Ultraman: The Dark Shadow Mage, Creating a Magic Empire

Chapter 17 The villain is actually myself!

"Evil King" is a relatively niche term among Ultraman fans.

Because the owner of this title only appeared once in the movie "The Great Battle! Ultra 8 Brothers".

He was the true mastermind controlling the Super Hipporito aliens, and was eventually defeated by Ultraman Tiga and the others, but he did not die.

However, he has no further appearances since then, and is essentially a villain abandoned by Tsuburaya Productions, existing only in the setting.

So, I'm replacing the Dark Shadow Mage, destined to face the Ultra Brothers' big boss head-on?

Wait a minute, vampire mutated bloodline, dark magic, shadow magic, the home planet has lost its sun and fallen into darkness...

Yes, all the necessary elements are included!

"Great God descended from heaven, have you...have you come to save us?"

An old tree-man with white mushrooms growing on his head stepped forward shakily, somewhat excited, yet also a little afraid.

Norman looked up at him.

Despite their timid demeanor, Norman was surprised to find that each of these tree-men was actually two or three meters tall when he stood in front of them!

Norman saw the piety in their eyes and knew that if he admitted it now, they would immediately acknowledge him as their master.

It's not impossible for the system to even recognize it.

But just like Norman spent ten years in the Black Kingdom breaking superstitions and developing technology.

Norman wouldn't lie to them, much less leave a ticking time bomb of religious conflict for the future!

"I am not the god of your legends, but a king from somewhere else."

Norman began to speak, attempting to communicate with the Shadowmoon civilization by mimicking their language.

The old tree man paused for a moment upon hearing Norman's words.

They are not a primitive civilization, but can be seen as a restarted civilization left behind by the Shadowmoon civilization.

Their ancestors used magic to transform themselves into their current form, adapted to their environment.

So, upon hearing Norman's language, the old tree man's bloodline was awakened!

The old tree-man asked Norman in broken, unfluent Shadowmoon language, "You...you are Shadow, are you Shadowmoon?"

"I am not Shadowmoon, but I have inherited Shadowmoon's legacy."

Norman looked at the tree-man who was speaking haltingly and suddenly felt that something was wrong.

Norman raised his hand and produced a drop of ancestral blood, saying to the old treant, "This is the power of my bloodline. If you swallow it, you will understand everything directly, but after swallowing it, you will become my subordinate."

"This is the choice I'm giving you. If you choose not to swallow it, that's fine too. I'll send someone to teach you slowly."

The old tree man stared at the drop of blood in Norman's palm, lost in thought.

Behind him, the other tree people, though they heard Norman's words, all stared at him with fanatical eyes.

"He is God! He is God!"

"I just heard the voice of God, and my mind has been filled with so much knowledge!"

"Me too! It's a gift from God!"

"Great God!"

Norman heard their shouts, but just pursed his lips and said nothing more.

The old tree spirit glanced at its kin shouting behind it, while simultaneously reading the memories within its bloodline, and finally made its choice.

"I do."

The old tree man knelt down, prostrated himself, and looked up at Norman, extending his hands to receive the ancestral blood.

When the ancestral blood was swallowed by the old tree man, his body underwent certain changes.

His originally aged appearance changed rapidly, becoming young and energetic. The white mushroom on his head turned red, and his body became strong, withered arms regaining their power.

"A miracle! A miracle!"

"Praise be to the gods!"

"Great God! Please accept us!"

The tree people behind him prostrated themselves again, shouting and kowtowing repeatedly to Norman.

The old tree man also received the inherited memories at this moment. His eyes held a complex look, not towards Norman, but towards his own people.

"His Majesty."

The old tree man knelt before Norman again, but this time it was no longer the primitive kneeling before a god, but a newly established etiquette in the Black Kingdom.

[Ding! New subordinate race absorbed! Reward: Fantasy Bloodline: Treant - Mutant - Shadow Treant!]

[Completed the fantasy event! Received bonus reward: Treant - Mutant - Emerald Treant!]

Fantasy events are effects that come with the fantasy route provided by the system. They are triggered randomly and rewards are given depending on the circumstances.

In fact, the discovery of the rune portal by Allen and the others was also a fantastical event, but since it was not triggered by Norman himself, no additional reward was given for its completion.

Of course, if he really had to choose, Norman would prefer that his people trigger events more autonomously.

Because the benefits are greater in that case, and quantitative changes lead to qualitative changes.

Who knows if a few special superior bloodlines won't be born among the next generation of Black Kingdom citizens?

"Get up, do you have your own name?" Norman asked the old tree man.

"Yes, Your Majesty. My name is Noldork, and I am the chief priest of the Noldor tree people."

"Yes, Nordok, this is your own choice, that's their perception. Do you know how to change it?"

"We can't change things for now, so let them serve His Majesty. I'm going to start by focusing on the next generation."

The Noldok Black Kingdom's language was more fluent. Having inherited it, he knew more and realized that his people, bound by theocratic ideology, were beyond saving.

"Alright, take me to see your tribe and tell me what you know about it."

"Yes, Your Majesty, this way."

Noldok brought Norman to their tribe, led him to the temple, and explained the situation to him.

In the legend, the Star of Shadows is composed of three continents. The Shadow Highlands are on the central continent, while the other two continents are separated from the central continent by only a strait.

The Noldor people are scattered throughout the central continent, and their homeland, called the Shadow Forest, is one of their primary habitats.

To the north lies a vast swamp, and to the south, a landscape of a thousand lakes formed by magic. Hundreds of treant tribes are scattered across these three regions, with a population of approximately one million.

Unfortunately, the reproduction of tree people is very difficult. Before Norman brought them magical bloodlines, they could not efficiently utilize the magic in nature and could only obtain it little by little by taking root.

The Noldok did not know the situation of the other two continents.

Legend has it that there is nothing there, or that there is a tribe living in the sea.

"Your Majesty, it is very simple to win over the Tree People tribe. You only need to ride the dragon around once, and they will naturally gather because of their faith."

Nordok offered his advice, a hint of sadness in his eyes as he did so.

Faith is not some backward system, but this superstition and blind faith has trapped these tree people in a state of being thousands of years ahead of their time...

But not anymore!

Noldok believed that if the entire Treant tribe could be unified, under Norman's leadership, they would definitely begin to develop and integrate into the Dark Kingdom!

"Yes, I've already notified the authorities back home. They'll be here soon. You and your soldiers get ready."

"Yes, sir!"

(End of this chapter)