Darius Supreme

"The Test of Mettle? Haha, of course, of course!" Shamael answered immediately, surprising Darius with his mild reaction. Even after a couple seconds, he didn\'t show any change. 

Was it not a big deal for an outsider to participate in what should be a sacred rite of their people? 

Shamael noticed Darius\' questioning glance and saw fit to answer with a grin. "Our last Desert King perished in the Insect Invasion, and it has been more than 8,000 years since then." 

Shamael beckoned to Darius, leading him and his group towards a nearby palace. "As you can see, the state of Ludo has fallen greatly since then. There was a time when we were recognized as a powerful continent rich with minerals, yet now we\'re the weakest and poorest continent, mildly rich in minerals." 

"This is due to the absences of a Desert King. That title holds more weight than you as an outsider might understand. Rather than just a political leader for us, such a person is a spiritual and military leader as well. He has the power to control all the sands of Ludo, regardless of distance or location." 

"On Ludo, such an ability would make him into a Godking at the least. He can shaft the sand in places to create homes for us, he can extract precious minerals for us to trade with other continents and he can protect us from threats beneath the sand by forming tight defenses around the settlements." 

Shamael clapped his hand, making a set of guards who stood outside the palace open the double doors on either side with a bow as he led Darius and his two Branded Servants in. 

"The power of the Desert King is not limited to just this, but there is no need to elaborate further, you get the gist." 

Darius nodded. The importance of the Desert King was not lost on him. Krona had gathered little information about Ludo during the time it had a Desert King because he could sense EVERYTHING on the continent. 

The moment one entered the range of the sands, he would sense you. Krona and his spies had often been rebutted from going in, though not rudely. 

Apparently, the Desert King was a True Lord level figure. 

Darius was participating because he wanted to see if the option to become a True Lord would be presented him and what exactly it was that made this class of people superior to all others. 

"It has been 8,000 years, Lord Stone. Time has flown and things have degraded. Even those who may have felt rebellious towards an omniscient existence like the Desert King back then would probably cry his name out in pain." 

"We are bleeding. We desperately need a replacement, but the world is strict. Only someone who passes the Test of Mettle can become the new Desert King." Shamael explained with a sigh. "If you prove worthy, you won\'t find any opposition, only support from us." 

"In the beginning, you can be sure that we only allowed those who were considered royalty or nobles among us to participate. After centuries of failures, we lowered the requirements to lesser nobles." 

"This trend continued and as things became worse and entire noble families collapsed, what remained decided to open up this option to every Ludoian. 

"Alas, none had proven worthy. About a century ago the top brass officially gave up and opened it to everyone." Shamael finished as he gestured to a lavish couch that was big enough for Darius\' group. 

Darius sat down calmly while Gunner walked to stand behind him protectively with his arms folded behind his back, just like when they were kids. Xela looked left and right with confusion before shuffling over to stand beside Gunner, clutching her staff and wearing a tough expression that only made her look cute rather than menacing. 

The room was well decorated and possessed many small windows. The windows were open, allowing one to see the rest of the bustling Central District. The breeze was extremely good up here, and there were various mats laid on the floor with various colorful designs. 

There was an incense burner that wasn\'t lit, probably for opium or some other type of narcotic drug for Shamael to enjoy either with his concubines or important guests. 

Seeing as Darius came here for the Test of Mettle, Shamael didn\'t bother to offer him some. Now was not the time for such a thing. 

"Since you\'ve come here to challenge it, let me inform you of the rules and the timing." Shamael began as he got himself comfortable. 

"Firstly, the Test of Mettle can be entered at any time by anyone. There is no opening session or time limit in that regard. There is also no limit to the power of the person that can enter." 

"Some of those Elysian Gods have tried, only to come out burned." Shamael stated with a hint of disdain. 

"Secondly, the Test of Mettle is not a combat test or a skill test as far as we can tell. It is, as the name applies, a Test of Mettle. Only those with the will to carry on when all else crumbles before them can qualify to become the Desert King." Shamael buttressed with a stern look. 

This did not comfort Darius, but rather made him frown. He understood that it was essentially a test of willpower, but his issue was that how could it be possible for not a single one to have passed out of hundreds of billions of candidates over a span of 8,000 years, especially when even Gods had tried? 

Just how tough was it? Darius didn\'t doubt him having a strong will, but he definitely was not the toughest person out there. He had the will to preserve when things were looking bad, like with Vena bringing him back to life to play like a monkey, but he also had a limit to his will. 

There were things he could not endure and lines he would not cross, not to mention that he had the heart of a merchant. If things were truly not looking good, he knew when to bend his back and wait for an opportune moment to strike, instead of fight back valiantly and charismatically. 

This made him unsure if he fit the criteria of the test, but he didn\'t mind anyway. He was mostly here to see how it worked and if he could qualify. If it failed, he had another way to take over Ludo.... one far less peaceful.