The barren land remained unchanged. Kesseta experienced the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter, but not a single weed grew on this cursed land.
"Boy, you've done very well. You're like how I was when I was young." Kata held his knight's sword, made a beautiful sword - flourish, and then sheathed the sword. He gave a standard knight's salute to the eighteen - year - old youth opposite him. His face was flushed from the fight, and the age spots on his face became more prominent. He gasped for breath and smoothed his somewhat messy golden hair.
Donning skillfully made a sword - flourish as well and returned the blade to its scabbard. He respectfully performed a noble knight's etiquette, which showed respect.
"Uncle Kata, your swordsmanship, like your face, has become old. It's no longer as awe - inspiring as it used to be, but your spirit is admirable."
Kata stroked the medal on his chest and remained silent. It was the honor he had won on the battlefield, engraved with the past years and war songs. Even though it was rusty, in his eyes, it was still brilliant.
This had become a regular scene for Uncle Kata after every martial arts competition. At first, Donning would ask some stories about the medal, but later he could recite those stories fluently because they had been told so many times.
At this time, the door of the arena was pushed open. The interior space of Kesseta was large enough for ninety - nine people to live in, and there was still room for activities. An arena was nothing.
Eigros walked in. He glanced at Kata and finally his eyes fell on Donning, who had grown into a young man. "Donning, today Kesseta will hold an important meeting. You must attend."
Donning placed his sword on the weapon rack beside him, smoothed the hair sticking to his forehead, revealing his handsome face, and snapped his fingers. "My eighteenth birthday, Uncle Eigros. This time I won't say hello to the ninety - nine uncles one by one. Otherwise, I'll have dinner very late again, and my stomach can't bear it."
Every year, the ninety - nine people in Kesseta would hold a grand birthday banquet for Donning. The banquet was held in Kesseta's banquet hall. There was a long rectangular table. It could seat not only ninety - nine people but even nine hundred and ninety people. The long table in the banquet hall was really long.
The old candlesticks in the banquet hall were lit with candles, making it brightly lit. Both sides of the long rectangular table were filled with countless silver tableware. The silver tableware had become slightly black due to oxidation, but this did not affect the luxury of the banquet hall dinner.
The dishes on the table were created by the wizards, mages, and alchemists in Kesseta with their supernatural abilities. When Donning was three years old, he thought it was novel and scary, but now he had no novelty at all.
The banquet etiquette was presided over by Anub'arak. Donning, wearing a luxurious silk dress, entered the banquet hall and respectfully saluted the ninety - nine uncles.
"My dear ninety - nine uncles, it is a great honor for you all to attend my eighteenth birthday. As it is my birthday banquet, I have the right to take over the leadership." Donning respectfully saluted Anub'arak, who was also in charge of the etiquette. "Uncle Anub'arak, please return to your seat."
Anub'arak did not refuse. Instead, his eyes showed an admiring look as he returned to his seat and wrapped a napkin around his chest.
Donning walked to his seat and picked up the bright red wine that looked like blood. "My dear uncles, now that I have taken over the banquet etiquette, you can pick up your wine glasses and drink freely at any time. You don't need to raise your glasses with everyone. You can make noise freely when eating. There's no need to be overly elegant... In short, you can enjoy yourselves, but please don't fart."
There was laughter in the banquet hall. Everyone had no objections and picked up the silver tableware to eat the sumptuous dinner on the table. Everyone knew in their hearts that those sumptuous dinners, if they reverted to their original forms, might very well be sewer rats or room cockroaches, but they didn't mind at all.
On this cursed land, there was no holy life, only ugliness and darkness. Rats and cockroaches were already the most delicious food. Using witchcraft or magic to change their appearance made them no different from delicious steaks when eaten.
After the sumptuous dinner ended, no one left. They all sat in their seats, picking their teeth, hiccupping... and looking at Donning.
"My dear uncles, the dinner is over. Now you can go back to your respective rooms and have a good sleep. I think there's nothing more wonderful than that." Donning got up and placed his right arm on his chest and respectfully bowed in a gentleman's etiquette.
The banquet hall was silent. Eigros, the night watchman of Kesseta, sitting in the seat of the most honored guest, stood up. His expression was as solemn as the knight's statue in front of the church.
"Donning Stewart..."
Donning felt flattered. Having one of the ninety - nine uncles call his full name was a solemn address that had never happened before. He looked back at the banquet hall. No one got up and left their seats. There must be something important. His intuition told him so.
Respectfully placing his arm on his chest, Donning bowed. "Donning Stewart is honored to be able to listen to your teachings. Please speak."
"Leave here..."
A voice came from Eigros's trembling lips. At this moment, his body was glowing, making the countless candles in the banquet hall seem dull.
"Leave Kesseta, leave this cursed land, leave this deathly silent land. It's time for you to fulfill your mission." His words were as solemn as the prayers in the church scriptures.
The remaining ninety - eight uncles got up. Their bodies were also glowing, and the banquet hall became a paradise, but a paradise for the wicked.
Donning's body stiffened as he looked at the ninety - nine uncles. "I don't understand..."
Eigros's sonorous voice interrupted Donning. "You are the King of Judgment, the culmination of the ninety - nine of us, the representative of darkness. Darkness has been hidden long enough. If it's hidden for too long, it will go moldy. So you must leave here. This is your mission, and I think now is the best time."
Donning nodded. He was the King of Judgment, the representative of darkness, like that Lorimarose. He knelt heavily on the ground, his hands spread out as if to embrace the sky, but he was embracing darkness.
The banquet hall trembled as if a disaster was about to strike. Eigros's lips trembled more violently, and his skinny hands on the table also trembled.
"Donning, you should go out into the world, judge darkness with darkness, let the true light see the day again, unmask the false gods, and let their uglier - than - darkness true faces be shown to everyone, so that the world can recognize their true nature."
Donning had heard countless dark stories from the mouths of the ninety - nine uncles. He knew that the protagonists persecuted by the so - called "light" were each of these uncles here. So they hated the real darkness. They expected to unmask those hypocrites and seek justice for their suffering in this cursed land of Kesseta in the darkness.
He was familiar with all those big - wigs wearing masks in the stories as if he had experienced them himself. Donning knelt on one knee, his expression pious.
"I will surely judge darkness with darkness, let the true light return to the world. The King of Judgment swears in the name of darkness. The false gods will have nowhere to hide in the darkness."
After the ceremony, Donning took the most precious gift given by the ninety - nine uncles - "The Code of Judgment" - and walked out of Kesseta. Eighteen years ago, the gate of Kesseta opened during the rainy season. Eighteen years later, the gate of Kesseta opened again during the same rainy season, and the gullies on the thirty - three steps had become deeper.
Dark clouds covered the sky, and darkness fell upon the earth. On this cursed land, even a ray of light was a luxury.
The ninety - nine native Kessetans stood on the thirty - three steps, watching the young man's back gradually disappear into the endless darkness.
"Eigros, the outside world has too many temptations. There are women as delicious as food. This will blind his heart and make him unable to distinguish the viper - like faces hidden beneath those beautiful skins." Kata was a little worried.
"There are also gold coins as dazzling as the stars in the sky. This will blind his eyes and make him unable to distinguish the dirty truth beneath the dazzling brilliance." Anub'arak tightened his grip on the gold coins.
After the ninety - eight villains expressed their concerns, Eigros let out a ghost - like laugh. "If the darkness within him is not enough to fight against the real darkness, then let him fall, become a part of the hidden darkness under the light, and wait for the next King of Judgment to execute him. Anyway, we have already waited for many years."