Actually, even Carl himself hadn't expected that summoning the cursed blade Muramasa would have such a powerful effect. He tried to call Muramasa back, but the moment it moved even slightly backward, those nineteen golden swords flared with light again, as if ready to go berserk.
Seeing this, Carl had no choice but to temporarily give up on recalling Muramasa. At the same time, he confirmed that Muramasa was indeed restraining those nineteen golden swords.
But leaving Muramasa locked in this stalemate wasn't a long-term solution either. Carl had no intention of sacrificing his sword here.
After a moment of thought, Carl glanced at Lily and said:
"Lily, if I can't get out later... then you'll just have to stay here and keep me company."
Lily blinked in surprise, but before she could respond, Carl's hand on her back erupted with dark power. Like a gate flung wide open, the force from the mark of the Empty Throne within her body surged out like a raging flood, pouring madly into Carl.
In just an instant, the power of the Empty Throne's mark was completely absorbed by Carl. A golden mark appeared on his forehead, and two solid beams of golden light burst from his eyes, making him look like a noble deity descended to Earth.
Sensing the transfer of the Empty Throne's mark, the golden swords in the air instantly teleported before Carl, with Muramasa following right behind.
Carl's brows furrowed slightly. Now that he had obtained the Empty Throne's mark, he felt as though he was walking among the clouds.
He slowly lowered his hand from Lily's back, the darkness in his palm dissipating into nothingness.
At that moment, Lily felt an unprecedented lightness throughout her entire body. She suddenly spread her arms wide, closed her eyes, and twirled in place, her skirt fluttering—like springtime flowing all around her.
Her lips parted softly as she murmured:
"Freedom... it's been so long..."
Carl gave her an indifferent glance and said:
"Come with me."
Lily's excited mood instantly cooled. Without the shackles of the Empty Throne's mark, her personality had turned lively again. She pouted slightly and replied with a hint of reluctance:
"As you command~ my king!"
With that, her eyes spun mischievously, and she instantly unfolded her surgical space, preparing to perform a spatial swap and leave this place.
Her powers had returned, so she could freely wield her devil fruit abilities again. But before her skill could take effect, the walls of the grand hall suddenly bloomed with dazzling golden light—it seemed some kind of formation had been activated.
With a soft "pop," the newly opened surgical space burst like a balloon, collapsing and leaving Lily standing awkwardly at the center.
Carl, meanwhile, continued to ascend the stairs at a steady pace, his back to Lily as he said:
"Behave. There won't be a second warning."
Lily frowned, then suddenly felt a chill down her spine. She whipped around—and saw the nineteen golden swords, led by Muramasa at their head, all pointing their tips directly at her.
Her pupils contracted as shock filled her heart.
"He... he can really control these swords!? Has he already broken free of the Empty Throne's suppression!?"
But Carl no longer paid her any mind. Step by step, he led Lily to the platform at the top of the stairs—the place where the Empty Throne once stood, now empty.
Carl slowly turned and sat down. And the instant his body lowered, the previously vanished Empty Throne reappeared beneath him.
Lily gazed at this all-too-familiar scene, her heart stirring with old memories. She had once sat here too, long ago.
Softly, she asked:
"How does it feel?"
Carl smiled faintly.
"This feeling of controlling everything... not bad at all."
"Control everything, huh? No... you can't even claim your own freedom. Isn't that a little ironic?"
Carl's hands gently stroked the armrests of the Empty Throne as he chuckled:
"You're wrong. A king is bound by nothing. A king is the freest being in this world."
Lily cast a glance at the swords behind her, their golden edges gleaming with menace.
"But reality says otherwise. To become king... there is always a price."
"There's always a price, yes—effort and time. Both are essential. And I've already paid it."
Lily sighed. She felt Carl was still far too confident.
"Then try leaving this place. See if you really can."
Carl responded with a laugh:
"Lily, there's a saying you may not have heard."
"What is it?"
"Under heaven, every inch of land belongs to the king. Now that I've become king, the whole world is mine. So tell me—where is there that I cannot go?"
As he spoke, black light flashed in Carl's eyes, and the golden mark on his forehead suddenly blazed even brighter, turning so intense it dyed the entire hall in a sea of gold.
The mark's color deepened rapidly—within moments, it shifted from gold to red, like a brand freshly pulled from the flames.
Lily, who had borne the Empty Throne's mark for over eight hundred years, had never seen such a transformation. Her voice cracked in alarm:
"Carl-sama, what are you doing!?"
But Carl gave no answer. At this moment, he was compressing all his dark power into the mark at his brow. As the blackness poured in, the mark violently resisted. But now, the mark was fully integrated with Carl's body—and here, in the domain of darkness, it had nowhere to escape.
Layer by layer, the dark power wrapped around the Empty Throne's mark, making it tremble wildly. The nineteen golden swords outside seemed to sense the danger and went berserk again, all shooting toward Carl, seated upon the Empty Throne.
But Muramasa instantly split itself, creating an equal number of black swords that clashed with the golden ones, shielding Carl behind them.
The sudden chaos made Lily panic. Then Carl's calm voice rang out:
"Lily, go help Muramasa hold those swords back."
She obeyed purely on instinct, shifting into her Primal Demon Devil form. With a sweep of her hand, countless black arrows appeared from nowhere, snaring the golden swords tightly.
With Muramasa and Lily both holding them off, the golden swords' assault was temporarily halted. But beads of sweat appeared on Lily's brow—restraining them clearly wasn't easy.
She turned toward Carl and cried out urgently:
"Carl-sama, you—"
But before she could finish, her voice stopped dead. Her eyes went wide, as though witnessing something impossible.
For the mark on Carl's forehead had now completely turned pitch black, like ink. And above his head, a black crown had appeared out of thin air.
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+140 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg