The Black Villain Rewrites Fate

Chapter 4: Exploiting Future Knowledge

"How do you know about that relic?" the red-haired man asked, gasping for air. "Only Young Master Derrick and the clan elders know of its existence!"

Caelia pressed her dagger deeper into the man's neck until blood dripped. "Answer Lord Mordain's question if you still want to live!"

The man trembled violently and spat out saliva from pure terror. The smell of death filled the room.

"In the Forbidden Fog Swamp!" the red-haired man exclaimed quickly. "Young Master Derrick hid it in an underground stone chest!"

Mordain smiled coldly. His memories of the future were never wrong.

In the past, the Hero of Light found the Necro-Heart in the Forbidden Fog Swamp and used it to destroy the defensive pillars of the Obsidian Palace. This time, Mordain would claim the relic early.

"Are there traps at that place?" Caelia asked while glancing at Mordain.

"Yes!" the red-haired man answered hurriedly. "Our rival clan has already set poison magic traps and stationed dozens of assassins along the swamp trail!"

Mordain nodded slowly. He had obtained all the necessary information. He gave a subtle signal to Caelia through a glance.

"Thank you for your information," Mordain said flatly. "You may go to hell now."

Before the red-haired man could plead for mercy, Caelia drove her dagger straight into his throat. The man's body spasmed and then collapsed.

[Side Quest Complete: Necro-Heart Information Obtained!]

[Obtained 200 Soul Points.]

[Forbidden Fog Swamp location marked on the map.]

Mordain stepped past the corpses scattered around. He looked at Caelia, who was wiping her dagger clean with a cloth.

"Gather all of your subordinates who are still loyal," Mordain ordered firmly. "We move to the Forbidden Fog Swamp tonight."

Caelia nodded resolutely. "Understood, Lord Mordain. I will prepare five of the best assassins in my group."

"There is no need to bring many people," Mordain cut in quickly. "Just you and two of your best scouts. The rest will be handled by my shadow magic."

Caelia was astonished by Mordain's confidence. However, after witnessing the shadow magic earlier, she chose to obey.

Twenty minutes later, the small group secretly left the Umbra-Net hideout. They rode four mercury-powered iron horses toward the boundary of the floating city of Ather-Astra.

The night journey to the Forbidden Fog Swamp was swift and silent. Cold wind blew fiercely, cutting through Mordain's black robe.

Ather-Astra appeared magnificent high in the sky, while the lower region where the swamp was located looked dark and grim. The Forbidden Fog Swamp was known as a dumping site for toxic waste.

After an hour's journey, they arrived at the edge of the swamp. The foul stench of sulfur gas and toxic vapor stung their noses immediately.

Dead, leafless trees stood in the black mud. A thick green fog floated above the ground, obstructing their view.

"This place is extremely dangerous, Lord," Caelia whispered while putting on a poison-resistant mask. "That green fog can burn skin and lungs."

Mordain smiled faintly beneath his hood. This simple poison was nothing compared to the liquid quicksilver that had once frozen his respiratory organs.

"Use the protective potion I gave you earlier," Mordain ordered casually as he stepped forward.

Caelia and her two scouts quickly drank the potion. They were surprised when the green fog suddenly retreated and could not touch their skin.

[Unlocking Area Map: Forbidden Fog Swamp.]

[Enemy Detection: 30 Assassins from the Rival Clan hiding behind the mud.]

[Warning: Poison Magic Traps detected within a 50-meter radius.]

Mordain walked in front, leading with calm steps. His knowledge of the future gave clear guidance regarding every trap's location.

"Halt," Mordain stopped them while raising his right hand.

Caelia and her two scouts stopped instantly, holding their breath behind Mordain.

Mordain picked up a small stone and threw it into a puddle of black mud to their left. As the stone touched the mud, an explosion of poison magic fire towered high into the air.

The sound of the explosion thundered, burning a dead tree to ash. Caelia's two scouts swallowed their saliva with pale faces, witnessing the destructive power of that trap.

"If we had taken even a single centimeter step forward, we would have been destroyed," Caelia whispered in total awe.

"These cheap traps were deliberately set up by the rival clan to welcome us," Mordain replied mockingly.

From behind the thick green fog, dozens of men dressed in black armor emerged, surrounding Mordain. Their weapons were coated in a stinging liquid of alchemical poison.

A tall, large man holding a dual spear stepped out. He was the leader of the guard squad.

"You are quite clever to avoid our traps, Prince Mordain," the spearpman said with a sneer. "But you are extremely foolish to come bringing only three people!"

Mordain stared at the spearman with a cold, sharp gaze. He was completely unaffected by the enemy's bluff.

"I don't need many people to slaughter cheap trash like you lot," Mordain answered flatly.

The leader of the rival clan felt insulted by Mordain's words. His face flushed red with anger.

"You are far too arrogant, ousted Prince!" the spearman shouted in rage. "Attack and kill them all! Take his head for Young Master Derrick!"

Thirty black-armored assassins leaped forward simultaneously from various directions. Their poisoned weapons gleamed through the green fog.

Caelia and her two scouts immediately drew their weapons, preparing to fight. However, before they could move, Mordain stepped forward.

"Shadow Soldiers, arise from the darkness," Mordain whispered softly.

[Using 500 Soul Points!]

[Summoning Shadow Army: 15 Intermediate-Tier Shadow Soldiers.]

The black mud beneath the enemies' feet suddenly boiled. Black hands shaped from shadows reached out from the mud, grabbing the assassins' legs.

Hysterical screams echoed throughout every corner of the swamp as the shadow soldiers crawled up and impaled the enemies' chests one by one. A slaughter unfolded rapidly amidst the toxic fog.

Fresh blood squirted violently, soaking the black mud. The rival clan's forces scattered in chaos, unable to fight enemies that could not be touched physically.

Caelia and her two scouts froze, watching the scene before them. The enemy's numerical advantage vanished just like that in Mordain's hands.

Mordain walked slowly toward the rival clan leader, who was now trembling in fear seeing his men dead.

The dual spear in the man's hands shook violently. He took slow steps backward as he envisioned his own death.

"You... you are a demon from hell!" the spearman yelled hoarsely.

"I am no demon," Mordain said as he drew his dagger, which emanated an aura of darkness. "I am the Dark King who will rule over your destinies."

With a single swift s***h, Mordain severed the spearman's head. Blood spurted high before the headless body collapsed into the mud.

[Forbidden Swamp Slaughter Complete!]

[Obtained 1000 Soul Points.]

[All enemies in the area successfully eliminated.]

Mordain wiped the remaining blood off his dagger, then walked toward a hidden stone cave behind a pile of dead trees. Caelia and her two scouts followed close behind.

Inside the dark stone cave stood a stone altar where a wooden chest engraved with ancient magic runes was placed.

Mordain opened the lid of the wooden chest without hesitation. Inside lay a crystal shaped like a human heart, emitting a blood-red light.

The ancient relic, the Necro-Heart, had finally fallen into Mordain's hands ten years earlier than it was supposed to.

"Incredible," Caelia muttered in fascination, looking at the pure energy aura of the crystal. "The energy inside this object is immensely powerful."

Mordain touched the Necro-Heart crystal with his palm. The dark energy within his body instantly merged perfectly with the pillar of power of the ancient relic.

[Ancient Relic Detected: Necro-Heart!]

[Absorbing Core Energy...]

[Mordain's Soul Power Level has increased rapidly!]

[Shadow Domain feature successfully unlocked!]

A surging feeling of warmth and power rushed into all of Mordain's blood vessels. The physical pain from his past eroded away under this surge of power.

"With this relic in my hands, my revenge plan can be accelerated," Mordain said as he stored the Necro-Heart inside his system inventory space.

He turned around to face Caelia, who stood obediently in front of the stone cave entrance.

"Lord Mordain, what is our next move after obtaining this relic?" Caelia asked curiously.

Mordain curled his lips into a cold, mysterious smile. "We will bait one of the 7 Holy Heroes to come to this place."

Caelia's eyes widened in shock. "Baiting a Holy Hero? They are the strongest warriors protected by the Church of Light!"

"I know very well who they are," Mordain answered casually as he stepped out of the stone cave. "And I know precisely how to cut their throats one by one."

Mordain gazed at the night sky above the Forbidden Fog Swamp. He had already chosen his first target from the group of 7 Holy Heroes who would execute him in the future.

"Use this rival clan's signal transmitter to send a false emergency message to Holy Hero Aldous," Mordain ordered Caelia firmly.

Caelia took the signal transmitter device from the enemy leader's corpse, then looked at Mordain with conviction. "What message should I send to him, Lord?"

Mordain smirked sneeringly, looking straight into the cold darkness of the night.

"Tell him that the Dark King has been cornered and is ready to be executed tonight," Mordain said with a cold smile.