Lord of Entertainment

(Arthur POV)

I deposited the unconscious captives in my Divine Realm's bunker before returning to the mortal world.

Today's events revealed something surprising - the true extent of my power in this world. Unlike my experiences in fictional worlds where I had to constantly hold back, here I could finally exert my full strength without restraint.

The ease with which I handled a Champion suggested I might even challenge the dragons still roaming Eden Continent.

Though that thought gave me pause - comparing dragons to humans was meaningless. From my research, even infant dragons could defeat Champions with minimal effort.

Speaking of dragons... My thoughts turned to the long-awaited Lord of the Rings sequel. The people's patience had limits, even for a story this beloved.

The dragon situation tied directly into my filming needs. While Morningstar Kingdom's elephants or giant birds could serve as dragon stand-ins with proper VFX work, they'd never capture the true majesty and presence of actual dragons. The audience deserved better.

My artifacts gave me confidence in facing such creatures. The {Devourer Ring} had just absorbed a forbidden spell containing roughly 5 million magical mana without strain.

Dragons' magical attacks, however powerful, shouldn't pose an insurmountable challenge.

With a shake of my head, I contemplated the captives' fate. Simply eliminating them would raise too many alarms - a Champion and his entire team vanishing would only intensify the Solarus Church's scrutiny. They'd likely dispatch even more powerful forces to investigate.

I need a way to control the Champion, I thought, stroking my chin. Something to manipulate him and deceive the Solarus higher-ups.

The Divine Shop offered an item capable of such manipulation - but at 7,000 Divine Points, it wouldn't come cheap. Accumulating that many points would normally take considerable time.

But just as I considered this, a flood of Divine Points suddenly poured in. My eyebrows rose as I traced the source - the followers in the underground chamber. My eyes widened as the number kept climbing: 17,906 Divine Points from a single surge.

"This..." Even I felt stunned. Listening to my followers' excited voices explained everything:

"Can you believe it? Lord Dionysus answered us by sending his servant to defeat them!"

"Such incredible power - did you see how fast he moved?"

"Like a blur! Never seen anything like it!"

"Praise Lord Dionysus!"

I couldn't suppress my smile. They'd mistaken me for merely another servant, and their faith had grown even stronger because of it.

How unexpected... Their belief in 'Dionysus' has deepened precisely because they don't realize who really saved them.

Looking at my newly accumulated points, more than enough to purchase the control item, I allowed myself a satisfied grin. "Fortune favors me today," I murmured.

The solution to handling these captives had quite literally materialized through my followers' strengthened faith.

***

(3rd Person POV)

The morning after, Arthur acquired the Mind Subjugation Crown from the Divine Shop, then made his way to the bunker in his Divine Realm.

Something felt wrong as he approached the heavy bunker door.

Peering through the observation slot, the scene inside made him freeze: Lance crouched among the bodies of his men, all lying motionless in pools of their own blood. The Champion's fists were bruised and bloody, his teeth stained crimson as he ground them together, making a sound like grinding bones.

Arthur's eyes widened at the carnage before him. "He's devolved so far into madness that he murdered his own men..."

The Champion's head snapped up at Arthur's voice, but instead of attacking, he scrambled backward. A flicker of sanity crossed his blood-shot eyes.

"No... Stay back! NO!" Lance's scream echoed off the bunker walls as he retreated.

He fears me? Arthur watched the Champion's reaction with interest. As he pushed open the bunker door, Lance pressed himself against the far wall.

"Don't come closer!" Lance's voice cracked with desperation. "I'll kill you too - I can't control it!"

Arthur's eyebrows rose in understanding. Interesting... Even corrupted, some part of him fights against hurting others. He's not completely lost to the madness.

The revelation cast the scene in a new light - not just mindless violence, but the tragic result of a man fighting and losing against the darkness consuming him.

"I can save you," Arthur offered, his voice carrying a soothing calm.

Lance refused to meet his gaze. "Nothing can save me!" His voice broke. "I... I will never... can never be saved..."

"I possess the power to free you," Arthur insisted.

"LIAR!" Lance's voice emerged as a guttural roar, his bloodshot eyes wild. Spittle flew from his mouth as he snarled, his movements jerky and unpredictable.

"Nothing can save me!" His eyes darted frantically around the room. "Even my god has abandoned me! I cannot... cannot be saved..." Tears streaked through the blood on his face.

Arthur felt a pang of sympathy watching the broken Champion. He approached carefully, but Lance's control finally snapped. He lunged forward, attacking with desperate strength.

Even in his base form, Arthur caught the strike, though the force pushed him back several steps. Without his Primal Morningstar transformation, Lance's raw power demanded more effort to contain.

"Get away! I don't want to kill you too!" Lance pleaded between attacks.

Arthur chuckled. "Rather confident, aren't you? But you can't kill me."

