 bonus point to all attributes, +7 free point)**

  “Charlie, are you still hurt?” he asked as he approached.

  The katana had gone straight through her chest. “I regenerated a little on the surface, but not internally. Organs seem harder to restore. I’m not sure how far Vampire Regeneration goes.”

  She pressed her heel harder into the oni still struggling beneath her. “The guardian thought a strike to the heart would kill me.”

  “Vampires really are terrifying in that regard.”

  Luke knew a lethal wound to his own heart would have ended him. For Charlie, it had barely been a setback. To kill a vampire properly, you had to remove the head and destroy the body. Anything less was wishful thinking.

  “And you, Master Luke? You’re badly injured.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “He hasn’t taken a single healing potion, Charlie. I’ve been watching him,” Angie said.

  “You didn’t have to mention that, Angie.”

  He glanced away, then back at Charlie. “It’s nothing. Just a few scrapes. Don’t worry about it.”

  Charlie narrowed her eyes. “I can smell blood, Master Luke. I’m monitoring you constantly, even your breathing.”

  “Monitoring me? That’s… a bit much, Charlie.”

  “I always need to know how my husband is doing.” She clapped a hand over her mouth. “I mean… my friend.”

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  Luke had no idea how to respond to that.

  “Well… I’ve only got one serious wound on my stomach. But Dark Blood already stopped the bleeding. I’d rather let it heal naturally than waste healing potions.”

  His potions existed almost entirely so he could act as a feeding conduit for Charlie. Wasting one for nothing meant leaving her unfed for a day.

  And I already had to give one to Layla…

  “Okay, Edward and Bella. Love is beautiful and all that, but you still haven’t finished the objective,” Artemis said dryly.

  Charlie placed a hand over the chest plate of her armor. It was scraped, dented, and punctured from the fight with the oni, but the metal slowly began repairing itself.

  “It’s a shame my maid dress doesn’t fix itself like this.”

  “Your dress tore?” Artemis asked.

  “Yes.”

  “That must have been painful for Luke,” Artemis added.

  “Shut up, idiot,” Luke muttered.

  “Don’t worry, Master Luke. I have plenty of maid dresses stored away.”

  “Don’t believe her, Charlie…”

  Charlie slipped off one of her gloves. With a swift motion, she drove her hand straight into the oni’s chest. The creature screamed as its body began to melt like wax, collapsing into a pool of blood, and from it, a bat emerged.

  “Lulie is back,” Charlie said, smiling.

  The tiny bat fluttered up and perched on her shoulder.

  Charlie had been forced to dismiss her familiar in order to enter Luke’s soul. The only way to summon it again was through sacrifice. A skill that was… more than a little morbid.

  “She’ll be useful for exploring inside the temple.”

  Lulie wasn’t much help in combat yet, but Luke had discovered that he could use his Rank Skill on her, letting him see through her eyes. For infiltration, that made the little bat incredibly valuable, far less conspicuous than Angie in the air, and at night Lulie could slip through the darkness almost unnoticed.

  They started toward the temple stairs. There were many of them.

  “There may still be a few surprises waiting for us inside,” Luke said.

  “I’ll fly over the area above the temple,” Angie replied, wings unfolding from her back as she lifted into the air.

  While they climbed, Luke glanced toward the forest.

  Now I’m finally going to get one of the four challenge weapons.

  Dimensional Rift: Temple of the Demon Blacksmith

  Ages ago, a blacksmith from the Spectral Demon tribe reached the pinnacle of his craft within his clan. Before vanishing, he left behind four weapons forged by his own hands, scattered throughout this dimension as minor treasures. Each one serves as a key leading toward the hidden temple where his masterpiece rests.

  But only one deemed worthy may open the temple. To inherit his legacy, one must answer the riddle the master smith left behind:

  “Among the four weapons I created… which one holds my true treasure?”

  Treasures Found: 3/4

  Maybe a clue will appear once the fourth treasure is claimed.

  Angie touched down beside them.

  “I didn’t see anything dangerous,” she said.

  “Last time there were oni inside the temple,” Charlie murmured.

  They continued climbing.

  “Once we take the treasure, everyone will know because of the notification,” Charlie added.

  Angie scrolled through her system interface, watching the string of notifications roll past. Even if her strength still lagged behind the others, she had supported Charlie through the fight, striking when she could and earning experience through every assist.

  **The [Valkyrie] class of Angie has reached Level 24!**

  **The [Valkyrie] class of Angie has reached Level 25!**

  [Angie has unlocked a new Class Skill]

  **The [Valkyrie] class of Angie has reached Level 26!**

  **[Angie has reached Level 12! Stone Angel (Rank F)] (+2 bonus point to all attributes, +5 free point)**

  **[Angie has reached Level 13! Stone Angel (Rank F)] (+2 bonus point to all attributes, +5 free point)**

  “My lord, there’s a skill here… and I think it might be really useful.”

  [Valkyrie’s Roar (Rare)]: The Valkyrie unleashes a fierce battle cry that intimidates nearby enemies, shaking their focus and briefly reducing the accuracy of their attacks. Ideal for creating openings in close combat.

  [Strength of Arm (Uncommon)]: Temporarily increases the Valkyrie’s physical strength and muscular endurance, boosting the impact of heavy weapon strikes and slowing fatigue.

  [Steadfast Gaze (Uncommon)]: The Valkyrie’s resolve becomes her shield. For a few seconds, she resists fear, panic, and intimidation effects, maintaining absolute focus in battle.

  [Lesser Valkyrie Healing (Common)]: The Valkyrie takes her first step into sacred restorative magic, awakening a faint spark of protective mana meant for her master. Though limited, this ability allows her to channel healing energy to mend light injuries.

  [Courage Aura (Uncommon)]: The Valkyrie activates an aura that drives fear from within herself. Useful when facing enemies who rely on intimidation-based attacks. Courage can be just as lethal a weapon as the spear she wields.

  Hey everyone, how’s it going? It’s Mark here.

  I just want to thank all of you for sticking with Becoming the Dark Lord all the way to this point. I’m leaving this message here and on Discord so everyone sees it.

  Book 3 officially ended with the chapters I posted on Patreon today. Seriously, thank you for following the story this far. I left a more personal message in the Patreon chapter that includes spoilers, so I won’t go too deep into that here. I just wanted to say thank you.

  When I first started writing, my plan was to go only up to the end of Volume 3. The story would’ve ended right there, exactly the way those events played out. Not because I didn’t know how to continue, but because I never thought I’d actually have readers. I always wrote for myself.

  But then you showed up.

  Thank you so much for caring about my characters and the world I created. Volume 4 is going to take the story to a whole new level, especially after everything that happened at the end of Volume 3.

  Now this is where I would mention that Patreon readers are 59 chapters ahead. Yes, fifty-nine. But I’m not going to say that.

  I also won’t mention that one of those chapters is Patreon-exclusive. Not saying that either.

  And I definitely won’t make that joke about casually clicking the Patreon link and supporting the story. I would never. See? I didn’t do it. I’m innocent. Completely innocent.

  Jokes aside, thank you, truly. Reaching the end of Volume 3 and stepping into Volume 4 with you all means a lot to me. Let’s see where this next stage takes us.

  https://discord.gg/znGSjCxhkR