Lance's response was a roar as he unleashed his full might. Yet Arthur, though not in his transformed state, stood firm. In this realm, his power operated on a different level.

Lance's confusion grew as each attack proved futile. "How...?"

"I am the god of this realm," Arthur smiled, watching understanding dawn in Lance's widening eyes. "Here, everything bends to my will."

Arthur flexed his divine authority, bending reality around them. The bunker's walls rippled like water, space itself twisting to his will. Pure energy flickered through the air, visible yet untouchable.

Lance watched with growing comprehension, his corrupted mind struggling toward clarity. Despite his madness, he recognized something profound in the faint, inaccessible energy surrounding them. This matched descriptions from ancient texts - a place he'd only encountered in legendary accounts.

"This... this is the gods' realm?" Lance's voice trembled with realization. "We're actually in the divine territory?"

Arthur's eyebrows rose slightly, amused by Lance's misinterpretation. While it wasn't exactly the gods' realm he imagined, the misconception served Arthur's purposes. "Oh? You recognize it?" he asked with deliberate coolness.

Lance's eyes widened further, sanity temporarily breaking through his corruption. "It really is the gods' realm..." His gaze fixed on Arthur with new understanding. "Then you must be... a deity with territory here?"

Arthur snapped his fingers, manifesting an ornate chair from nothing. He settled into it with casual grace. "Impressive deduction, even with your mind in such chaos," he remarked, secretly enjoying Lance's mistaken assumptions.

Lance fought through his madness, eyes focusing with newfound clarity. "You... are you Dionysus? The god who sent that demon servant to defeat us?" His voice trembled with the revelation.

Arthur concealed his surprise. The Champion hadn't recognized him in his current form - a young man veiled in mystery, rather than the imposing demon from their battle. This misunderstanding could prove useful. "And if I am?"

Lance trembled, pointing with shaking finger. "It really is you..." His voice quivered with disbelief. "A cult's god... actually holds territory in the gods realm. All this time..."

"Now do you believe I can free you?" Arthur asked softly.

Lance's eyes fell to his slaughtered men, guilt and anguish warring on his face. "I... I don't deserve to live... I murdered my own soldiers—"

"The fault isn't yours," Arthur cut in. "Dark power consumed you, stripped away your control."

"But still..." Lance's voice broke.

"Listen carefully," Arthur's eyes hardened with purpose. "You bear no blame. The true fault lies with Solarus, who ignored your desperate prayers for salvation."

Lance immediately shook his head. "No... Lord Solarus wouldn't—"

"Where was he when the Staff's corruption took hold?" Arthur pressed. "When you begged for strength to resist? When you pleaded for help as your mind slipped away?"

Lance fell silent, memories flooding back. He'd prayed desperately as darkness clouded his thoughts, as his control slipped while attacking his innocent men. Yet Solarus remained silent.

"He abandoned you," Arthur continued softly. "Left you alone to face corruption no mortal should bear."

Rage began replacing the guilt in Lance's eyes. "I served faithfully..." His hands clenched into fists. "Dedicated my life to His glory..." The Staff's darkness found easy partnership with his growing anger. "And He left me to THIS?!"

"Yes, Solarus shows no regard for mortals," Arthur said, his smile hidden behind the veil. "I will change that. I will answer those who need me, become the hope they seek."

As Lance ground his teeth in anger, Arthur pressed his advantage. "I can be your god. Your true savior."

The words pierced through Lance's darkness-addled mind. His rage at Solarus crystallized into purpose as he forced himself to kneel. "If... if you can free me from this madness... I pledge myself as your faithful follower!"

Arthur studied the corrupted Champion thoughtfully. Normally, a person needed to actively place their faith in him to become a follower. But Lance's current state prevented such conscious devotion.

With a graceful gesture, Arthur channeled his Divine Points into healing energy.

The energy flowed outward, enveloping Lance in a radiant cocoon. Shadows recoiled from the brilliance, the corruption clawing at Lance's soul banished by the light's purifying warmth.

Lance gasped, his body trembling as his mind cleared, the oppressive darkness that had consumed him lifting like storm clouds chased by the sun.

He opened his eyes to a transformed world. The grim bunker faded away, replaced by a serene meadow bathed in sunlight. Flowers blossomed at his feet, and a gentle breeze carried the sweet scent of life. Lance looked down at his hands—no longer stained with blood, but clean, whole, and steady. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, he felt peace.

Overwhelmed, Lance fell forward, his forehead pressed to the ground in a gesture of absolute submission. "I, Lance Ashford, pledge my faith and life to you, Lord Dionysus, god of joy and salvation."

A divine chime confirmed Lance's addition to Arthur's followers. The Mind Subjugation Crown proves unnecessary after all, Arthur mused. He could either resell it or gift it to Lance for future use.